Awesome fly fishing women

[jrbecca]

For those of who you know of a woman who is interested in the sport, but is hesitant to jump feet first into a male-dominated domain, I wanted to highly recommend involvement in the Stonefly Maidens, a women-only fly fishing club in the Portland area.

This past Saturday, they hosted an all-day casting clinic with a certified casting instructor at Blue Lake. It was a phenomenal day of instruction, practice, sharing of knowledge, and comraderie. I learned how to fly fish from a man last summer. And despite his "best" efforts, I struggled with my back cast and despite being told that my cast needed "a sh*t ton of work," there wasn't the support and help I needed. In one day with the Stonefly Maidens, I saw a huge improvement in my cast and was really happy with the progress I made.

You can imagine that we attracted quite a lot of onlookers--25 women practicing their cast off a dock for hours. We were giving quite a few people entertainment, even men who had come down to do some gear fishing started ignoring their lines and just watching us. :lol:

It's a great group of women who know how intimidating and unfriendly the fly fishing world can be to a woman going at it solo, and are truly encouraging, funny, and downright awesome to be around.

Plus, their monthly meeting is held at Widmer (bonus!), they have monthly fishing outings as a group throughout Oregon and Washington (headed to the Deschutes this month), have great speakers, and even have a monthly raffle for some really awesome fishing gear.

They have a meeting coming up next Wednesday at 6:00 p.m., if anyone is interested. I plan to attend and would be delighted to welcome other newbies to the club.

 

[Spydeyrch]

Sounds very cool. I think I would like to go just to observe the meeting and see how it is that they teach casting differently. I think it would be a great knowledge set to have to be able to teach a female caster. I tried teaching my sister .... she did ok but I think the error was in my teaching methods. Sometimes it just needs that woman's touch and perspective for another woman to understand.

Sounds like you had a great time. :clap:

-Spydey

 

[plumb2fish]

Sure, you just want to "observe the meeting participants."

 

[Spydeyrch]

Sure, you just want to "observe the meeting participants."

Hahahahahaha, nice. I was sure that someone was going to post something like that if I said what I said. hahahahahaaha. But no, it is not to "observe the participants". :naughty:

I think it really would be good to learn the differences. I have two young daughters that, hopefully, someday will want to pick up a fly rod and would like to make sure that I can teach them effectively. And I hope that some day my wife will let her wall of "you can go fishing but not me" down and so I could then teach her. I have heard that teaching a loved one is more difficult than teaching a non-loved one. :think: Just want to be prepared.

-Spydey

 

[lilsalmon]

I actually looked into the Stonefly Maidens a couple years ago. Being that I am a distance away it wasn't really convenient for me. I was taught to fly fish by a man (Thank you Dave for your patience) and he was and is a great teacher. It has been approximately 4 years and I still flail about sometimes but it is not because of lack of good teaching. In my flailings I have caught 100's of fishes. There really are not enough of us women out there and as jrbecca said there are a lot of women afraid to jump in and give it a try. I think it is awesome what the Stonefly Maidens do to get more women interested.

I, personally, and no offense to anyone here, prefer to fish with men. They just want to fish and they hate drama, as do I....just my observation. Course, that doesn't mean I never fish with women. We had a little gal gathering quite a while ago and it was a blast...even tho only 3 of us showed up.....hehe

 

[lilsalmon]

Hahahahahaha, nice. I was sure that someone was going to post something like that if I said what I said. hahahahahaaha. But no, it is not to "observe the participants". :naughty:

I think it really would be good to learn the differences. I have two young daughters that, hopefully, someday will want to pick up a fly rod and would like to make sure that I can teach them effectively. And I hope that some day my wife will let her wall of "you can go fishing but not me" down and so I could then teach her. I have heard that teaching a loved one is more difficult than teaching a non-loved one. :think: Just want to be prepared.

