IMPROVING THE FISHING EXPERIENCE
Our tagline from the beginning, because it's also our overall guiding vision – Be that on the water, at the tying bench, or simply chilling out by the campfire at the end of the day
It All Started in 2004
It seems crazy now, but we were the first to coat our line nippas in rubber, the first to oversize the finger loops on our hemostats, and the first to make dedicated pliers for working on nymph rigs and releasing fish safely. Thanks to a number of fly fishing shops across the country, we were able to grow year after year but were still operating out of our founder Dylan’s house. In 2009 however, we entered into an exclusive distribution deal with Umpqua Feather Merchants. As the largest manufacturer of flies in the world, they were a natural partner for us as they were large, well funded & staffed, and had room in their large warehouse. Conversely, we were small, cash strapped, and had run out of room in our basement. The arrangement worked well for both companies for a few years but in the summer of 2012 we made the decision to go our separate ways.
By 2012 it was obvious that our trend-setting tools were being copied by most of the other accessory companies in the fly fishing industry, and that they would continue to be copied as long as other people were doing the manufacturing. To that end, we bought the best used metal working machines we could afford and leased space in a warehouse to have a go at producing our innovative designs ourselves. We tried manufacturing our own pliers and nippers, and we did succeeded in making some pretty sweet stuff but in the end they would have been too expensive to produce. So, we shifted gears and put our time and energy back into R&D (for us that’s "Research & Development", not "Rip Off & Duplicate") and although it's a time consuming, expensive, and frustrating process it allowed us to create some of the products we are known for like our anodized aluminum nets and our unique releasing and tying tools.
In 2015 we pivoted yet again and moved our operations out of the downtown Salt Lake City warehouse, and up to a rural property in the foothills of the Uinta mountains. The warehouse was great for running a business, but pretty lame from a lifestyle and enjoyment factor. And let's be honest, if we can’t enjoy ourselves while working hard then it’s not exactly worth the effort. Now we work in our own shop with windows looking out onto mountains and pastures and some world class water right down the road for product testing and development.
We think it's pretty much perfection.
Fast forward. It's 2024 and the voyage continues. We are yet again hammering away with R&D and plans to bring you the most innovative fishing tools and nets available. The future looks bright, with a huge thanks to those who have supported us all along, as well as those who just got onboard. We can't thank you enough, and we simply couldn't do it without you. All of us here at Rising are looking forward to more great times on the water, more awesome memories and fishy friendships, and doing our absolute best to ensure our gear is a seamless part of your quality fishing experience.
Have fun. Fish more.