Lary’s Fly & Supply

“Are you Lary?” is a question Ebon Robinson, shop manager, gets asked often. He is not, but you can’t blame folks for asking the question. He is standing behind the counter of Lary’s Fly and Supply in Columbia Falls, Montana. And he is a dude. 

Columbia Falls is nestled between Glacier Park and Flathead Lake with the Bob Marshall Wilderness on the doorstep. The town is known for having the longest running medium density fiberboard (MDF) mill in the country as well as an aluminum smelter. C Falls has never quite made the leap to join its uber expensive neighbors like Big Fork or Whitefish with their McMansions and wake boats. Instead it has managed to remain a tight knit community that is part blue collar and part National Park employee.

Ebon & Hilary with a healthy cutthroat

So tight knit, that when shop owner Hilary Hutcheson was in high school, the volleyball team decided to put their first names on the back of their jerseys instead of their last names. But when the shirts arrived, they spelled Hilary with two Ls instead of one. The precocious young defensive specialist decided to tear off that extra L. But now the shirt kind of read “Hi Lary.” The fans embraced it and would cheer “Hi Lary” with every diving save and hustle play. The nickname stuck, and the rest is history. 

“I’m a local and this town is the real Montana. I have always been proud of that and wanted the shop to reflect that,” Hilary says. 

Lary’s services anglers venturing into Glacier National Park and the Flathead River system as a whole. It is an outstanding dry fly fishery and a stronghold of native West slope Cutthroats and the endangered Bull Trout. The forks (North, South and Middle) flow from protected headwaters that each contain glacial till, which adds a light blue tint and makes the waters seem mythical. The rivers can be rowdy, with swift drops and some class III and IV rapids encouraging active casting and mending. 

For the duration of Montana’s summer the shop caters to locals and destination anglers alike. The atmosphere is welcoming and relaxed. They don’t keep secrets or make you earn advice. “I tell people exactly where I would choose to fish that day and with what. I want them to have the best experience possible,” Ebon says. 

Ebon, who is in the shop 7 days a week during the summer and also happens to be Hilary’s partner, says he gets lots of other interesting questions besides “Are you Lary?” like: “Where can I catch a 20-incher?”, “Do I really need a fishing license?” or “How can I see a bear?”

Make no mistake, this is serious bear country and Ebon spends a great deal of time keeping folks bear aware. “We encourage everyone to have bear spray. I also suggest that they sing loudly while they are hiking into a spot and not to bushwhack.” Bushwhacking, going off trail through dense foliage, is how you stumble upon an unsuspecting bear. “Most importantly, this is not a petting zoo… don’t be a touron.”

Big Sky Country

Shop owner Hilary, who is also a permit-holding outfitter on the Middle and North forks, is booked as a guide a year in advance. Ebon says that other shop guides are starting to get fairly full seasons as well.

In the fall, when the fishing and park tourism taper off, the shop changes with the season. “It has more of a barber shop vibe,” according to Ebon. “Locals just come to hang out, tell stories and gossip. We always have bottles of whiskey from Glacier Distilling and a fridge of beers. Local guides think it’s the best place to drink in town. Might be because they drink for free.” 

Hilary hosts trips to warmer destinations in the winter months and has a busy schedule as a brand ambassador and conservation advocate. She is involved with multiple organizations including Protect Our Winters, Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, Flathead Rivers Alliance, Trout Unlimited and American Rivers to name a few. She came by her activism naturally. Being a self-proclaimed “park rat,” means she cut her teeth in some of the most remote and pristine wilderness settings in the lower 48, learning from naturalists and scientists. This has translated into a life of advocacy that fills every free minute of her schedule. 

“The fly shop exists to be a home base for conservation,” says Hilary. Looking around the shop you see information about the causes she believes in with displays and QR codes calling for action.  

In many ways, Ebon and Hilary knit together a tapestry of odd jobs, so to speak, to make up for the long winter doldrums. Ebon heads out in the winter to help Yeti with events, becoming a roadie for short stints. But the shop remains open all year for them to return to, where perhaps an old friend might saunter in and say “Hi Lary.”