This feature also appears in the Spring 2009 (April) print edition of Open Air Magazine.

By Mindy Fetterman

I am not a woman of the outdoors. I do not camp in tents or under the stars, water-ski or snowboard, climb rocks or mountains, or parasail or surf. Never have I knowingly hiked.

Yet as I stood in the middle of Montana’s Madison River with a pair of eagles flying overhead and the Madison Mountains beside me, I felt nearly hypnotized as I cast, cast, cast for rainbow trout.

ONE-two-three, ONE-two-three, ONE-two-three — the count of the beginning caster. Back over the shoulder. Out in front. Back over the shoulder. Out in front.

Fly-fishing. Hmmmm.

Then I caught one. The line sliced the burbling water, the rod arched. I reeled, I pulled, I let the fly drift, and then I hauled in a splashing, wiggling rainbow trout. It was barely the length from my outstretched thumb to my pinkie.
Fly-fishing. Yeeesss!

My friend Margaret Nathan introduced me to the outdoors and the sport she loves: catching trout, salmon and other fish using flies (artificial bait). Over the years, she had sent me photos of herself and her husband, Kevin Kruke, with ever-larger fish caught in ever-more-exotic locales, from Alaska to Argentina. They gave in to the sport wholeheartedly six years ago, buying and restoring a 100-year-old log fishing cabin near Island Park, Idaho.

Finally, she said to me, “You’ve got to try it!” So I got the waders — rubberized overalls — and the waterproof shirt and pants from Orvis. I took casting lessons on dry land in a park near my Alexandria, Va., home. “You’ve got natural rhythm,” called out a homeless guy who was watching me. Everyone, it seems, is an expert on fly-fishing. I was determined not to embarrass myself on the water.

Margaret booked a day-long trip down the Madison, one of the world’s premier fly-fishing rivers, with Rick Welle, a guide of 30 years, most of them with Madison River Outfitters in West Yellowstone, Mont. We floated in a drift boat through canyons and gravelly curves. We climbed out of the boat and walked along the clay-colored riverbed. We cast from the rocky shores and among the tall grasses. At one point, the rushing water sucked me off my feet. But Rick hooked his arm through mine and hauled me to the riverside.

Nature may be strong-willed, but so am I. We fished from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and I felt myself getting stronger and better. Every turn in the river brought spectacular scenery: an elaborately constructed beaver lodge; a bald eagle perched at the top of a tree, its white head blending with the clouds; a black crow flying with a fish in its beak. I caught four good-sized brown trout and two itty-bitty rainbow trout.

I learned more about insects than I thought possible. Know the bug, catch the fish, I thought. I used phrases such as “prince nymph” and “soft hackle hares ear” — the names of my flies.

On the Madison River that day, I learned what a growing number of women know: There’s a beauty, a skill and a thrill to fly-fishing that can be intoxicating. Once you have pitted your skill against nature and caught a fish or two, you’re not as likely to take any baloney from pushy people back at the office. “I can look anyone in the eye in any meeting and think: Yeah, but you haven’t fished in Alaska!” Margaret says.

The Outdoor Industry Foundation estimates that 3.7 million women participated in fly-fishing in 2005 (its most recent data), a 4.4% increase from 2003. Its appeal is easy to grasp. “Fly-fishing is a sensual sport, and women are more attuned to the beauty of the sport and are moving to embrace that beauty,” says David Phares, who teaches an introductory fly-fishing class at Central Arizona College in Apache Junction, Ariz. Fifteen years ago, he’d see two or three women in a class of 20. These days, half of his fly-fishing students are female.

I wanted to talk to some of those women drawn to the sport, so I gathered an informal “roundtable” of Margaret’s fly-fishing friends at the TroutHunter Lodge on Henry’s Fork. That waterway was named “one of the 100 best trout-fishing rivers in America” by Trout Unlimited, a national conservation organization. We talked about why these women fly-fish and what the sport has taught them.

“Women are good at fly-fishing because they’re really open and good about learning,” says Millie Jo Paini, who has been fly-fishing for “only 10 years” and teaches casting at the lodge, which she co-owns with her husband.

“Yeah, men get concerned right off the bat about how far they can throw that fly,” laughs Bonnie Harrop. Her husband, René, is a fisherman who’s well known for tying flies. They spend hours on the river, studying the behavior of insects. Bonnie photographs insects so that René can design lifelike flies.

“Guys want to throw it across the river right away,” Bonnie says.

“But you don’t have to throw it 50 yards,” Millie says.

“Right, just throw it to the fish,” Bonnie says, laughing.

Fly-fishing can be a spiritual experience, says Diane Orr, who has been fishing for more than 55 years, since she was about 8. “When you connect to another living thing, you’re connected to everything,” she says. “It’s an experience of nature that extends beyond the catch, an intense awareness of the natural world.”

It’s a perfect sport for women, Millie says, because “it doesn’t take a lot of strength. You don’t have to be a macho man to do it.” All it takes, she says, is “coordination and focus.”

And time. Wonderful, languid time.

Mindy Fetterman is an editor in the Money section at USA TODAY.

3 great places to learn how to fly-fish Pennsylvania
Whether you have 17 rods or you don’t even know the difference between a rod and a reel, Orvis’ fly-fishing school at Nemacolin Woodlands Resort in southwestern Pennsylvania is a great place to learn or show off your skills. Stream entomology (the science of insects), fly-casting techniques, and proper gear and tackle are some of the subjects covered during the two-day school. You’ll fish the Youghiogheny River, Beaver Creek and Meadow Run — some of the best waters in the state. The luxury lodging will be a nice relief after days spent out in the water. orvis.com or nemacolin.com New York
From equipment rentals to furnished cabins, the West Branch Angler Resort in Hancock, N.Y., offers trips by Orvis-endorsed river guides along the upper Delaware River. Late April through June is peak season for this area as the water temperature rises to the low to mid-50s and fish become very active on the water’s surface, ensuring a nice catch by the end of the day. westbranchresort.com Idaho
Spend two days fishing waters only accessible by boat on WorldCast Angler’s South Fork HILTON overnight trip, which includes a private chef and luxury wall-tent accommodations. Cutthroat, rainbow and brown trout are plentiful in the area, and, depending on water levels, you’ll have the chance to cast from the drift boat or to wade in the water. worldcastanglers.com