Why Fly Fishing is the Perfect Sport for Women
I was married with four kids. I owned my own business. I ran and lifted weights. But there was definitely something lacking. Passion. There just wasn’t a lot of passion in my life. And all of my friends said the same thing. Most of them were okay with it, figured that was the way of life. But I craved passion. I needed something that was all mine, that made me feel alive and smart and different. Passionate about life! I found it in fly fishing.
Standing in a river, feeling the current on my legs, throwing beautiful casts in some of the most gorgeous places on earth, I literally can’t think about anything else. My mind shuts down to just that moment, just that drift of the line, just the water and the sky and the sunlight. And that miraculous tug on the line. It’s the best drug in the world.
Here are just a few of the many reasons I love fly fishing:
- Fishing is a male-dominated sport. While the numbers are slowly changing, about 70% of fishers are male. And I love that. I love being one of a few. I love that I can outfish most men on any given river. I love walking into a fly shop and having something to say. I love the look on men’s faces when they see a couple of women tearing it up on the lake. Maybe it’s an ego-stroke, but I don’t really care. Being a woman in a sport dominated by men is just fun.
- Fly fishing makes you think about the world in a whole new way. Fly fishing is both physical and cerebral. In fly fishing, you learn to read water and start seeing it in ways you never saw it before. You can fish in your own city, seeing places you’ve never bothered to look at before. You can also travel to some of the most beautiful lakes, rivers, and oceans, experiencing them in ways very few people ever do. You’ll meet people and hear stories that will change your life. And you’ll create your own stories, too.
- The best reason fly fishing is the greatest hobby for women is because of our minds. Us women have 5234892345 tabs open in our minds at once. Even in our most quiet moments, we still have: a running to-do list, a monologue about that last conversation with our mom, and a desire for the laundry to just stay done.
I found fly fishing in the desert of Phoenix, Arizona of all places! From my first casting lesson, I loved it, and I have now traveled the world with my fly rod. Belize, Argentina, the Grand Canyon, and dozens more have created the most incredible memories that this suburban housewife wouldn’t have had.
There’s a saying, “Fishing Saves Lives,” and for me that’s proven to be true. Fly fishing, where it’s taken me, who I’ve met, and the experiences I’ve had, has changed me fundamentally. My life is absolutely filled with passion! And I love every minute of it.
