Darrian White
Stepping away from the everyday and taking control

The thing that inspires my fly fishing lifestyle is the simplicity of just being out on the water.  The diversity of flies, casts, rods, and locations takes my mind away from the reality of stressors and insecurities of my everyday life.

The thing that really attracted me to fly fishing was the capability to be in complete control of the situation; the fly, and the cast.  Being 23, I’ve been through a multitude of situations someone my age hasn’t been through yet.  Having the ability to (for once) take control of a situation and become at peace with my mind has really inspired me to become more active in the world of fly fishing. 

Kelly McAlister
A wild and beautiful bonus

The minute I hit the water all the stresses and worries of everyday life melt away. Whether I have a fly rod or the oars in my hands, inner peace is immediate.  Growing up raised by a single father on the North Platte and Encampment rivers, I’ve always felt blessed. I moved away as a spin fisherman and seven years ago moved back, discovered fly fishing, and it changed and saved my life forever.  Fly fishing is so limitless and the journey to try to learn it all is what makes it so amazing. The people that have helped make me the angler I am truly make this sport special as well.  Fishing alone, the comrades I travel to fish with, the ones I haven’t even met yet, it’s what it’s all about. This community is widespread, but so small. I’ve never met bigger hearts or better people. The fish at times can just feel like a bonus; a wild and beautiful bonus that never ceases to get old.

Josey Linskey
Reevaluating the important things

I found a huge passion for fly fishing after a kidney transplant two and a half years ago. I was 25 at the time. Now I’m on the go, constantly scouting new spots, and learning from others with the same passion. Fly fishing was my source of recovery and solitude.  It is a beautiful escape.

Sara George
Chasing the blues away

Oddly enough, my dog is my main source of inspiration when I go fishing. I suffer from clinical depression and those days I can’t get out of bed, let alone even think about fishing, she is always there to get me to the next step. Her love for fishing and the outdoors just makes my heart explode with happiness. She’ll follow me anywhere, from steep cliffs for those high mountain cutties, to mostly iced over rivers in a blizzard just to try to catch one fish in the winter. My dog may not be able to net my fish, but she truly inspires me to get out and have fun. That’s what it’s all about. There’s nothing stronger than a gal and her dog.

Carolyn Mason
Living in the moment

All my life I wanted to be an outdoor adventure guide. Instead, I ended up in the Navy and later with a career in law enforcement. Always longing to get away from the hectic world I joined, far from my dreams, I wonder why I compromised?

Fly fishing and being outdoors, has become my solace from the busy world I live in, and a glimpse into what it could become someday. Just the thought of a fishing trip gives me a surge of happiness.  On sleepless nights, I often lie awake plotting where I’ll go and how I’ll spend the day. I visualize the smell of the river, fiddling with the knot as fish sip at the seams hurrying me, the first stealthy step into the river, and finally the tug of a fish. If that doesn’t send me into slumber, I repeat.

For me, the complexity of the natural world is where I find my inspiration.  Fly fishing draws me to a place where I am part of the natural world, where I am meant to be.