Owner/Instructor/Guide

Jim Holland

Owner/Instructor/Guide

For Jim Holland, Co-owner of Shannon’s, fishing and fly fishing in particular has been a lifelong pursuit. His friendship with the late Les Shannon led him to both the South Branch and other area rivers and of course, to the pursuit of trout and other species on the fly rod. A full time History Teacher and History Department Chair at Villa Walsh Academy, Jim writes a fly fishing column entitled “What’s Hatching” in the quarterly Black River Journal (click here to read his articles) and makes weekly contributions to the New Jersey edition of The Fisherman.

Charlie Bates “aka Chally Bates”

Fly Tier/Guide/Instructor

Chally Bates, a member of the Catskill Guild of Fly Tyers started fly fishing as a young boy; tying flies for his father and himself soon after. This life passion kept him focused through past careers as both a real estate broker and in the entertainment business. Chally and his wife, Nancy, fly fish extensively in New Jersey, the Catskills, Vermont, Arizona, and the Florida Keys. “We’ve fished with all types of tackle”, Chally says, “But catching a fish on the fly is so much fun.” His home river is the South Branch. His home fly shop is Shannon’s on its bank in historic Califon, and the Ken Lockwood Gorge is just down the road. Chally ties now more than ever now, recreating Les Shannon’s legendary fly patterns as well as his own for the shop.

Forget about what the other bios may tell you Anna really runs the shop. Anna divides her days between eating, napping, messing up shoplifters, teaching us how to fish (you want to catch a fish, talk to a cat), cultivating some of NJ finest dubbing, and stealing your sandwich.