-Spydey

Now Spydey, there is a reason it is called Stonefly Maidens, not Stonefly Maidens with Men...hehe...JK....hope to fish with ya soon.

 

[troutdude]

Hahahahahaha, nice. I was sure that someone was going to post something like that if I said what I said. hahahahahaaha. But no, it is not to "observe the participants". :naughty:

Spydey; I'll be happy to fill in for ya!

But seriously folx...this is a great idea. Kudos to you jrbecca, for posting this thread! I hope that many ladies, will take advantage of such an opportunity.

 

[MattZ]

I suppose its cool that there is a club so women will not be intimidated, but fly fishing is just kind of intimidating for everyone, not just women...

In terms of casting, it makes no difference, man or woman, who teaches you if they are a good teacher and you a good student. I have taught men and women alike. I have even successfully taught my wife to fish. I teach at least 2 or 3 women every year. They are no different than the men I teach save for genitalia. the experience is the same, man or woman. If they listen, they learn. If they think they know better, they don't.

I feel like maybe there was a bad experience here that has left a bad taste in your mouth about a man teaching a woman to fish.

Women, (and men), there is nothing intimidating about catching fish and having fun. What is intimidating, is as adults, we get embarrassed when we are not good at things. Kids have no such filter, they just learn. No reason for embarrassment, get out and do it. Casting is really quite easy... now fishing, thats another story.

 

[jrbecca]

Sounds very cool. I think I would like to go just to observe the meeting and see how it is that they teach casting differently. I think it would be a great knowledge set to have to be able to teach a female caster. I tried teaching my sister .... she did ok but I think the error was in my teaching methods. Sometimes it just needs that woman's touch and perspective for another woman to understand.

Sounds like you had a great time. :clap:

-Spydey

It was a great time. The instruction was truly fantastic, with key motions taught step-by-step and in such a way that the repetition became muscle memory, and with practice, it all came intuitively. Really, no one was left behind as we advanced through the day, and while some advanced more quickly than others (I had the "thrill" of being positioned near someone who quite unintentionally fished both sides of the dock--with her forward cast and back cast), toward the end, participants who had caught on quite quickly were helping others out, and never a negative word was uttered.

It was great. After such a long hiatus from the sport, I had forgotten how beautiful it is to see you line fly out above the water.

I actually looked into the Stonefly Maidens a couple years ago. Being that I am a distance away it wasn't really convenient for me. I was taught to fly fish by a man (Thank you Dave for your patience) and he was and is a great teacher. It has been approximately 4 years and I still flail about sometimes but it is not because of lack of good teaching. In my flailings I have caught 100's of fishes. There really are not enough of us women out there and as jrbecca said there are a lot of women afraid to jump in and give it a try. I think it is awesome what the Stonefly Maidens do to get more women interested.

I, personally, and no offense to anyone here, prefer to fish with men. They just want to fish and they hate drama, as do I....just my observation. Course, that doesn't mean I never fish with women. We had a little gal gathering quite a while ago and it was a blast...even tho only 3 of us showed up.....hehe

As I mentioned in my PM, I've only ever fished with a man, so this was my first time getting out in the water with women, although we weren't technically fishing. We did have a rather large fish jump just off the dock, which caught very experienced angler's attention, while those who had never held a rod before were largely unaware of the tease. But yes, men are more focused on fishing than chit chat. And if that's what you're after, I can definitely see the drawbacks of fishing with a group of women.

It's great that you had such a phenomenal instructor (go, Dave!). I've often wondered how to make the sport less intimidating for other women. I have a group of fellow stay-at-home mom friends who are fascinated by the experiences on the water I share with them, but are reluctant to join me, although they are eager to see where I fish---conveniently, there's a Frisbee golf course near my preferred casting grounds, so taking them out there isn't a complete loss.

And yes, flailing can be quite effective. We do have that in common.

Spydey; I'll be happy to fill in for ya!

