HISTORY OF WILLY J

Although the story goes back much further, it is hard to believe that it has been ten years since we took our first products to market. The company was manufacturing mountaineering gear at the time. You know, the kind of stuff one would take to the top of Everest. Things were going well, with the exception of one problem, there was no fly fishing in such places. Ice axes and crampons were fine for some, but for us, nothing compared to a well balanced 5 weight.

We began by making gear that would strap directly to our packs, allowing us access to some of the most remote “Honey Holes” the West has to offer. It didn’t matter where we went, some die hard Angler with similar ambitions would use a couple of twenty dollar bills to help pry gear out of our hands.
Initially our product line was small, however our aspirations were large causing the line to grow with each passing month. Those months have now turned into years and William Joseph has far surpassed our wildest expectations. However, no matter what has happened, we have stayed true to our original vision of providing guys like ourselves with the best gear money can buy.