From time to time we like to introduce you to some of the amazing women in flyfishing today. Meet Kristin Wing! She was a participant in the 2022 Sun Valley, Idaho trip and Finatical Flyfishing is honored to have her write and submit this blog.
I started fly fishing over thirty years ago, with my first husband, Mac, with a trek to Blue Quill Angler in Colorado to attend a three day Orvis fly fishing school. We both adored the outdoors and were looking for a sport to do together, rather than apart. Plenty of fly trips later, we found our safe place together on the stream.
A few years later he died. And I kept on fishing.
Why do I tell you this? Because the women I’ve met fly fishing know the power of perseverance, the ‘damn it all’ attitude it takes to put yourself out there even if you doubt your ability to make a decent cast. Or your ability to carry on with your life.
This past summer fished with two incredible young women (coworkers) from Texas who were eager to fish for the first time on a big, breathtakingly beautiful, technical Idaho river. Tentative about their fishing skills, they tried to keep their expectations realistic while their hopes for landing the perfect fish were high.
They were learning drift boat basics, water etiquette, casting the perfect loop and how to set a hook when a big rainbow hit. Each was comfortable in her own skin knowing that the perfect cast is often not perfect, but a revelation in the attempt.
They persevered every day, reveling in the fishing secrets they uncovered with the help of a patient fly fishing guide. Each was convinced it was the number of fish they caught that defined success. They quickly learned it wasn’t, it’s about the experience.
One day toward the end of the trip, they caught dozens of fish. Their faces lit up over dinner as they told the story about the fishing frenzy they experienced that day in Idaho. They persevered. Despite snagging rocks and trees or each other with flies or tangling a line with a wind knot, both knew they had to try again. And again.
Fishing with women is different. We all bring our wounds, our experiences, our hopes and a need to just put real life aside to come to the river. We’re patient, we’re supportive and we push each other to understand that the experience is what really matters.
If you haven’t given yourself the gift of a fishing trip with other women, do it. Not only will you come away with fish stories, you’ll share the gift of experiences with women who don’t give up but learn with every cast.
Living in Kansas City, Kristin is a retired marketing professional who balances time on the river with four grandchildren while devoting her talents to area nonprofit associations.