But seriously folx...this is a great idea. Kudos to you jrbecca, for posting this thread! I hope that many ladies, will take advantage of such an opportunity.

Thank you! And if you know of any potential speakers who might be willing to share their experiences and expertise, please let me know!

Ah yes, the famous April Vokey. She puts on a fantastic casting class for the gals. :clap:

-Spydey

P.S. Y'all should listen to the pod casts where she is the invited guest. Very interesting information about how and why she started her fly fishing service and shop. Very cool!

I know you love pod casts. Hehe. How do you have time to listen to so many with work and four kids at home?

I suppose its cool that there is a club so women will not be intimidated, but fly fishing is just kind of intimidating for everyone, not just women...

In terms of casting, it makes no difference, man or woman, who teaches you if they are a good teacher and you a good student. I have taught men and women alike. I have even successfully taught my wife to fish. I teach at least 2 or 3 women every year. They are no different than the men I teach save for genitalia. the experience is the same, man or woman. If they listen, they learn. If they think they know better, they don't.

I feel like maybe there was a bad experience here that has left a bad taste in your mouth about a man teaching a woman to fish.

Women, (and men), there is nothing intimidating about catching fish and having fun. What is intimidating, is as adults, we get embarrassed when we are not good at things. Kids have no such filter, they just learn. No reason for embarrassment, get out and do it. Casting is really quite easy... now fishing, thats another story.

I agree. How much you get out of instruction depends a lot on the teacher, but also in part on the student's willingness to learn, try, fail, and try again. I've previously taken a fly fishing class taught by a woman who was clearly passionatr anout the sport, but for whom fly fishing and all its nuances had become so intuitive that stopping to think about how to explain it to others wasn't her strong suit.

I wouldn't say that there is anything wrong about a woman learning to fly fish from a man, but there are some drawbacks. For starters, there is the male-female dynamic that can be distracting to the task at hand depending on the match between the two. When I learned last summer, it was admittedly a bit distracting to have a man's hand over mine, his body pressed up against me to guide me through casting. But there's also the reality that women's bodies move differently than men's. Our communication styles are often different. There were a lot of domestic-related references to help participants understand the timing of casting last Saturday. There was a certain comfort level in asking questions of each other that a man just might not get.

I don't know. I don't regret learning from a man last summer, but I appreciated being a part of an all-female group who could fill in the gaps of what didn't click last summer.

 

[bigsteel]

women are hands down better at learning,..some of us can put a fly on a dime at 60+ feet but that doesn't really matter or make you a good angler,I think people get intimidated when they see others throwing a ton of line.the best fly fisherman I know dont need more than 30 or 40 feet of line to pick up a trout..the most important aspect is line management and fly presentation,once you have that down you will realize most the distance game is a big ego boost and nothing more.

 

[Spydeyrch]

It was a great time. The instruction was truly fantastic, with key motions taught step-by-step and in such a way that the repetition became muscle memory, and with practice, it all came intuitively. Really, no one was left behind as we advanced through the day, and while some advanced more quickly than others (I had the "thrill" of being positioned near someone who quite unintentionally fished both sides of the dock--with her forward cast and back cast), toward the end, participants who had caught on quite quickly were helping others out, and never a negative word was uttered.

It was great. After such a long hiatus from the sport, I had forgotten how beautiful it is to see you line fly out above the water.

That is great!! I am glad to hear that things were positive!! That really helps with learning anything really. :clap:

I know you love pod casts. Hehe. How do you have time to listen to so many with work and four kids at home?

Heheheh, yes, yes I do. The secret is to listen to them while I am at work! I have them on my computer at home, on my computer at work, and on my cell phone. So I can listen to them where ever I am at ... for the most part.

Honestly, you should listen to a few of them. They have helped me immensely!!!

-Spydey

 

[Kellyannam]

... a man's hand over mine, his body pressed up against me to guide me...

