Yellowstone Angler

What Yellowstone Angler does

Yellowstone Angler is a privately held, owner-operated fly fishing retail and guide service founded in 1978 and headquartered in a single brick-and-mortar storefront at 5256 US Highway 89 South in Livingston, Montana. The company sells fly fishing equipment, apparel, and accessories across more than 2,320 SKUs sourced from premium industry brands including Sage, G. Loomis, Scott, Douglas Outdoors, R.L. Winston, Bauer, Abel, Lamson, Simms, Patagonia, Orvis, and Costa Del Mar, with price points ranging from approximately $3.79 for small accessories to over $1,575 for premium fly reels. It also operates a dedicated e-commerce storefront that ships nationwide with free shipping on orders over $100 and sells digital gift cards in denominations from $25 to $2,000.

Beyond retail, Yellowstone Angler runs a professional guide service operating on the Yellowstone River, Paradise Valley Spring Creeks (Armstrong's, DePuy's, Nelson's), Yellowstone National Park, and select private lakes in southwest Montana, with bookings processed through the third-party Brindle Chute platform. The business maintains an active editorial content layer in the form of regularly updated fishing reports, water-specific landing pages, and an annual fly rod and reel "shootout" series that functions as both content marketing and vendor evaluation. Marketing channels are organic: the website, an email newsletter, Facebook, and Instagram.

The company employs 1-10 people, has no venture capital or private equity backing, and is owned and managed by George Anderson. Revenue is generated through three streams: one-time product sales (rods, reels, lines, leaders, tippet, flies, waders, boots, apparel, sunglasses, accessories), professional guide services, and gift card sales. There is no disclosed proprietary technology, no AI/ML capabilities, and no app or API surface; the competitive position rests on long-tenured brand recognition, curated multi-brand assortment, on-water expertise, and locally rooted content marketing rather than technology differentiation.

Name

Yellowstone Angler

Legal name

Yellowstone Angler

Website

https://yellowstoneangler.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1978

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Yellowstone Angler is a privately held, owner-operated fly fishing retail shop and guide service in Livingston, Montana, founded in 1978. It sells premium fly fishing gear, apparel, and accessories from major brands via a single storefront and nationwide e-commerce, and books guided trips on the Yellowstone River, spring creeks, and Yellowstone National Park.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Fly Fishing Equipment Retail

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Fly Fishing Specialty Retail (CRAMALAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Fishing & Angling Charters / Guides (THAAALAD)

Keywords

• Fly fishing equipment
• Guided fishing trips
• Fly fishing apparel
• Fishing gear retail
• Outdoor sporting goods

Headquarters

HQ city

Livingston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Product Sales: The company generates revenue through the sale of fly fishing equipment including rods, reels, lines, leaders, tippet, flies, fly boxes, waders, boots, nets, packs, clothing, apparel, sunglasses, hats, and accessories. Products range from budget-friendly options to premium equipment with prices spanning from under $10 to over $1,500.
2. Guide Services: Guided fishing trips on the Yellowstone River, Paradise Valley Spring Creeks, and Yellowstone National Park. Customers can book guide trips through the company's booking system.
3. Gift Cards: Digital gift cards sold in various denominations from $25 to $2,000. Gift cards are redeemable for retail products but cannot be applied to guided fishing services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Yellowstone Angler is a fly fishing retail store and guide service that sells premium fly fishing equipment, apparel, and accessories (rods, reels, outfits, lines, leaders, tippet, flies, waders, boots, clothing, sunglasses, hats) from leading brands to individual anglers through its Livingston, Montana shop and online storefront. The company also provides professionally guided fly fishing trips on the Yellowstone River, Paradise Valley Spring Creeks, and Yellowstone National Park, complemented by regularly updated local fishing reports.

Product overview

Yellowstone Angler is a fly fishing retail store and guide service in Livingston, Montana, operating since 1978. The company offers a comprehensive portfolio of fly fishing products including fly rods from major brands (Douglas, Echo, G. Loomis, Hardy, R.L. Winston, Sage, Scott, St. Croix, TFO), fly reels (Abel, Bauer, Galvan, Hardy, Hatch, IWANA, Lamson, Nautilus, Ross, Shilton, Tibor), complete fishing outfits, fly lines, leaders, tippet, flies, fly boxes, waders, boots, clothing, sunglasses, hats, and accessories. The company also provides professional guide services on the Yellowstone River, Paradise Valley Spring Creeks (Armstrong's, DePuy's, Nelson's), and Yellowstone National Park, along with real-time fishing reports. Gift cards are available in denominations from $10 to $2000.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Free shipping on all orders over $100

