Women on the Water
On Fishing and Friendship
As an avid female angler, I am always looking for ways to connect with other females who love to be on the water. I have been fishing my entire life, remembering our times spent on the water are some of my favorite memories with my dad. I began fly fishing about 5 or 6 years ago. It was something I had wanted to learn for a long time, but was somewhat hesitant to let anyone know that. I don’t have a really good reason why, it just didn’t see at the time that there were a lot of women participating. I also am more of an academic than athlete, so I kind of wanted to learn in secret just in case I was really bad at it. But when I finally confessed to my husband that I really wanted to learn to fly fish, he was very supportive, and got me started right away.
Searching for Resources to Fly Fish
The problem I found in my area though was that without a local fly shop, it didn’t seem like there were a lot of resources out there for women wanting to learn to fly fish. I could see that shops around Wyoming and surrounding states were holding events, and I was able to take some lessons from a master fly fisherman in Jackson, Wyoming. But realistically, attending events several hours away is not practical, and somewhat intimidating to someone who still feels like they are an amateur fly fisherman. The paradoxical part of this dilemma was that that was the very thing that drew me to fly fishing, the fact that it was more complex that just throwing out a worm and waiting.
Fishing for Involvement, Locally
I started seeing that there were events put on by the local Trout Unlimited chapter. I was interested in getting involved with this group, but it seemed that every time I wanted to attend something, I had a family obligation that trumped it. The same with events around the state (and even in Utah and Colorado) that other women’s groups were holding. Understand that when you have several children as I do, family things take over quite often.
So, when the Seedskadee Chapter of Trout Unlimited announced that they were doing their annual women’s float, I signed up immediately. I decided that I would just plan around that and make sure it happened. I loved that the cost was only $50, very affordable in comparison with a guided day on the river. You all know how much I love a great deal.
Trout Unlimited dedicates themselves to focusing on the conservation of freshwater streams, rivers, and associated upland habitats for trout, salmon, other aquatic species, and people. That’s from their website. What that translates to in real life is that their employees and members work to improve and conserve fisheries and watersheds through work done that helps improve the places where trout live. Our local Seedskadee chapter has a fencing project planned on Gooseberry Creek September 23. They also encourage the healthy use and enjoyment of those fish habitats. This is where the idea of the Women’s Float comes in; in an effort to encourage more women to not only become involved in the chapter’s work, but to be more active on the water too.
Casting Out of Your Comfort Zone
I am naturally a very introverted person by nature. That’s why I do well as an Accountant. Going to participate in an event where I don’t know another soul is way out of my comfort zone. I could see that most of the women appeared to have come in pairs, and I was alone. But as it turned out, my partner on the boat was Amy, a very active member of the Seedskadee Chapter; a woman I had known of but not actually met while growing up. Amy’s older sister and I were in the same class, and somehow that added a level of comfort to the experience. Amy, and our guide, Reed, were so friendly that I was immediately put at ease.
Once on the water, fishing and the love of being outside took over and I was home. My boat partners acted as if we were old friends, which helped a lot too. The fishing was a bit slow, we did catch some babies, and I lost a good sized rainbow.
But the day wasn’t just about catching fish. It was about spending the day on the water, enjoying the weather, and having fun being outside. It was about learning to fish, or learning to read the water, or learning to appreciate our area and our natural resources. It was about appreciating what women can bring to fishing, and what they can take from it.
What did I love most about the Trout Unlimited Women’s Float? Everything.
I loved that it was such a relaxing atmosphere: no pressure, no judgement. I loved that my boat mate was so good at casting that she could work around some of my periodic wild casting. I loved that there were so many women who showed up to get out on the water, many of them for the first time. I loved that even when the fishing was slow; there was none of the urgency that you sometimes feel on a guided float. And I loved that I was able to just enjoy spending a day out on the water, with other women, with a common interest. And there aren’t many more affordable ways to experience fly fishing on the river for the first time, with knowledgeable escorts, and the ability to borrow gear if needed.
So if you have been wanting to try fly fishing, or want to connect with others on the water, men or women, look into your local Trout Unlimited chapter to see if it might be an avenue for you to find like-minded friends, find fishing partners, and get involved in helping to conserve the waters we all love so much
Afterword by Ryan Moehring
The preceding story is reposted with permission from Robin Robison’s White Mountain Woman blog. In this piece, Robin recounts an inspiring adventure during a women’s fly fishing float trip on the Green River at Seedskadee National Wildlife Refuge in SW Wyoming. The annual women-only event is the brainchild of Trout Unlimited employee, Hillary Walrath, through a unique partnership with Seedskadee National Wildlife Refuge. While the trip began with humble aspirations: to introduce local women to the sport of fly fishing, it has blossomed into something much more transcendent.
Bonds forged on the river have cultivated a spirited conservation community spanning multiple generations. Mothers, daughters, sisters, friends — many of whom are so inspired after their time on the river that they become involved with their local Trout Unlimited chapter and national wildlife refuge. Like so much of what happens on the water, this trip is full of magic and memories that stay with these marvelous women long after their waders have dried.
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You can follow more of Robin’s adventures on Instagram at: @white_mountain_woman
Learn more about the Seedskadee Trout Unlimited Chapter here: https://seedskadee.tu.org
Seedskadee National Wildlife Refuge has an active Facebook page, stocked with amazing photography.
