“Tough Guys” in TROUT Magazine, Fall 2020
There is no “Golden Rule” in fly fishing, and to be a fish-loving angler is something of an oxymoron.
When I think about the heroes of my fly-fishing universe, Wendy Williamson looms large.
“Encounters” in TROUT Magazine, Summer 2020
In the remote heart of the far North is a land where the brook trout grow to gargantuan size, or so they say. We all know how easily big fish stories become fairy tales.
“Places of Peace” in Anglers Journal Online, April 23, 2020
At a fishing clinic years ago, I was asked to close my eyes and visualize my favorite water, holding the image in my mind as a source of strength. I remember that exercise and return to it now to anchor myself, at a time when I feel unmoored, conjuring in my imagination places that have been my sanctuaries for the last few years — places of comfort, places of peace.
“Letting Go” in DUN Magazine, Print Volume VIII
I was fishing on the Bulkley River when my Uncle Bill died in an intensive care unit after a protracted illness. He died on a Tuesday, while I was getting my ass royally handed to me by fickle steelhead. The water felt dark and hard-hearted that day, and I felt as if I were doing penance for some nameless sin that I was not aware I had committed. Perhaps this was true. Perhaps it was just fishing.
“All These Little Pieces” in The FlyFish Journal, Volume 10.2
I thought about how every fish I catch here takes a piece of me with them when they turn and flash back into the depths.
“A Fleeting Moment” in The FlyFish Journal, Volume 9.4
Golden flanks, red-splashed underbelly and gill plates, vibrant, undisturbed, this Colorado cutty is right where she belongs, and I want to remember her just like this. Too perfect to catch.
“The Life Vest” in DUN Magazine, Spring 2018 Print Edition
My mom likes to wade deep — up to her armpits. And she is a small person. If I am wading upstream from her it is not unusual to see only a pair of arms, a rod, and a cowboy hat clearing the surface of the water. I watch for the reassuring wave of the rod, and then I can settle back into my own fishing for a bit. We are mother and daughter on the water, and we keep track of each other.
The friendship and support of an experienced fly fisher can be so important for a novice angler. Learning how to fish as an adult and as a woman, I felt my lack of mentorship acutely.