Our mission is to enrich women's lives by the introduction of the outdoor
experience through the art and sport of fly fishing.
We teach, we write, we draw- but more than that we bring
a passion for the harmony in nature to all that we do.
What's New
There is a nip in the air and September is flying past. Time for an update on where we've been and what we are doing. The first of 2006, Sally was coaching softball at Santa Maria High School, which meant fishing would have to wait until season was over. She truly enjoys the young women and all their energy, but decided to retire her coaching shoes when the season ended.
Sally made her annual pilgrimage to the Sierras where Deb joined her for the Casting for Recovery Retreat on the Carson River. When the retreat concluded, Sally was off to Idaho and Montana to set up camp on the Madison River. Deb rolled in to camp along with several other friends including: Jen and Terri from Chicago, Teresa, Rene, Karin, and Stavros. It is like a homecoming to see old friends along the Madison and to mourn the loss of those friends who are fishing heavenly waters.
In September Deb and Sally taught a workshop in Park City, Utah. Nancy Garrison arranged the class for a few of her friends there and she and her husband, Dave, hosted us in royal fashion. We were able to sneak in a few hours on the Provo, where we hooked some very energetic trout.
October, 2006, was a busy month. Sally, Teresa (we call her "T"), and Lynda Topp had a fabulous trip to New Brunswick and New England. They fished for Atlantic Salmon on the Miramichi and its tributaries. The season was just about to close for the year and the weather was challenging. Sally with T and Lynda's assistance landed an eighteen pounder on a fly tied by Lynda.
The threesome spent a few days visiting with T's relatives and then headed back to the States to fish for Stripers off Cape Cod and Martha's Vineyard. They made a stop at the L.L.Bean headquarters in Freeport, Maine and also visited Acadia National Park in the same State.
The threesome enjoyed a fun morning in kayaking and fishing the tidal waters off Cape Cod. Being new to striper fishing, their guide instructed them to approach the fish as if they were fishing for trout, and they all caught feisty "schoolies". T was the day's champ. Not only did she paddle her kayak with proficiency, but she landed the most and biggest stripers. Sally got the prize for dunking after rolling her kayak.
Off to Martha's Vineyard for the International Women Fly Fishers Festival, where they joined other women anglers for fishing, workshops, and general camaraderie. When they returned to California, they weren't ready to pack their gear away. They stopped long enough to pick up Rene before driving to the Little Truckee for a few more days of fishing before T had to return to work and Lynda to New Zealand. Even Sally took her time driving home,stopping to visit with Deb in Novato.
In January 2007, Lynda Topp called from New Zealand to say the guides in South Island were waiting for our booking dates. So, of course, Sally had to go. Teresa LeBlanc needed no prodding to sign on for the adventure. Marcie joined us for five days in Taupo and then went with friends to the World of Music and Dance festival in New Plymouth. Sally and T flew to Christchurch to meet up with Lynda and fish throughout South Island. We had an amazing time traveling in the caravan, being roadies while Lynda and her sister, Jools, entertained at the Green Lip Mussel Festival in Havelock, and fishing with great Kiwi guides on beautiful rivers. Since the menace of Didymo ( a invasive algae) is infecting many more rivers in So
uth Island, we were very assiduous about cleaning our gear after each fishing day. We fished new rivers and some old favorites. T caught her biggest trout ever on a stream our guide named Rocky Creek. She spotted it herself and made a perfect cast while Lynda and I shouted encouragement. "We're the luckiest girls in the world," says Lynda.
The end of May, Deb and I were again invited to teach the Casting for Recovery Retreat on the Carson River. It is the most important teaching we do. Check the website to learn more: www.castingforrecovery.org .Then I continued on to Idaho and Montana for another six weeks on the Madison River. Deb came later and Alice Owsley took us on floats down the Big Hole and Beaverhead Rivers. She also took us to a quaint hot springs resort outside of Dillon. That Alice knows how to live right.
Many friends came to camp this summer: Karin, Kim, T, Rene, Susan, Sherry, Nancy, Kiki, Tracy, Carol, and Stavros all spent days on the Madison. It was a very dry and hot summer, but the fish didn't seem too reluctant to rise for a well presented imitation. Jean McCart treated us to a float trip on the lower Madison, and Carol Myers and I did an evening float together.
October will be another busy month. T , Alice, and Sally will attend the IWFF Festival in Midway, Utah, but first we will fish the Green River. Then later in the month, Deb and Sally will be teaching at the Becoming an Outdoors-Women gathering in Wonder Valley, California. Look to their website for some fun workshops, www.bowca.org.
Thanks for checking our website. See you on the river.
Shared Treasures
“Shared
Treasures” - published in 2000 continues to charm readers throughout
the world.