Well if that's the case, this lady would much rather prefer a male instructor :yay:


Joking aside, I feel like having any stranger pressed up against me is kind of awkward. Maybe it's a California thing (I say this because it has only happened to me in CA), but I've been openly hit on by enough females when I was younger to feel as uncomfortable regardless of gender. I could see how if you are married or in a relationship it would feel more awkward with a man though. As for fishing with men or women, I agree with another poster here in that I typically prefer to fish with men. That being said, I've had some great women fishing buddies in my life but those were the tomboy, super-mellow type. In my personal experience most of the women I have fished with use it as more of an outing to talk about problems/random chit chat and fishing is secondary. That being said, I'd much rather random chit-chat on the river than in a coffee shop.

 

[MattZ]

Well if that's the case, this lady would much rather prefer a male instructor :yay:


Joking aside, I feel like having any stranger pressed up against me is kind of awkward. Maybe it's a California thing (I say this because it has only happened to me in CA), but I've been openly hit on by enough females when I was younger to feel as uncomfortable regardless of gender. I could see how if you are married or in a relationship it would feel more awkward with a man though. As for fishing with men or women, I agree with another poster here in that I typically prefer to fish with men. That being said, I've had some great women fishing buddies in my life but those were the tomboy, super-mellow type. In my personal experience most of the women I have fished with use it as more of an outing to talk about problems/random chit chat and fishing is secondary. That being said, I'd much rather random chit-chat on the river than in a coffee shop.

thats funny

 

[troutmasta]

:yay:ah..the infamous dancing bannana strikes again:yay:

I fish with male, female, mixed, dog, birds, no one, everyone, combat, tranquil, hot, cold, wet, dry, mountain, ocean, desert, God, or no God its all got something to OFFer.

Just count me in.

For April Vokey, (and only her), I would never touch a gear rod again...

Props JrBecca, find those friendly fisher females and enjoy!

 

[jrbecca]

Our meeting is tonight, if you want to send anyone our way!

Stonefly Maidens @ Widmer Brew Pub
6:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Guest Speaker: Jason Borger

You don't have to be a member to attend a meeting.

 

[Spydeyrch]

Our meeting is tonight, if you want to send anyone our way!

Stonefly Maidens @ Widmer Brew Pub
6:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Guest Speaker: Jason Borger

You don't have to be a member to attend a meeting.

Any relation to Gary Borger? :think:

-Spydey

 

[jrbecca]

Any relation to Gary Borger? :think:

-Spydey

Yes, Jason is Gary's son.

 

[jrbecca]

Yes, Jason is Gary's son.

Last night's presentation was great. Jason has a good teaching style, and used it well to discuss nymphing. Presented some interesting concepts and tips, and a few new casts I had not been introduced to yet. He also left a watercolor painting he did there for auction in August. Very personable. Very knowledgeable. And anyone willing to share pictures of themselves from the awkward middle school years gets my vote!

 

[Spydeyrch]

Last night's presentation was great. Jason has a good teaching style, and used it well to discuss nymphing. Presented some interesting concepts and tips, and a few new casts I had not been introduced to yet. He also left a watercolor painting he did there for auction in August. Very personable. Very knowledgeable. And anyone willing to share pictures of themselves from the awkward middle school years gets my vote!

Sounds like it was a good thing!! Glad to hear that you are getting some great teaching sources. That always helps.

What kind of techniques did he discuss about nymphing? What kind of casts did he go over? I am very interested in hearing about them.

Take care.

-Spydey

 

[jrbecca]

Sounds like it was a good thing!! Glad to hear that you are getting some great teaching sources. That always helps.

What kind of techniques did he discuss about nymphing? What kind of casts did he go over? I am very interested in hearing about them.

Take care.

-Spydey

You're asking the woman whose first OFF thread inspired 10+ pages of criticism about secrets in the fishing world to share the amazingly awesome and inspiring tips from Jason Borger? You've got some balls, son!

Hahahaha.

...I'll consider your request.