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Douglas OutdoorscoreOthersDouglas Outdoors is a key brand partner whose products are featured prominently in Yellowstone Angler's inventory. The Douglas Sky G has won multiple fly rod shootouts conducted by Yellowstone Angler, and the company carries the full range of Douglas fly rods including DXF, ERA, L.R.S., and Sky G models.
• SagecoreOthersSage is a major fly rod brand carried by Yellowstone Angler. The company offers multiple Sage rod series including Arrow, Foundation, Power R8, R8 Classic, R8 Core, and Salt R8 models.
• G. LoomiscoreOthersG. Loomis is a premium fly rod brand featured in Yellowstone Angler's inventory with models including NRX+ Spey, NRX+ Swim Fly, and IMX-Pro V2 Shortspey.
• Scott Fly RodscoreOthersScott Fly Rods are carried by Yellowstone Angler with models including G Series, Centric, Radian 50th Anniversary, Sector, GT Series, Session, F2 Fiberglass, and Wave rods.
• R.L. WinstoncoreOthersR.L. Winston is a featured fly rod brand with models including AIR 2, Pure 2, Pure, AIR 2 Max, and Air 2 Reach offered in the store.
• SimmscoreOthersSimms is a major wader and apparel partner. Yellowstone Angler carries Simms waders, boots, and clothing including the G3 Guide, G4 Pro, Tributary, and Freestone lines.
• PatagoniacoreOthersPatagonia is a key apparel and wader partner with Yellowstone Angler carrying Patagonia waders, Swiftcurrent collection, and outdoor clothing.
• Echo Fly RodsminorOthersEcho is a fly rod brand available at Yellowstone Angler including the Echo Carbon XL model.
• Bauer Fly ReelsminorOthersBauer Fly Reels are carried by Yellowstone Angler with models including RVR and RX series reels.
• Lamson WaterworksminorOthersLamson Waterworks is a fly reel brand with models including Liquid S, Guru S, Purist II, Hyperspeed F, Liquid Max, and Litespeed F.
• Abel ReelsminorOthersAbel Reels are a premium reel partner with products including Nippers and the VAYA series.
• Costa Del MarminorOthersCosta Del Mar is a sunglasses partner with Yellowstone Angler carrying their fishing-optimized polarized eyewear.
• Brindle Chute Booking PlatformcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorYellowstone Angler uses the Brindle Chute platform for booking guided fishing trips on the Yellowstone River, Paradise Valley Spring Creeks, and Yellowstone National Park.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Bass Pro Shops: Mass-market outdoor retailer (owns Cabela's) carrying a broad assortment of fishing gear including fly fishing rods, reels, and apparel. Competes with Yellowstone Angler online on commodity SKUs and category breadth rather than on local expertise or guide service.
• Orvis: Long-standing fly fishing retailer and brand (rods, reels, apparel) with its own retail stores, fly fishing school, and guide services. Operates at much larger scale than Yellowstone Angler but competes for the same fly fishing enthusiast customer across gear and guided experiences.

Regional players

• Madison River Outfitters: Montana-based fly shop combining retail, guide services, and lodging on the Madison River. Comparable to Yellowstone Angler in combining gear sales with guided trips on premier Montana trout water.
• Blue Ribbon Flies: Legendary West Yellowstone, MT fly shop offering retail gear and guide trips on the Madison River, Yellowstone National Park, and surrounding waters. Direct regional competitor for the Yellowstone-area destination fly fishing customer.

Others

• Patagonia: Outdoor apparel and wader brand whose fly fishing product line (Swiftcurrent waders, etc.) is stocked by Yellowstone Angler. Comparable as a brand-side participant in the fly fishing retail ecosystem.
• Sage (Garlington Group / Far Bank Enterprises): Iconic premium fly rod brand carried by Yellowstone Angler. Functions as a supplier-partner today but represents the type of vertical brand that could in theory disintermediate retailers through direct-to-consumer channels.
• Simms Fishing Products: Premier wader, boot, and apparel brand that is both a key Yellowstone Angler supplier and a broader industry player. Comparable as a fly fishing ecosystem incumbent whose products anchor the apparel/wader category Yellowstone Angler retails.

Emerging players

• Trout's Fly Fishing: Independent fly shop with strong e-commerce presence and curated premium rod/reel assortment. Competes with Yellowstone Angler for online fly fishing customers but is geographically distinct from the Yellowstone destination market.
• Trident Fly Fishing: Online-direct fly fishing retailer focusing on curated premium rods, reels, and gear with content-driven merchandising. Competes with Yellowstone Angler for online fly fishing buyers but does not operate a physical storefront or guide service.

Direct peers

• The Fly Shop (Redding, CA): Long-running independent fly shop combining e-commerce retail of premium fly fishing brands with destination guide services on Northern California waters. Closely comparable in business model to Yellowstone Angler — curated brand mix plus integrated guided trips.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/GeorgeAndersonsYellowstoneAngler
• Instagraminstagram.com/yellowstoneangler
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/yellowstone-angler-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Yellowstone Angler