South Branch Outfitters

The store at 74 Main Street in Califon goes back to 1973, when Les Shannon opened it as Shannon’s Fly and Tackle. Shannon was a fly tier whose work was written up in the New York Times, and he built the place around flies, tying materials and a conservation minded approach to the local rivers. A second group of owners, Jim Holland, George Cassa and Eric Hildebrandt, carried that on and worked on stream revitalization in the valley. Abraham and Lindsey Beates bought the business and renamed it. Both are Navy veterans who left active duty in 2020 with close to thirty years of service between them, and they run it as a family concern, with daughters Amelia and Lillian often around the shop. The counter is open Wednesday through Sunday and stocks flies, tying materials, rods, wading gear and clothing.

Its guided range covers the South Branch of the Raritan alongside the Musconetcong, Pequest and Lamington (Black) Rivers, and the business also maintains a Lake Erie fishing lodge for travel trips. (Source: sboutfitters.com, verified 2026-09-06.)