Hi all!

I’m Kelsyee Magnusen the owner/designer/ seamstress/saleswoman of West Fork Fly Company.  I’ve been sewing since middle school, but it had always been just a hobby. 

In 2014 I left my job in finance to stay home with our newborn daughter.  I started creating baby gear and selling it to friends and a few clients I gained through an Etsy shop.  I LOVED hunting for the perfect fabric and having a reason to sew during naptimes.  

2019 our son was born and as he grew my passion for creating baby items quickly fizzled. Our family was now complete.   I needed something flexible to occupy my time as our children grew and entered school.  Sewing was both my skill and passion but what could I do with that long term? 

In October 2021 my husband and I were driving home from a weekend of fly fishing for steelhead when we came up with the idea for West Fork Fly Co.

“What if you combined your two passions and sewed fly fishing gear?” he asked.

What?! Start my own company where I could design, create, and grow at my own pace? A job where I could dictate my own schedule; thus allowing me to adventure with my family, work during school hours, and connect with others who love fly fishing? Sign me UP!

I named my passion project West Fork Fly Company, in honor of the West Fork of the Bitterroot River.   My husband and I are high school sweethearts and were raised in a small town located in the Bitterroot valley.  The West Fork’s forests and streams have long been our favorite weekend destination..

My little business quickly outgrew the corner of basement I had been occupying.  I was constantly rotating sewing machines from the floor to my desk to fulfill orders.  That summer I enlisted my dad (a skilled contractor) to help me design and build a fully equipped sewing studio on our property in Missoula.  What was originally supposed to be a glorified “she-shed” became the office space of my dreams.   It is flooded with natural light, has a vaulted ceiling, space to house bolts of fabric and an entire workbench lined with sewing machines!

The winter I officially launched West Fork I barely filled one table at a school craft show.  I didn’t want to dream too big, what if attractive fishing gear wasn’t marketable? I’ve now sold 100s of my items online to anglers in the US and Canada! I’ve had the honor to participate in Sportsmen’s Expos and events hosted by some of Western Montana’s best fly-fishing outfitters.  This is truly my dream job, and I thank you all for your support and help as this continues to grow!

-Kelsyee