Fly Shop Spotlight: Mayfly Outfitters
Mayfly Outfitters is located on the north side of Holland, MI tucked right off of Butternut Dr.
When you think of Holland, Michigan you probably think of Tulip Time, Hope College, Lake Michigan, and the beach. What you may not realize is Holland is home to an outstanding fly shop called, Mayfly Outfitters.
Owner Charlie Perkins is always ready to answer any question.
Mayfly Outfitters is owned and operated by Charlie Perkins. Charlie has been in business for five years and is nestled comfortably on the north side of Holland right off of Butternut. Before opening the shop, Charlie was an industry sales representative for many different fly fishing brands like Winston and others. Furthermore, Charlie is a certified FFI casting instructor making him an excellent resource for knowledge on rods and line combinations.
The amount fly lines Mayfly Outfitters is extremely impressive. The stock almost everything from SA, Rio, and Cortland.
If you are looking for some of the best rods produced, Mayfly Outfitters has you covered. From Scott, Winston, Sage, and G.Loomis, they are gonna have it.
At first glance, the store looks like an unassuming storage building, however once you enter, the space opens up to a well organized and inviting storefront. Upon entering you will be greeted by either Charlie or his long time friend Fred Vargas with warm smiles and friendly hellos. Both Charlie and Fred are extremely welcoming and approachable making themselves available to answer any questions.
With decades of guiding and fishing experience, Fred Vargas has go you covered from fly tying to catching bass, trout, and steelhead.
Fred was a long time guide on the Muskegon River with a wealth of knowledge one only gets after decades on the water. Additionally, Fred is a professional tier with features in Fly Tyer magazine and many innovative patterns. If you’d like to fish flies tied by Fred, there are a slew of them in the bins at the shop.
Mayfly Outfitters has a wide variety of trout, bass, and other saltwater species for sale. You can even buy flies tied by Fred himself
The shop welcomes all experience levels and does not have that pretentious air that so many other fly shops have. Mayfly Outfitters specializes in trout and smallmouth fishing, however, just about any type of set up can be found within. Most of the gear found within falls within the mid to high end price range. Often, Charlie and Fred are mailing out gear for anglers going to fish in exotic places.
If you need a new reel to match the new rod you’d like to pick up, Mayfly Outifitters has Hatch, Tibor, Sage, Galavan, and Bauer. They’ll have something you like.
Charlie prides himself on what he calls the 5 year test, “When I buy merchandise for the store, I want to make sure the customer is happy. So I think that if a piece of gear is still in good shape in five years and if I’m still happy with it, then that’s what I want to bring in”.
Mayfly Outfitters is currently focusing on bringing in more fly tying material and expanding their location to offer more material and tying classes. Charlie envisions the shop as a place local anglers and tiers can get together and share tips and techniques.
Mayfly Outfitters carries the best tools for on the steam and at the vice. Loon Outdoors and Renzetti can be readily found here.
With their ever growing variety of fly tying materials, they will soon be the go to shop near the lakeshore. RD Fly Fishing material, MFC, and a wide variety of hooks adorn their walls.
I’ve been a patron of this shop for a few years now and I love the atmosphere. It feels like home. I would recommend anyone in the area to stop in and grab something for your next adventure.