Sheridan, Wyo., resident Clark Smyth figured accrediting his fishing store with the BBB fit with his values of putting the customer first.
Sheridan, Wyo., resident Clark Smyth figured accrediting his fishing store with the BBB fit with his values of putting the customer first.
“We had noticed some of our competition were offering services or products that veered away from customer appreciation, customer retention and professionalism,” said Smyth, president and co-owner of Rock Creek Anglers in Saddlestring, Wyo. “We wanted a way to standardize that and set ourselves apart.”
Smyth began guiding trout anglers in central Wyoming in 1998 through Rock Creek Anglers, a local fly-fishing guide service and outfitter in the Bighorn Mountains. Rock Creek offers casting lessons and custom-tailored trips in north and central Wyoming and southern Montana, including along the Bighorn and North Platte rivers, plus multiple small streams and spring creeks in the two states.
In 2002, Smyth purchased Rock Creek, partnering with Cole Burnham in 2014 to co-own the Fly Shop of the Bighorns, a fly-fishing retailer in downtown Sheridan that sells flies, tackle, rods, reels and other technical apparel and equipment—through that transaction, they also acquired Angling Destinations. While Rock Creek organizes regional trips, Angling Destinations is a global travel agency that plans small-group, fresh and saltwater fly fishing trips to remote locations worldwide. Rock Creek also has a satellite location, the Rock Creek Rod & Gun Shop, at the historic HF Bar: Wyoming Guest Ranch in Saddlestring.
“When we were just a guide service, the bulk of our work was May to September. It was an opportunity to generate revenue for the other half of the year,” Smyth said. “That allowed us to grow instead of waiting for summer to make money.”
Smyth and Burnham run the three businesses as one LLC operation, using Angling Destinations as the website address to incorporate all three brands in one place. Each business has been in operation for more than 30 years—the Fly Shop of the Bighorns was founded in 1986, followed by Angling Destinations in 1989 and Rock Creek Anglers in 1992.
“A big part of that is having all three operations under one roof, whether it's regional guided fishing, a retail fishing store or world destination travel for fishing,” Smyth said. “To have three brands done consistently well for 30 years each, you don’t see that a lot. We also do it with a relatable personality.”
Smyth and Burnham work with a team of 14 to 16 fishing guides in a given season—the regional trips are two anglers per guide, while those worldwide average six to 12 people in a traveling group.
“Having the retail store ties into that,” Smyth said. “They learn how to fly fish and want to buy their own gear. … If they go to the store, they tend to want to take a trip.”
Smyth still provides guided fishing trips, maybe spending 40 to 50 days a year teaching fly fishing skills, and spends the rest of his time organizing trips and taking care of administrative tasks, working with a year-round team of seven to eight people. He likes noting that his summer college job ended up turning into a career, he said.
“Who knew that a cool summer job can turn into a career? But it can,” Smyth said.
Smyth joined BBB serving Northern Colorado and Wyoming in 2011 under Rock Creek Anglers to get his accreditation and demonstrate how he upholds the BBB Standards for Trust.
“We’re in the business of creating experiences for people, preferably memorable experiences,” Smyth said. “We’re not trying to turn a dime and exploit fishing and fisheries to do so. That’s what other people tend to do. ... We don’t want to do that.”
Rock Creek prides itself on good customer service and good customer retention.
“We can offer some expertise with transparency and honesty and real information and intelligence,” Smyth said. “Some competitors give false information to veer customers away from great fishing spots. … It’s a funny thing in the fishing world, people can get pretty competitive.”
An advantage to being a part of the BBB is an opportunity to get authentic reviews, Smyth said.
“You can pay robots to give you a good review, but the BBB takes it to another level,” Smyth said.
When a few of Smyth’s customers see that Rock Creek is accredited, they have the peace of mind that they’ll be working with an honest, transparent business, he said.
“I’m sure that we signed customers who maybe were reluctant to do so and saw we were accredited by the BBB and that gave them the confidence to give us a chance,” Smyth said. “There have been a couple of relationships with landowners we have entered into because they saw we were accredited with the BBB. That gave them peace of mind they were entering a business relationship in good faith.”