Cynthia Harkness

I swung by Orvis Dedham to exchange some fly tying materials and was grateful to see Cynthia Harkness.

I met her a few years ago, and she is a true Fish Whisperer. I was just starting to fly fish regularly, and she was the first person to tell me about some local rivers, techniques, and spots. Then, a month later, I ran into her on a river and learned that she fishes a great deal, often before heading to work.

This time, I learned some more things:

  • They’re now selling some tiny flies for the Swift River.
  • They have some new fly rods on sale only at that store: a 10′ 3-wt. Helios 2 ($477, down from $795) and a 8.5′ 6-wt. Superfine Glass ($225, down from $425). If you’re thinking about Euro-nymphing, the former would be a good fit.
  • There are some great and under-fished striper spots only one hour away from Boston.
  • All of their free fly tying classes were over-subscribed.
  • A female fly fishing group now numbers 38 anglers. I keep encouraging my wife to take up fly fishing and hope she will now that she knows about this group.
  • All of their store-sponsored trips to the Farmington and Deerfield have sold out quickly, as well as tomorrow’s float trip to target pike. In October, they have another pike float and a trip to the Farmington planned (more here).

So, all this to say that it’s great to see so much innovation and so many programs designed to make fly fishing accessible to all. So, give them a visit or call over. They have a cool newsletter and are on Instagram, if you want to stay up-to-date with what’s going on in the area.

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5 thoughts on “Cynthia Harkness

  1. Nice to see Orvis really supporting the sport out of their retail outlets (at least this one)! I stopped in recently and found the staff, and it wasn't Cynthia, knowledgeable and helpful. Just note they are more clothes than fishing so I'll mostly support my local full Service fly shops (Concord Outfitters, Evening Sun).

    1. Great point. It is tough I think to run a fly shop. Concord O. also has a good amount of clothing. I think you need both gear and clothing to make the business model work. Hope to see you soon on the water….

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