CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — The past year has been hard on some businesses like restaurants and entertainment venues, but not for some outdoor companies. Instead, the pandemic brought revitalized interest and new customers.
The COVID-19 pandemic forced many people to head outdoors for fun, a safe place to do activities while social distancing. Luckily, there’s no shortage of beautiful, natural landscapes to enjoy in the Tennessee Valley.
With rivers all around us, interest in fishing increased over the past year.
“It’s been a good thing for us from a business perspective,” said Dave Luzader.
For the Luzaders, fly fishing is a family affair. Dave is the CEO of Ranger Outdoors LLC and his son, Caleb, operates Tennessee Fly Company.
At the beginning of the pandemic, they had a warehouse full of products and big box stores putting holds on their purchase orders. But, that didn’t last long.
“About March of 2020, it’s just like everybody called and said ‘we want all the product we can get right now.’ So, our business has just grown significantly over the COVID pandemic because people are getting outside,” Dave Luzader told Channel 3, a sister station with WBIR located in Chattanooga.
He said that as families tried to find new activities outdoors, many spent more time fishing and sitting down for picnics. He said it may have been a healthy change for some families' lives.
“About 80% of the people that I see are new customers to the sport,” said Caleb Luzader.
Tennessee Fly Company serves people with a storefront in Charleston and does a lot of business online. You can also follow them on social media.
“I tell everybody in my fly shop. I keep a KISS method with fishing: ‘Keep It Simple Stupid,’” said Caleb Luzader.
His advice to newcomers is to simply avoid overthinking it. Only get the supplies you need based on your budget and find someone with experience to ensure you have a good fishing trip.
There are a lot of options for fishing in the Chattanooga area.
“Locally, no matter if you’re in Chattanooga or Knoxville or anywhere in between, you’re probably about only 30 minutes from a good fishing spot,” said Caleb Luzader.
That includes warm water fishing for bass and brim, as well as cold water rivers for trout fly fishing like the Hiwassee and Tellico.
This business boom for fly fishing extends to boating and hunting too, according to the 2020 stats from the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency March Commission Meeting.
“Let’s talk about how many people went outdoors last year. We had 209,000 people who purchased a license for the first time ever. That’s up 30% over last year,” stated Jenifer Wisniewski, Chief of the Outreach & Communications Division of TWRA.
Interest in the great outdoors is still growing, according to officials..
“We have not seen anything that indicates things are going to slow down. We have stayed extremely busy,” Dave Luzader said.
With all the additional people taking trips outdoors, just remember to practice outdoor cleanliness and to leave no trace of your visit.
“If you bring something in, you need to pack it out. And then, another good thing to get into is to always try to pick up a net full of trash every single time you go out fishing,” Caleb Luzader said.
So, head outdoors this spring and summer.
If you’re interested in picking up the sport of fishing, there are multiple local fly fishing stores and bait and tackle shops throughout our area to get you started.