How an Australian fly fishing guide discovered, lost, and reclaimed her passion for angling

I’m 45 now, so I’ve been fly fishing for a while, but I still get a childish excitement every time I hit the water. For me, fly fishing unlocks the part of my mind where the beautiful stuff lives. It is a friend I can turn to in times of trouble, a friend that can drown out the chaos of the world, and a friend that can heal.

My fly fishing journey began when I was nine. My dad taught me the basics on a small pond we built together and stocked with rainbow trout. Between catching my ear and unpicking wind knots, I managed to master the old-fashioned ten to two o'clock casting method. I still remember the elation of catching my first fish; I was hooked, then and there.

I started guiding in 2017. I reckon guiding is one of the best jobs in the world. You get to meet exceptional people and share special moments with them. It’s also a lot of hard work that requires sacrifice. The time spent away from home can be particularly challenging, especially if you have kids and family. But, I’m lucky that I have a supportive partner who gives me the space to pursue my passions.

During my guiding career, I’ve put people onto some great fish, but my proudest achievement has been creating a space where folks feel comfortable enough to share their inner world with me. Being in the wild, away from work and daily life, helped many of my clients – men, in particular, – drop their bravado and open up about their worries. We weren’t just fishing; we were putting the world to rights.

A year after I started to guide, I set my sights on becoming a Certified Casting Instructor (CCI) to strengthen my coaching abilities. I embarked on the CCI journey during a very tumultuous time in my life. Fortunately, I had a supportive mentor – Bob Young, an exceptionally kind and talented Master Casting Instructor. 16 months of training later, on July 26th, 2019, I passed my exam and became the eighth woman in Australia to qualify as a CCI. Becoming a CCI elevated my teaching game to a whole new level and made me a better guide.

Unfortunately, the COVID pandemic began less than a year after I earned my CCI certification. In a matter of weeks, the strict lockdowns in Victoria, Australia crushed my guiding business. As terrible as that was, I felt like one of the lucky ones; guiding was not my day job. When restrictions were lifted and I finally got back out on the water, I found I had lost my mojo. I remember feeling nothing. During that sad and scary time, I made the hard call to quit guiding. I simply didn’t have the energy to give clients my best.

Slowly, I recovered and rediscovered my love for sharing the magic of fly fishing. I did not return to the type of guiding that I had been doing, though. Instead, I began volunteering for Mending Casts, a non-profit organization that hosts free fly fishing retreats for people affected by cancer. The pivot from commercial guiding to volunteering has been so rewarding. I still get to share my passion while creating great experiences for people who need more kindness, inspiration, and fun in their lives. I’ve taken part as an instructor at several Mending Cast retreats and created original art to help raise funds.

While I’ve hung up my professional guiding boots, you can still find me on the water, splashing about in my waders and sharing the life-changing joy fly fishing can bring.