West Seattle's Emerald Water Anglers, recently moved to the heart of the West Seattle junction at 4707 California Ave SW, Seattle is enhancing its connection to the natural world and its customers with a striking new mural on its storefront. The building now features artwork designed by muralist Matthew DeLorme.

The concept behind the mural is both clever and deeply connected to the Pacific Northwest landscape that inspires the business. According to the owner Dave McCoy, the idea was for the mural to act as a "pass through". If someone were sitting at Starbucks coffee across the street, they would look at the mural and see the mountains and the sound, as if the Emerald Water Anglers building wasn't even there. This creative vision directly reflects the shop's theme of being outdoors, fishing, and celebrating water as their "muse". Having the sound present on the storefront is "very indicative of how we feel about our business and how it integrates into the community and our favorite watershed" , said McCoy.

Emerald Water Anglers is a 27-year-old business that added retail to its structure in the last 11 years. McCoy highlights that in the sport of fly fishing, which is their exclusive focus, everything is price protected. This means that every product sold in their store is the same price whether purchased online or at another store.

Their competitive edge, therefore, lies in the "level of service" they provide. McCoy notes his extensive global fly fishing experience, having been to 60 countries with a fly rod in the last 16 years, suggesting he has "probably got more global fly fishing experience than almost anybody in the state of Washington". They assist customers regardless of where they fish, from Puget Sound to anywhere around the world.

The store carries a range of well-known outdoor and fishing product lines. They are dealers for Patagonia, Yeti, Costa Sunglasses, Orvis, and Simms. The business also provides Seattle fly fishing reports on their website, which they try to update weekly when conditions change, covering everything from bass and carp to steelhead, salmon, trout, pike, musky, lingcod, and tuna. They embrace "everything with a fly" within the state of Washington.

Beyond products and services, McCoy shared a profound philosophy about the sport. He encourages simplicity in the approach to fly fishing, noting that the vast number of products available can overly complicate things, especially for newcomers. Emerald Water Anglers is "hands down 100% process oriented" in the pursuit of fish. McCoy believes the most important part is improving and being thoughtful and educational, both in terms of impact on resources and consideration for the fish, whether they are kept or released.

McCoy emphasizes that "fishing is called fishing because you're not going to catch fish every time". Therefore, it is incredibly important to be conscious of how you are pursuing the sport and embracing all its facets. The goal is that "whether you catch something or not, you've had a successful and enjoyable experience".

Visit them online at EmeraldWaterAnglers.com

Call them at  (206) 708-7250\

Check their Instagram @ewaflyshop_seattle