Westbank Anglers Assumes New Ownership

Westbank Anglers, a fly shop, outfitter, and fishing-travel company based in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, was purchased on December 2 by industry and area veteran Mike Dawes. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

“Westbank Anglers has a rich history of offering exceptional fishing experiences, not only in Jackson but around the world,” Dawes said in a press release. “I’m excited and honored to be part of the ownership group and serve as its managing partner to keep the business rooted in the community for years to come.”

Dawes has worked in the Yellowstone and Grand Teton area for over two decades. He is the former President of one of the West’s largest outfitters WorldCast Anglers, and currently operates a podcast called Permit to Think that features “meaningful stories and conversations from the fringe of societal norms … from Mike Dawes’ 30 years of fishing travel, the people he has met along the way and an intense curiosity of their stories.”

The sale is the latest in a series of high-profile fly-shop acquisitions. In January, the River’s Edge Fly Shops in Bozeman, Montana were purchased by Simms Fishing Products (which was subsequently purchased by Vista Outdoors in August), and in October Yellow Dog Flyfishing Adventures took over the former Fins & Feathers fly shop, also in Bozeman. And in October of 2021, Golden Fly Shop in Golden, Colorado acquired Montana Fly Company.