The Bond that Feeds Confidence

I enjoy fishing with both men and women but when in the presence of woman fishing, the connection is made with conversations of gratitude, observations of nature, personnel experiences and a funny joke or two. This fall I had one of the best weekends on the river with three die hard steelhead anglers.  These gals could fish! Forget the lipstick and the hairdos, 5am rolls around and we put on our beanie's and head out the door with coffee in hand. Debbie, Kaylyn, and Pam have been fishing pals for a number of years; they talked about Tarpon trips to Florida, trout trips to Montana and steelhead trip to the Olympic Peninsula. 

Between the three of them, they have more experience fishing then I could dream of, I’m honored to share my home water with them.

 We fish from sunrise to sundown; their determination to catch a steelhead is contagious and pays off. In between runs conversations of how to live a happy life are mixed with endless talk about the best steelhead fly patterns, spey casting tips and nifty gadgets such as shark tooth tippet control and SheWee Funnels,  which allows a women to pee outside standing up, what a concept but not sure if I’ll try it.

Being on the river with these gals has reminded me that steelhead fishing is a sport to enjoy with friends, standing on a river, surrounded by the natural beauty of the river. It’s only feels right to approach it in an inherent style that nourishes our confidence and keeps us yearning to fish the next river.