Laughingstock Fly Fishing

Holli's Story:

As cliché as it sounds, all of this really all began before I could talk. Both of my parents are avid outdoorspeople who grew up ranching, and have built their lives in the Rocky Mountains. My sister and I are the 5th generation in our little town from both branches of our family tree. This is definitely something that courses through my veins.

My dad has a God given gift with fly fishing. He is amazing at identifying hatches, tying great flies, and is a casting genius. I will never forget a quote from my grandpa, "That Wessy could catch a fish from the county road". Am I jealous? Absolutely, but as hard headed as I can be, I did listen to him when it came to fishing.

The pictures provide a little insight into my childhood. Would not have changed it for the world! I was lucky to be blessed with an amazing family who provided opportunities that many will never get to experience. 

Life has taken me on a grand adventure. In high school, I was a part of almost every club, played all sports, hunted, and showed cattle that our family raised. My love of sports took me to my next chapter where I played collegiate volleyball, and graduated with a degree in Biology. 

I was never really sure what to do with that Biology degree, but was fortunate to get a taste for coaching in college, and I ran with it. With coaching volleyball, the idea to become a teacher started to excite me. So a couple years out of college, I decided to become a teacher and a coach. This lead me down the path to head to Texas, where sports rule. 

All the while, I felt the need to explore Texas, but was overwhelmed every time I walked into Cabela's or Bass Pro and saw all the bait casters. A foreign and forbidden tool in our household. However, being a coach and a teacher consumed so much of my time, the need to fish was put on hold.

About 3 years ago, I wanted to do something on my bucket list. So after 6 months of planning, I took only a backpack, and trekked around Europe for 3 weeks. From the beautiful fjords in Norway, to the stark rise of the Alps, I had a renewed sense of adventure. It was an experience of a lifetime! 

Upon my return, I was adjusting to life back in the US, when I went on a date with an amazing guy who would change my life in the most wonderful way.  

As you can see (the evidence below), I truly was a part of this wonderful world of adventure and fishing, before I could even talk.   

(This picture was snapped from my baby book my mom kept for me. It was my destiny to be a part of this fishing community!) 

Alex's Story:

Texan here, born and bred!  My road to fly-fishing has a few more twists and turns, but I wouldn't trade it for the world.  

I grew up always loving the outdoors; living for camping, hunting and fishing anytime I could.  Growing up in the south, we didn't usually consider fishing with a fly rod; a bass or crappie kit would do what you needed.  How little I knew...

I worked for some time for an outdoors outfitter, becoming a trainer for both co-workers and customers alike.  I got paid to test out new equipment, and often find the breaking point (joke's on them, I would have done that for free!).  I'm a gear-nerd, plain and simple.  

A few years down the road, I found the most amazing girl in the world.  I love that cat.

Oh yeah, I met my wife a couple of years before that.

After a couple of years with some lackluster fishing on our camping and hiking trips, we decided to return to her roots of fly-fishing.

It went great for her.  I found many moments of opportunities.  Given some time, and more than a few choice words, I started to find my way in this incredible sport.

The same year we began fly-fishing I also began a career in Aerospace, working with a material system that uses similar properties as modern graphene rods.  All it took was some study and a little push, and here we are!