Living Waters Fly Fishing

What Living Waters Fly Fishing does

Living Waters Fly Fishing is a private, family-owned retail fly shop and guide service headquartered at 103 N. Brown Street in Round Rock, Texas. Founded as a local guide service in 2006 and converted to a retail showroom in 2008, the firm operates as Round Rock's first and only dedicated fly fishing shop, serving Texas Hill Country anglers targeting species such as Guadalupe Bass, trout, Rio Grande Cichlid, and panfish on rivers including the San Gabriel, San Marcos, Salado, Lampasas, and Llano. The company was named the first Trout Unlimited Gold Business in Texas, a designation that TU states cannot be purchased, and partners with Texas Parks and Wildlife, Trout Unlimited, and Trash Free Gulf on conservation and citizen-science programming.

The business is built on four revenue streams: a retail fly shop carrying third-party brands (Scott, Simms, Ross Reels, Abel, TFO, Hatch, Fishpond, and others) alongside its own registered "Fly Fishing the Republic®" merchandise line; guided wade and float trips priced at $300-$600 per trip; private FFI-certified casting lessons at $100-$200 per session; and free/low-cost educational events including weekly fly tying nights, intro classes, and species-specific presentations. Trip and lesson bookings require a 50% deposit, with the balance due two days prior, and the firm also accepts phone orders and runs a curated online storefront. There is no proprietary software, platform, or AI/ML capability; the underlying technology is a standard Squarespace-based site plus standard retail and booking operations.

The go-to-market is community-driven DTC targeting individual consumers and small groups: local Texas Hill Country fly anglers are the primary segment, supplemented by beginners seeking instruction and a broader community of conservation-oriented anglers who participate in events and citizen-science projects. Marketing is concentrated in events, classes, word-of-mouth, newsletter, and conservation partnerships rather than paid acquisition. The firm's competitive position rests on local monopoly status (only fly shop in Round Rock), 18-year brand heritage, FFI-certified instructors, deep Texas-species expertise, and a sticky in-person community that big-box retailers cannot easily replicate.

Name

Living Waters Fly Fishing

Legal name

Living Waters Fly Fishing

Website

https://livingwatersflyfishing.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Living Waters Fly Fishing is a family-owned fly shop and guide service in Round Rock, Texas, selling retail gear, running guided wade and float trips, teaching FFI-certified casting lessons, and hosting fly tying and conservation events for Texas Hill Country anglers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Fly Fishing Retail & Guiding Services

NAICS

Fishing, Hunting and Trapping (114)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Fly Fishing Specialty Retail (CRAMALAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Fishing Charters & Angling Experiences (Deep Sea, Sportfishing, Fly Fishing) (THAJAJAC), Fishing & Angling Charters / Guides (THAAALAD), Waders, Apparel & Footwear for Fishing Retail (CRAMALAL)

Keywords

• Fly fishing retail
• Guided fly fishing trips
• Casting instruction
• Fly tying education
• Outdoor sporting goods

Headquarters

HQ city

Round Rock

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Guided Fly Fishing Trips: Wade trips and float trips with professional guides. Wade Trips: Half Day $300, Full Day $450. Float Trips: Half Day $400, Full Day $600. Group trips available at custom pricing.
2. Casting Lessons: Private casting instruction by FFI Certified Instructors. Beginner lessons $200 for 2 hours, Intermediate+ lessons $100 for 1 hour. Add second student for discounted rate.
3. Fly Shop Retail: Retail sales of fly fishing gear, flies, equipment, and accessories. Carries major brands including Scott, Simms, Ross Reels, Abel, and proprietary Fly Fishing the Republic merchandise.
4. Fly Fishing the Republic Merchandise: Proprietary line of merchandise that funds native fish conservation throughout Texas. Includes branded apparel and gear.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Living Waters Fly Fishing operates Round Rock's first and only dedicated fly fishing retail shop, selling gear, flies, equipment, and apparel including its own Fly Fishing the Republic® branded merchandise. It also delivers professionally guided wade and float trips on Texas Hill Country rivers, FFI-certified private casting lessons, and free/low-cost educational events such as fly tying nights and species-specific presentations.

Product overview

Living Waters Fly Fishing operates as a single-location retail fly shop and guide service, not a software platform. The core offerings include: (1) a retail fly shop selling gear, equipment, and supplies; (2) guided fly fishing trips on Texas Hill Country rivers; (3) casting lessons taught by FFI-certified instructors; and (4) free educational events including fly tying nights, introduction to fly fishing classes, and species-specific presentations. The company also sells its own branded merchandise under the 'Fly Fishing the Republic®' sub-brand, with proceeds supporting native fish conservation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Fly Fishing the Republic®: A line of merchandise through which Living Waters has independently raised funds for native fish conservation throughout the range of the old Republic of Texas.

