The Driftless Angler- Fly Shop & Guide Service

Geri and her husband run a beautiful fly fishing shop in the heart of Wisconsin’s famed Driftless region. Fantastic selection of really well designed and constructed flies, fantastic! Awesome customer service. Wonderfully informative and up-​to-​date web site. Extremely helpful and friendly, overall. Quaint Main Street location. A true pleasure to shop at this husband-​and-​wife, independent business.
Hope to hire D.A.‘s guide service during next trip to Viroqua. Gorgeous countryside, by-​the-​way.
Continues success, Driftless Angler…

My sons and I have taken annual trips up to the Driftless region the last few years and this place is on the itinerary. We usually end up in Viroqua about mid-​trip so it’s a good place to stock up on supplies and replace all the flies my kids have lost. But we also look forward to picking up a new Driftless Angler t-​shirt. They have custom designed shirts that look pretty cool and we wear them proudly back home. I picked up the «Year of the Scud» shirt this year. It was perfect because we had been slaying them for three days on scuds before seeing the shirt. The shop has all the flies and supplies you need and some high end equipment too.

I needed waders, in a hurry! No time to chat and grab any names. but I was helped promptly, found the waders I needed (Redington Sonics) and was on my way. At check out I was given 20% off (!) even though a sale was not advertized. Inventory was a little thin but it was also September and understandable that ordering and restocking is a winter task. Great fly shopand information resource for the Driftless region.

Fish enough and you can recognize the difference between a mill and a craft shop. These guys are the latter, for sure. Mat and hid wife Jeri (sp?) are super nice and accommodating (to the point of having a two-​bedroom apartment for rent over the shop for the Chicago folks who drive up; only $ 70/​night!). Add to that Mat’s willingness to share good spots with passers-​through and their impressive inventory of relevant local flies and you have a solid if not amazing hub for regional fly fishing. And if you are a decent caster, ask to have Pete as a guide. He is a great coach, knows the water (literally called two strikes to the second with me), and is just plain good fishing company for a day on the local water. Beginners take heart in knowing that Mat is very patient and will put you on the right water to catch fish and gain confidence.

A new fly shop is open in the driftless region. A rare source for fly fishing gear in the heart of Wi spring creek heaven.
I stopped in on a Saturday morning and was greeted by the owner, Mat Wagner. A nice, guy, he had the coffee pot running and a tray of really great home baked cinnamon rolls (his wife’s quite the baker!).
Echo and Scott rods, a nice selection of flies too– impressive stock overall for a brand new shop. And the space the shop is in is beautiful, right downtown in an historic building with wood floors, vintage restored tin-​plate 10′ ceiling. The walls are decorated with Wi artist Gaylord Schanilec mayfly woodcut prints too! I’ll stop in whenever I’m up that way– you should too.