About the Museum
About the Museum
The non-profit, private and independently-owned museum is located in Bryson City, NC.
Alen Baker has been the driving force behind the Museum's creation
Board members include: Alen Baker, Gene Barrington, Ron Beane, Kevin Howell, Forrest Parker, and Charity Rutter.
The FFMSA provides a center for learning both the history of fly fishing as well as the arts, the sciences, the crafts and the skills of fly fishing. The purpose of the museum is to capture and preserve the history of fly fishing in the region, since it is being lost daily as our “old timers” pass away and as modern methods and new generations of anglers move fly fishing forward through technology.
The aquarium serves as: 1) the second building of fly fishing exhibits; 2) a Southern Appalachian Aquatic Species Science Center (providing support for challenged, threatened or endangered species); 3) a Trout in the Classroom Regional Center (helping TU and schools in the SE mountain region): 4) a live Mountain Trout Stream: and 5) live presentations of all Southern Appalachian game fish, forage fish, etc.
Satellite Exhibits. We now have 7 satellite exhibits scattered throughout Western North Carolina. Read more.
Museum and Alen Baker Honored
At the November 5, 2016 annual meeting of the North Carolina Society of Historians, the museum received the Evelina Davis Miller Museum Award for excellence in preserving history. Board member Alen Baker received the Ethel W. Twiford History Book Award for excellence in documenting history with his book "Our Fly Fishing Heritage."
Fly Fishing Museum Donation
Bob and Barbara Bagerski from Roswell, Georgia have made a significant donation to the Museum.
They have donated 50 handcrafted bamboo fly rods, 50 reels, 5 wooden rod cases, 4 nets, 6 split willow creels and 3 rod caddys. With a total value of around $50,000 this is the largest single donation of rods and gear to the museum. The items will be used in exhibits of bamboo rods, tubes, landing tools and creels. About 20 of the rods will be offered for a private sale and those that aren’t sold will be used as reserves in the Museum’s rod raffles to raise money for the museum’s plans for an aquarium.