Guys We Like - Flies by Two Brothers

“In our family, there was no clear line between religion and fly fishing. We lived at the junction of great trout rivers in western Montana, and our father was a Presbyterian minister and a fly fisherman who tied his own flies and taught others. He told us about Christ's disciples being fishermen, and we were left to assume, as my brother and I did, that all first-class fishermen on the Sea of Galilee were fly fishermen and that John, the favorite, was a dry-fly fisherman.” 
                                                  ― Norman Maclean, A River Runs Through It and Other Stories

Like the old Maclean home in Missoula, MT the Kasprowicz place in northern Virginia is home to two brothers. And like Norman and Paul Maclean, these two guys are passionate about fly fishing. While they live far from the junction of any great trout rivers, that hasn’t stopped them from tying some of the coolest flies you ever saw and using the internet to market their creations. Mason and Palmer Kasprowicz are the principals at Flies by Two Brothers. They're also our youngest TU Business members.

We first contacted these young men at an event not far from their home. They were selling flies, and at a pretty brisk pace. When we inquired about how two guys their age (11 and 13) got into the fly fishing business, here’s what we learned from them:

“One day our granddad came to visit and brought his fly-tying supplies since he no longer used them. We were hooked! Over the years we worked on different flies just for fun and our own fishing. When we showed them to our teachers and neighbors they told us they were impressed. We both want to study engineering in college and each year, tuition seems to grow faster than our college funds. We decided to launch our own business and save any and all profits for college! That’s why flies = MC*2 (Money for College for 2 Brothers). Along the way, we have been learning a great deal about website development, advertising, marketing, inventory tracking, shipping and finances.”

Lest you think, “Aww, isn’t that just so nice?” let me hasten to add that I’ve seen their flies. They are the real deal. They catch fish. But don’t listen to a hack like me. Listen to veteran guide Kiki G., also from the great state of Virginia:

“Being a fly fishing guide, it is so important to have the “go to flies”. It is rare that on the very first cast you hook a fish! Well, I am here to tell you that the dry fly named the “Caddis Wulff” I bought from Mason and Palmer did the trick and produced hookup after hookup, and will definitely be one of my guide flies.”

We know that the next time you’re shopping for flies you have lots of options – lots of great options. There are great flies out there produced by people who honestly care about fish and fishing and who wholeheartedly support TU. But if you want to support two young entrepreneurs who are saving for college and producing great flies, check out Flies by Two Brothers. They’re part of the TU Team.

Flies by Two Brothers

Mason and Palmer Kasprowicz

Reston, VA

fb2bemail@gmail.com

fliesbytwobrothers.com