Announcing a New Partnership Between J. Stockard Fly Fishing and Upper Canyon Outfitters.
Thereโs a quiet kind of joy in tying flies for a trip you havenโt yet taken. Itโs part ritual, part preparation, and a whole lot of daydreaming. And now, thanks to a new partnership between J. Stockard Fly Fishing and Upper Canyon Outfitters (UCO) in Montanaโs Ruby Valley, that ritual just got a little sweeter.
Now, UCO guests will receive 15% off fly tying materials and resources at J. Stockard to help them prepare for their trip.
Whether youโre tying up hopper patterns for the Ruby or simple soft hackles for small streams, the hope is that this offer helps deepen the experience before your boots ever touch Montana gravel.
Tying for a fly fishing trip is part of the trip
If youโve been to Upper Canyon Outfitters, you know itโs not the kind of place you stumble upon, itโs the kind of place you come back to.
If youโve not yet made the trip into the Ruby Valley of Alder, Montana hereโs a taste:
Homesteaded by the Tate family in 1910, UCO isnโt just a lodge with good food and great fishing (though it has both)โitโs a place where people feel genuinely seen. Guests arenโt treated like clients or sports, and instead, theyโre welcomed into the rhythm of ranch life. A bit like theyโve come homeโฆ
โThe basic theme of our mission statement is 'Where here feels like home,'โ says Cassie Ubaldo. โPeople have often said that when they drive towards the ranch, they see our โlogoโ mountain behind the lodge, and they say, โI feel like I am almost home.โ People have often said they feel like part of the family when they are here. I think what that means is that they felt seen and connected, which can be a hard experience to come by.โ
Cassieโs mother, Donna, adds, โWhat brings people back is that they feel that they get what they paid for. We keep our word. We undersell and over deliver. People are seeking connection, and being in the mountains helps them feel that. It doesnโt matter which generation is running the ranchโpeople just like the consistency of the family atmosphere.โ
That might be why the Ruby Riverโa modest little stream by Western standardsโfeels like something more when youโre standing in it.
โFishing the Ruby River with Upper Canyon Outfitters was everything Iโd imagined and more,โ said Charles Vick, President & GM of J. Stockard Fly Fishing, after a recent trip.ย ย
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He continued, โFrom the moment we pulled into Upper Canyon Outfitters, we were welcomed like old friends. The lodge has a family-run feel in the best possible wayโpersonal, warm, and easygoing.โ
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โItโs a comfortable atmosphere that also fosters adventure, which is great because the Ruby is the kind of river that rewards exploration and pushing oneself. The folks at UCO are as excited about helping clients expand their horizons as we are about helping customers take their fly tying to new levels. Itโs why this new partnership between our two family-run businesses feels like such a natural fit,โ Charles said.ย
A Shared Circle of Craft and Community
Indeed, the roots of this partnership run deep. Both UCO and J. Stockard are family-owned, and both believe in the long gameโwhere relationships matterย more than quick sales, and the craft itself is worth preserving.
โA common theme between our companies is shared core values,โ says Fredy Ubaldo. โWe both put customer experience above all else. While UCO teaches the skill-based aspect of fly fishing, J. Stockard provides the carefully crafted items that make the sport possible. Our shared passion completes the circle that is fly fishing.โ
And for many anglers, that circle starts with a spool of thread, a bare hook, and a little pile of feathers on the table.
โAs a family-owned business, we know and understand the value of hard work intimately,โ the UCO team reflected. โWhen people can invest their time, energy, and effort into their sport, the sense of satisfaction is so much deeper and more fulfilling."
At its heart, this partnership is about more than savings, itโs about a shared love for the little things: the rhythm of thread on a hook, the quiet of early mornings on the water, and the satisfaction of knowing your fly was tied by your own hands.
Has there ever been a better time to start gearing up for a trip to the Ruby? We think not.