3 Rivers Fly and Tackle-Hooked into the Community for over 30 Years

3 Rivers Fly and Tackle celebrates 33 years in business in 2025. The fly and tackle shop has grown over the years, adapting to changing fisheries and incorporating an array of fishing tackle for all disciplines of fishing in Alaska and beyond. One thing that has remained the same for over three decades is their commitment to the community and the local fisheries that the shop services.

“It’s never been just a fly shop. It's always been about the people that are in it,” Manager Mike Hudson, who’s been at 3 Rivers since the beginning, said.

Ed Albright and Wayne Johnson were the first owners of 3 Rivers Fly and Tackle, who purchased the business from Dan Berg, operating the shop under the name ‘Dan’s Tackle Town’back in 1992. At the time, Hudson was working as a guide in Bristol Bay during the summers and for a service department during the winter. Although obtaining the business was a dream of theirs, both Albright and Johnson had full time roles in the National Guard. Johnson approached Hudson, hearing of his extensive fishing knowledge, during that first year to ask if he would be interested in managing the business.

“I was their first employee because they needed somebody to manage the shop because they had real jobs,” Hudson laughed.

The business started as a core tackle shop, selling hooks, line, rods, reels, weights and some fly fishing gear. Large businesses like Sportsman’s Warehouse and Walmart weren't in the Valley yet and the community needed a specialized fishing “pro shop,” Hudson said.

As the business grew and the interest from both local and visiting anglers brought more customers to the door, 3 Rivers started expanding its product line. New options became available from companies like Sage, St. Croix and Simms. The shop was truly becoming a premier destination for the best fishing gear available.

The king salmon runs were stellar in the 1990s and early 2000s, Hudson explained. The popularity of many of the Parks Highway streams brought in a steady flow of customers and the shop grew to incorporate more gear. The popularity in salmon fishing was so high they opened a second location in Willow to accommodate the demands. Hudson called the boom in salmon runs a “perfect storm” for business, with 3 Rivers operating at 10 employees and open from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. everyday.

Due to the slow decline of king salmon populations in the Valley, the business has now operated from their main location in Wasilla. The store is staffed with four very knowledgeable and capable employees, with extensive knowledge of all types of fishing in Alaska.

Adapting to the changing demands of anglers in the Valley has kept the business running for as long as it has. The shop has never lost its small, mom-and-pop feel while catering to a wider range of audiences.

“As the fisheries changed, we’ve had to adapt as a small shop,” AJ Hoffman, who works with Hudson to operate the business, said. “Really, what I believe separates us from not just our competition, but fly shops across the nation, is we also carry tackle.”

The business now provides gear for any kind of fishing in Alaska. From beach fishing in the saltwater for halibut, to fly fishing for rainbows and grayling along the Parks Highway streams, to flipping for reds on the Kenai and catching big lake trout through the ice in the interior, 3 Rivers Fly and Tackle carries anything the most committed of anglers in Alaska might need.

To keep anglers engaged during the winter, 3 Rivers has added to their ice fishing lineup. They not only offer an array of premier ice fishing gear, they also host ice rod building classes and fly tying courses. The shop also carries tackle for destination trips their customers take all around the world.

What has kept the doors open throughout the business's history is its commitment to the community. Hudson said it was always a priority to take care of the community, whether that meant providing the best gear, teaching someone about different locations and tactics, or even just lending a listening ear for someone that needed to talk. With that commitment came a relationship of trust.

“That’s where my heart’s always been with that business: Community,” Hudson said. “And over the years, they’ve taken very good care of us.”

Hoffman said that Hudson had always exuded that commitment to the community and it showed whenever a new customer walked through the door. Hoffman is proactive in giving back to the community through educating the next generation of anglers and supporting programs like the competitive high school ice fishing tournaments hosted by schools across the Valley. By getting more kids involved in fishing and doing something positive, Hoffman believes that building a fishing culture with the next generation will help to preserve what is currently available and someday bring back what once was.

The crew at 3 Rivers remains humble and never takes their community for granted, Hudson said. The business’s thoughtfulness, engagement, responsibility and attention to detail doesn’t just end when the customer walks out of the door. 3 Rivers Fly and Tackle will continue to serve its community with the same commitment and passion for fishing that it has for the last three decades.

“I hold a lot of pride in that. I’m not a millionaire, but I’m a rich man,” Hudson chuckled.