Women have a long proud history in our sport. From Juliana Berners, an English nun whose treatise in 1496 – considered the earliest known book on fly fishing – has earned her the accolade as “The Mother of Modern Fly Fishing”. To Cornelia “Fly Rod” Crosby, who in 1897 became the first fly fishing guide in Maine and one of earliest fly fishing guides in America. To Joan Salvato Wulff, who in 1951 won the national fly fishing distance title beating an all-male competition, and went on to author numerous books and teach fly casting for four generations.
In the past decade, the percentage of women participating in fly fishing has increased substantially. Womens Fly Fishing Month is not only a celebration of women in our sport, but an outreach to these new additions and to potential new lady fly anglers as well.
Fly Fishers International Women Connect is holding several online and in-person events, both internationally and at the council level. Here are some of the online (Zoom) events sponsored by FFI-WC:
- June 1, 8:30 PM CT – Online screening of athlete Emily Rodger’s film – “Cadence”, introduced by Emily Rodger.
- June 14, 7:30 pm CT – “Careers in Fly Fishing” featuring business owners Geri Meyer (Driftless Angler Fly Shop & Guide), Linda Leary (Fishewear), April Archer (SaraBella Fly Rods) and Kim Ranella (Miss Mayfly).
- June 21. 7:30 PM CT – Kit Mullen, “Fly Fishing & Rowing”.
Links to all these events can be found by going to the FFI website -or- by clicking on our Calendar page and clicking on the “WC” events shown.
