Tujenge Pamoja | Let's Build It Together

Whether you have been a follower and friend of Ascent Fly Fishing for a long time or short, we hope that you have felt our sincere care for you and ardent desire for you to have your best day on the water each and every time you go fishing! We are passionate about the sport of fly fishing because of you, we are refueled by the photos of your triumphs sent to us from the river and each fishing buddy new and old that you send our way! What drives us to continue to grow and open the sport of fly fishing to new anglers are our three core values:

Community

Opportunity

Success for All

While here in the States, these values can be seen in the diversity of anglers we serve, our honest and accessible prices on flies and gear, and information always freely given, but it goes much further than that and we want to pull back the curtain and share how the team at Ascent is striving to live out these values.

Let Us Introduce You to Our Fly Tyers:

In 2014, as the demand for our flies and biologist-crafted selections eclipsed my abilities to tie, we opened our first factory in Kenya. As our business grew, what started as 6 tyers quickly grew to 8, and then 15, and today there are 32 full-time tyers and managers who make their livelihood working for Ascent Fly Fishing. In an area with almost 12% unemployment and generational cycles of poverty, our tyers and their families not only make a sustainable living, but they also have the opportunity to prosper and excel. Our tyers and managers are part of our family, my kids know their kids, when there have been medical emergencies, Ascent has been there to foot the bill. We are committed to giving them the opportunity to grow and thrive with us.

We're Heading to Africa

Our bags are packed with new tying tools and a years supply of hair and hackle and on November 15th, my wife and partner Jessica and I, along with our children Aiden (8) Emily (6), and I will be heading to Kenya to do some fly tying training, spend time with our tyers and their families, film a short documentary, and to spread some holiday cheer. As Ascent has grown, so have the tangible ways we can support our tyers and their families. Not only do our tyers make several times the national average salary each year, but a percentage of all flies purchased is also put aside to help pay for education, school uniforms, housing, and healthcare.

Jessica (my wife and Ascent Co-Owner) speaks conversational Swahili and we encourage you with the same phrase that hangs above our tying benches: "Tujenge Pamoja" translated "Together we build it." You have been an integral part of this development and opportunity and we thank you! It is the flies you purchase that are impacting, empowering, and changing this community in a real and life-changing way.

A Different Definition of Success

For most of the fly fishing industry, success is measured by the combined inches of trout in their Instagram feeds or the big name fishing brands they have lining the walls of their retail space. Frankly, if we at Ascent never get rich or have shops spreading across the West, we'll be okay with that.

We define success as you catching your first 6" brook trout, the children of our tyers all receiving an education, anglers having a safe place to ask their most fundamental questions, homeless youth having a place to get a hot meal and a days work, and building a community of anglers who are passionate about the sport of fly fishing and sharing it together! Thank you for being the cornerstone of our SUCCESS! We look forward to continuing to grow with you and we hope to see you on the river sometime soon.