It’s no surprise to see furs and feathers flying out the doors at North Texas’ newest fly shop in Plano, and Dirty Water Fly Co. owner Danny Soltau couldn’t be happier.
A little more than a year old, the shop already relocated to a larger space on 14th Street in Downtown Plano back in March. The new space has provided a little elbow room for Soltau to teach fly-tying lessons as well as carry more fly rods, reels, lines and general fly-fishing gear.
“I had the opportunity to go from a hole-in-the-wall to a slightly larger hole-in-the-wall, so we took that,” Soltau said. “And we have the same landlord, so it’s seamless, and now we have awesome street front on one of the busiest streets in Plano.”
Most fly-anglers realize their success starts with the fly, and that is also where Soltau’s shop starts. Not only does Soltau sell flies to fishermen traveling to exotic destinations, his flies also travel down Texas roads to ponds, rivers and lakes.
“That’s the core of the shop — from what you actually need to go fishing — from the first thread wraps you make on a hook, to getting your flies in the water,” he said.
Fly-tying is at the root of Soltau’s fishing experience. Now into his third decade of fly-fishing, the Texas-born Soltau started tying flies at the Creekside Angling Company, in the Seattle area where he grew up, and then moved on to work at the River’s Edge in Bozeman, Montana, in 2012.
“I learned from the best, and I absorbed everything,” he said.
While still in Bozeman, Soltau founded the fly-tying company, Dirty Water Fly Co.
“We still do commercial tying for shops here and out west,” he said. “We have phased into more local tying and less wholesale tying.”
Now, Soltau focuses on tying flies for the racks in the shop.
“We also do custom stuff from trout to tigerfish to tarpon and shipping them all over the place,” he said. “But we’re still learning new concepts, techniques and applying them to flies I’ve been working on for over 20 years. I don’t ever see a fly I tie as being finished.”
The extensive selection of flies and materials attracts fly-fishers to buy and tie flies at occasional after-hours events or take individualized instruction on tying specific fly patterns that fit their fishing needs.
“It has been pleasant getting to know the DFW community of fly-tiers and fly-anglers,” Soltau said. “It is as diverse as you can imagine. In Texas, we have clubs that reach across the state and are prevalent and involved, and it adds up to a tight-knit community that spans a massive state. And the number of world-class fly-tiers we have that might end up walking in and tying a fly at the bench for an hour is awesome.”
Along with flies, Soltau carries major brands like Grundens, Echo rods, Galvan reels, Winston Rods, Rio fly lines and accessories.
