Fly fishing TV show hosts open fly shop

Owners of Outside Media, Hilary and Shane Hutcheson, have opened a fly shop on Nucleus Avenue in Columbia Falls. Lary's Fly Supply sells outdoor apparel, Salomon trail running shoes, flies, rods, reels, bags and other fly-fishing accessories.

They started the store to help drive the local economy and they saw it as a nice storefront, Hilary said. They moved Outside Media to the historic Nord Building a year ago. They sell the unique high-level brands that are marketed by Outside Media, Shane said.

"We are huge proponents of bringing additional amenities to Columbia Falls," he said. "You can't even buy socks and underwear in the town."

Locals have been stopping by even before they officially opened.

"The rising tide that floats all boats," Hilary said, referring to both the local community and the store. They are not an outfitter and want to drive business to the guides in the Flathead Valley.

Hilary is a co-host of Trout TV and people were always asking her what she fished with, so she opened a shop where they can buy the same gear.

Their only employee, Cameron Peterson, was born in Columbia Falls and graduated high school in 2014. He has a passion for fly-fishing and also works with Trout TV.

"Right where I want to be," said Peterson when asked what he thinks of working at the store. "I'm very, very, very fortunate to be here."

Hilary said that they wanted to hire a local graduate to teach them about marketing, sales, customer service and all the parts of running a store. She graduated from Columbia Falls High School and worked at Glacier Anglers Fly Shop as a teenager, which is where her love of fly-fishing started.

They are setting up an online store to bring business all year round, which is possible by directing traffic from Trout TV where they get thousands of viewers.

The store is located at 604 Nucleus Ave and is open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day.