Enjoy the Low Country waters of Beaufort, Hilton Head, and Fripp Island

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Lady Anglers

A Clients 2 daughters with one of the many nice reds that day
     Through out the past years of guiding I've really started to notice that more and more women are getting involved with the sport of fishing. Most guys wonder why ladies don't like to fish much, and I personally even wondered that at times. Imagine going shopping for a day, and spending hours in stores trying on clothing, or picking out a new pair of shoes, which for most guys is the last thing they want to spend there day doing. Well a day of fishing for most men is like a day of shopping for most women. Comparing shopping and fishing is a way that you can really see why men like to fish and women like to go shopping. Although this is not the case for a lot of lady anglers, because you would be very surprised by the amount of women who love to fish!
My mom and I on Mothers day
    One of my favorite charters is when a guy and his special someone are on the boat. Whether there newly weds, married for 30 years, or just going on a date, these are always some of the best days. Its really awesome to see ladies get so excited when there out on the water catching fish, the action from a redfish fight is something they will never forget. Usually its the ladies first time fishing, so there is quite a bit of instruction needed, which is my job, so it saves the husband a lot of stress and even a future argument after the trip! Its a great thing to see a lady who enjoys fishing with her husband or boyfriend, something not many guys are lucky enough to experience.
  There are a lot of things that seem to push women away from fishing like hooking the bait, touching the fish, or being able to cast the rod. It seems like there mostly too worried about messing up or being scared to try it, but what most women don't realize is how easy, fun, and relaxing fishing can really be. I find that 9 out of 10 times when a lady catches her first fish, she realizes that fishing is actually fun, and understands why we as men love it so much.  Fishing should always be fun, whether your an experienced fly fisherman, or just a weekend warrior, so try taking your wife, girlfriend, mom, or daughter for once instead of your best fishing buddy and I'm sure you will enjoy it as much as she does.

Husband and Wife Clients with a nice redfish
         There are tons of different kind of groups, clubs, and organizations for lady anglers. Whether your a fly fisher or love going offshore in the deep blue water, there are a lot of different organizations for ladies to join. Even in a lot of tournaments now and days you'll see categories for women, which make the tournaments a little more fun when you bring a female angler along with you. I personally think its great that women are getting so involved with the fishing industry in general, its no longer just a mans sport these days.
Lady Client with a nice winter redfish
       In a lot of the fishing magazines I read weekly there are more and more articles about women fishing, pictures, and stories of there adventures on the water. I had the pleasure to meet a female guide from NC a few months ago, and the knowledge she had of her freshwater trout fishery blew me away. She knew her stuff, and got me very excited about coming to fish for Brook Trout with her by the way she explained hiking through the mountains, and fishing small streams with tiny 3wt fly rods.
Giving a casting lesson to a lady client on the boat
     A few months ago I had a 2 hour fly casting lesson with a lady well over 60, who decided she wanted to go fly fishing in Montana after watching the movie "A River Runs Through It". I could tell how excited she was to learn, and how eager she was to go on the trip. This lady informed me that her husband had passed so she would be doing the trip alone and really wanted to go fly fishing, and from the moment I heard that my focus was turned to teaching and getting her ready for the trip. We worked hard for 2 hours as I taught her the basics of a fly cast, and the technique of being able to cast a fly line for the fresh water trout in Montana. The lesson was a success after 2 hours she had it down, and I could tell how excited she was by the smile on her face, which made me just as happy. The days like that remind me how lucky I'am to have the career that I was born to follow as a fly fishing guide.

My baby sister Zelie with a nice trout!
    At Bay Street Outfitters we have a Ladies redfish School which is a one day casting school that is held with only women. This is a great way for women to get into fly fishing and not only learn how to cast a fly rod, but to really be able to understand how the sport works. You will learn about the rods, reels, lines, casting, and so much more through out the one day ladies redfish school.
     Most people would think that my dream girl would be a girl who loves to fish, which in certain ways of reasoning is very true. But in the long run its very rare to meet a girl who actually likes to fish, and can understand why I personally have a passion for fishing. So in reality my dream girl would be someone who simply understands my passion, and why fly fishing is a part of my life, not just a girl who likes to fish. Of course joining me on the water every now and then would be a plus! The respect I have for lady anglers is huge, and I strongly urge any women to give fishing a try, I'm sure you will not be disappointed!

Clients daughter with a redfish

Lady Client with a Speckled Sea Trout