H&H Outfitters: Steelhead Conservation and Two Guys in a Garage

H&H Outfitters

The Industry: Steelhead Conservation and Two Guys in a Garage

Three years ago I met two guys at the Septembeer Fest in Corvallis, OR. Brothers Alex and Cobb Hudjohn.  They were printing shirts for the local Bluebacks Chapter to raise money.  They had a vision to make money doing what they loved, graphic design, fly-fishing, conservation and having a good time.

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H&H Outfitters was set up to make fly fishing fun and affordable as well sell great graphics to bring a younger generation to the sport.  Alex and Cobb started by selling the diy.flykit for $70 you got a cool T-shirt, a koozie and a small fly tying kit with instructions for some classic flies.  For $700 you got everything, waders, rod and reel, fly tying kit, tackle bag, and of course a cool t-shirt, trucker hat and beer koozie.  At the same time they started designing some great t-shirts and hats that fit the style of the Pacific Northwest fly fishing scene.  

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I liked that they were starting into the sport and allowing their small company to grow with their knowledge of fly fishing.  Let’s just say Alex and Cobb did not spend days working in fly shops, they do not own a pastel shirt with zip pockets.  What they did do was bring conservation to the front of the business.  This started with local work like helping the Bluebacks Chapter and selling a line of t-shirts to help the Bend Casting Club raise money for the Deschutes River.  In the meantime they also started printing T’s for small fishing companies like Echo and Loon. 

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They are now a TU Business based on their good will to our chapters and our main print house for Wild Steelheaders United.  Also they are still selling shirts to raise money for the cause.  A few months back in Portland H&H threw the Wild Steelhead Initiative a kick-off fundraiser at the River Pig Saloon by showing the Hank Patterson film and just getting great folks together. 

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Last week I was out in Forest Grove at H&H Headquarters, a barn with a Ford Falcon restoration project and a back room filled with screen-printing equipment.  It was one of the last days they were in the barn surrounded by farms, cows and vineyards on the edge of the soaked Coast Range.  Alex ran me into town to show me the new digs.  They were opening a shop in Forest Grove across from Pacific University, a great source for new recruits to fly fishing and conservation.  On the front door under the logo was a proudly placed TU Business.  Like the Wild Steelhead Initiative, H&H is a source for folks to get involved in conservation and the culture of it.  Alex said, “I just stuck to what I believed in.” Trout Unlimited gets that line of thinking.  I think we have a long future with H&H Outfitters, both ideas growing together for fisheries conservation and getting out and having fun on the water.   

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