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In 1975, Tom Darling was working at Seattle's only fly fishing shop when he decided to start his own place near Northgate Shopping Center in the city's north end. He and several partners opened what was called Archer and Angler in June of that year to cater to enthusiasts for both archery and fly fishing. Darling focused on the fishing end and later bought out his partners in the early 80s. The archery side of the business was closed down a few years later. It was then that The Avid Angler was born, with the name chosen in part to keep the shop among the early listings in the phone book. Darling was an avid angler himself and the shop became a popular stopping point for fly fishers throughout the Puget Sound area.
Darling sold the shop in December 1997 to a group of fishing buddies who had come up with the purchase idea around a campfire at an eastern Washington lake. They thought it would be a great way to pass their love of fly fishing and of the environment to the next generation. The shop space was doubled in size during March of 2001 with a move to the current location in Lake Forest Park. |
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