By Alyssa Adcock
The recent rains in the High Country have left our rivers with a huge excess of high water- after tying flies for two weeks straight I couldn’t be trapped inside anymore. I headed out to the South Holston River in Tennessee with some friends, Collin and Skye, to fine tune my streamer game.
Working as a guide, I have access to drift boats; an opportunity I do not take for granted, that allows me to cover more water from a greater vantage point. When it comes to fun fishing on a drift boat, we have a running joke, “If you don’t row, you don’t go”. I was a bit apprehensive about rowing in such fast moving water. I’m still a baby when it comes to the guide lifestyle (twenty-two-year-old females aren’t very common in the industry on the East Coast), but I told myself I would never reach my full potential if I allowed fear and gender roles to dictate my skill level.
We had been on the water for maybe an hour when a huge thunderstorm rolled in along with a large pressure change and an iridescent fog. Storms usually don’t bother us when we’re fishing, but when lightning and thunder rolled directly over us, it was a humbling moment to experience Mother Nature in all her devastating glory. I was now rowing in the worst possible conditions with twenty feet of visibility in front of the boat. Even with huge sheets of rain coming down, we efficiently worked our way down river as a team. Both guys shouting encouragement and helping to navigate me around rocks all while pulling out large, streamer eating browns. My friend Skye ended up landing a 31” x 20” brown trout that day and it became a huge turning point in how I thought about myself as a female in the fly fishing industry.
Tackling opportunities that scare you and push you out of your comfort zone is the best way to learn. Don’t be afraid to advocate for yourself, especially as a female- if you have put in the time and effort it takes to succeed, then people will start to notice. Learn as much as you can on and off the water, ask questions and do your homework so that when your opportunity comes, you are ready. The payoff is the opportunity to experience a tiny piece of raw and powerful wilderness; witnessing such intoxicating beauty is a privilege.
Alyssa is a fly fishing guide at Due South Outfitters in Boone, North Carolina. You can find her tying flies and drinking coffee in the fly shop, hunting for big brown trout in Tennessee, or taking guide trips on local wild water.