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With a Lifelong Passion for Fishing, Local Trio Launches West Virginia Fly Guys Handmade Fishing Flies

By Trina Runner on November 06, 2018 via Connect-Bridgeport.com

On any given weekend, Sam Aloi, Tyler Skidmore and Corey Skidmore can be spotted fishing a stream in the mountains of West Virginia.  Their passion for the sport has been lifelong, but over the past few months, the trio has decided to share some of their experiences with the public. 
 
“We decided to start and Instagram account so we could share some of our adventures with people,” said Tyler Skidmore.  “The page took off immediately and we started getting a lot of followers, which made us start thinking of ways we could make money while we were still in school.”
 
Tyler Skidmore and Sam Aloi are both college students and Corey Skidmore is a student at Bridgeport High School.  The three of them have been tying flies for local fishermen for quite some time and decided it was time to market them on their Instagram account.  Their new business, West Virginia Fly Guys, has now shipped hand-made flies all over the United States and even to some other countries.
 
“Our little page has turned into something bigger than we could have ever imagined,” said Skidmore. “We had a logo designed and made it into decals and sold out in a week.  Now we are setting up a website to make ordering easier and adding hats, apparel and, of course, a large selection of our flies.”
 
According to Skidmore, commercial flies are often mass produced and lack quality and longevity. West Virginia Fly Guys hand makes every fly and ensures quality control standards are met by personally inspecting each one.  
 
“Originally, Sam was the fly-fishing guru,” said Skidmore.  “Now Corey and I are just as passionate about the sport and the three of us have an unbreakable bond build around sports, fishing and enjoying the outdoors.  No matter how good you get at fly-fishing, there is so much more to learn and we have really enjoyed sharing our experiences with others and hopefully inspiring them to enjoy it as much as we do.”
 
Until the website is complete, fly orders can be made by calling 304-838-2065 or 304-641-7051 or by messaging Tyler Skidmore on Instagram or Facebook.  The flies make a unique hand-crafted, local gift option for the holidays and additional merchandise will be available soon.


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