Products and services

• Fly Shop (Retail) Brick-and-mortar retail fly fishing shop in Round Rock, Texas selling gear, equipment, flies, and supplies from major brands including Scott, Simms, Ross Reels, Abel, Hatch, TFO, and others to fly anglers.
• Guided Fly Fishing Trips Professional wade and float guided trips on Texas Hill Country rivers including Brushy Creek, San Marcos River, Salado Creek, Lampasas River, San Gabriel River, and Llano River; offered as half-day and full-day options with equipment and tackle included.
• Casting Lessons Private casting instruction delivered by FFI Certified Casting Instructors, with beginner lessons ($200 for 2 hours) and intermediate+ lessons ($100 for 1 hour), covering techniques such as single/double hauling, distance casting, and wind casting.
• Events & Education Educational events including free Introduction to Fly Fishing classes, free Fly Tying Nights for all skill levels, aquatic entomology classes, species-specific presentations (Guadalupe Bass, Rio Grande Cichlids), conservation events, tournaments, and anniversary celebrations.
• Fly Fishing the Republic® Merchandise Proprietary branded apparel and gear line whose proceeds fund native fish conservation throughout the range of the old Republic of Texas.

Quantifiable outcome

• 18 years in business as local Texas fly shop
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Trash Free GulfminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026New partnership for 2026 Brushy Creek Cleanup event. Trash Free Gulf provides cleanup gear for volunteers and supports efforts to make positive impacts in headwater streams and rivers that benefit coastal environments.
• Trout UnlimitedcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLiving Waters was chosen as the first Trout Unlimited Gold business in Texas - the highest recognition for TU business partners. They are closely involved with their local TU chapter and host curated fly fishing trips where clients participate in citizen science projects to protect native Rio Grande Cutthroat trout.
• Texas Parks and Wildlife DepartmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLiving Waters works in partnership with TPWD through on-the-water management projects, conservation-based citizen science, and the TPWD Angler Education Program.
• Austin Reptile ServiceminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAustin Reptile Service provides educational programs on Texas native reptiles, including snake identification classes at the fly shop. Owner Tabitha Blewett brings live snakes for interactive education.
• Bosque Valley Fly Fishing (Pat Vanek)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerPat Vanek, founder of Bosque Valley Fly Fishing and guide specializing in rivers around Waco, Texas, presents classes at Living Waters on fishing the Brazos River. Known for laid-back, approachable style and decades of local guide experience.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Cabela's: Large-format sporting goods retailer (now under Bass Pro) with broad fishing and fly fishing assortments. Comparable as a competing gear outlet but lacks the curated local expertise and guide service of a specialty shop like Living Waters.
• Orvis: Long-established U.S. fly fishing brand operating retail stores, an online fly shop, and endorsed guide schools. Comparable because it combines premium gear retail with structured casting lessons and a multi-location footprint — the same revenue stack Living Waters runs at local scale.
• Bass Pro Shops: Mass-market outdoor retailer carrying fly fishing gear alongside hunting, fishing, and camping categories. Comparable as a competing retail channel for fly gear, but offers no specialized instruction or Hill Country guide expertise.

Others

• Patagonia: Outdoor apparel and gear brand with strong fly fishing assortment and conservation-led marketing ethos. Comparable as an upstream brand supplier/adjacent in fly fishing culture and conservation messaging rather than as a direct retail competitor.

Direct peers

• Trident Fly Fishing: Multi-channel fly fishing retailer combining an online fly shop with a physical store and guide service. Comparable because it competes head-on with Living Waters' retail and instructional offerings, with the key difference being a much larger digital/e-commerce footprint.
• Tailwaters Fly Fishing Company: Texas-based fly shop, guide service, and casting instruction provider serving the Guadalupe, San Marcos, and other Hill Country rivers. Most directly comparable peer: same geography, same product mix (retail + guided trips + lessons), overlapping customer base.
• Blue Quill Angler: Colorado fly shop offering retail gear, guided trips, and casting classes. Comparable as a specialty retail + guide + instruction hybrid serving a regional angler base, with overlapping brand partners (Scott, Simms, Ross, Abel).
• San Juan Angler: Fly shop and guide service on the San Juan River. Comparable as a destination fly shop combining retail, guided trips, and lessons around a defined river system — directly analogous to Living Waters' Hill Country model.
• Montana Angler Fly Fishing: Bozeman-based fly shop offering retail, guided trips, and fly fishing schools. Comparable because it combines a curated gear store with professional instruction and destination guiding, similar to Living Waters' integrated service model.

Regional players

• Texas Fly Fishers: Long-standing Texas-based fly fishing club offering outings, classes, and conservation programming. Comparable as a regional community and education platform that overlaps with Living Waters' event-driven GTM and Hill Country customer base.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/LivingWatersFlyFishing
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/living-waters-fly-fishing

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

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 Living Waters Fly Fishing