24 JUNE 2023 By Cassie Hepler Clint and Amber Woods are following their dream to share a passion for the outdoors. The husband and wife business partners grew up fly fishing – and they plan to pass along those skills and love with their new venture: an outdoor specialty fly fishing shop. Pheasant Tail Fly Fishing will open on the southeast corner of Thomas and 40th Street in the 40 Palms Shopping Center in June. The duo are taking a boutique approach to sourcing different brands and products and want to appeal to the hardcore fly fisherman, the person who wants to learn to fish or those that just love cool outdoor apparel. “The shop will be a complete outfitter with everything anyone would need: rods, reels, flies, packs, boots, wading gear, sunglasses and outdoor apparel; everything needed to get outfitted whether you’re fishing for trout in Arizona or giant trevally in Seychelles,” Clint said. The duo grew up in Tucson and spent ample time outside, hiking and camping. “Our dads fly-fished, so we grew up fishing with them. But we didn’t become completely obsessed with it until about ten years ago when we started spending more time in the White Mountains. Now, we fish a lot,” Clint said. Clint and Amber have a corporate background and have worked for two decades with Sam Fox and Fox Restaurant Concepts. “Fishing is how we spend our free time when not opening and managing the restaurants. Restaurants can sometimes equal stress, and fly fishing is the perfect escape for us. It’s about getting outdoors for your physical and mental well-being and gaining an appreciation for preserving nature – two tenets of the fly- fishing ethos,” Clint said. “My husband has always been very passionate about hobbies, and he’s had many over the years, but none as fulfilling as fly fishing. We hike everywhere we can with our fly rods, we travel to find new water, and learn what we can about where we’re fishing, like how to read the water or what bugs are out,” Amber said. Part of that experience is visiting new fishing shops – not only do they learn about the area, but they also get to meet people and learn new things – and as it happens, meeting new people is part of what helped them get involved in the industry. “Arcadia is where we live, where we work every day. It’s a tight-knit neighborhood that appreciates small, local businesses and so full of families looking to get outdoors and explore with their kids,” Amber said. “We hope to provide something enjoyable for the neighborhood.” The shop will eventually offer casting classes, education workshops, fly-tying events, guided trips, and will weave in some food and beverage tastings with area restaurants. Teaching the next generation is part of the principle behind the boutique. “When I was a kid, I remember my dad tying on a simple traditional pheasant tail fly when he first showed me how to cast in the White Mountains, and I couldn’t believe how you could catch fish on that,” Clint said. “Thirty years later, it’s still one of the most important patterns we fish.” Clint and Amber are excited about their crew, from the guide who gets out there, figures out the water and gets fish no matter the occasion, to award-winning fly tyers, to backcountry guides. “We’ve built a well-rounded, experienced team that will excel in all aspects of hospitality, customer service, technical ability and passion. Amber and I will be more involved from a distance and stopping by on evenings and weekends,” Clint said. “We will focus more on bigger picture stuff, strategy, sourcing new brands, etc. Our number one goal is to serve the community, build relationships and trust, and introduce people to the sport.” Amber is excited to get as many restaurant workers fishing as possible so they can experience the same stress relief. “We’ve talked about how to combine the two in the future, maybe a cool little trout lodge on a stream up north where we can feed people through food and fishing,” she said. The grand opening of Pheasant Tail is set for June 1. pheasanttailflyfishing.com Arcadia can now get schooled in fishing with ‘reel experts’ PHOTO COURTESY OF CLINT WOODS Arcadia locals Amber and Clint Woods spend as much time as they can exploring outdoors. Pheasant tail fly FHA Loans Construction Loans Private Money Loans Commercial Loans VA Loans Investor Loans HELOC's Jumbo Loans Conventional Loans Bridge Loans Portfolio Loans Bank Statement Loans WONDERING HOW TO NAVIGATE YOUR MORTGAGE NEEDS WHEN INTEREST RATES ARE HIGH? LET US HELP YOU BUILD THE RIGHT FINANCING STRATEGY From first time homebuyers to seasoned real estate investors, High Place Mortgage has to the tools to assist with your financing goals highplacemortgage.com | 602.463.3780 | 2930 E Camelback Rd, Suite 175 Phoenix, AZ 85016