Beyond the Cast Women’s Fly Fishing Symposium
We don’t just attract fly anglers, we create them!
Women’s Fly Fishing Symposium
I had the pleasure of joining Angelica Talan at the first “Beyond the Cast” Women’s Fly Fishing Symposium in Virginia. During the pandemic, she has become quite the fishing afficionado and has been doing work to make the fishing community more inclusive and more magical. We all deserve to enjoy the public lands of our country and a lot of women had similar complaints about negative experiences or feeling unwelcomed. So they decided to make change and the first Symposium was born. I definitely understand why their tag line is “We don’t just attract fly anglers, we create them” because I definitely learned a ton and cannot wait to get out on the water. I’ve always been a people person but lately I am discovering that I am a lover of subcultures and passions. Everyone that I met was pretty awesome and SUPER excited about Fly Fishing, it was impossible to not be amped with them. The only part I didn’t really understand was the release part, the fat kid in me is ready for the reward of a meal at the end and apparently that is not the practice (most of the time).
Overall I would highly recommend this festival for anyone who is a fan of fly fishing or wine or both. It was a very welcoming and warm experience.
We took a side trip to Ruby Scoops during the trip to support a local Black owned business (and friend). Even in the cold, that ice cream was GOOD!!
Clearly I was a big fan of the 420 Bourbon Bowl table (yes I bought one) as evident from all the pictures I took of them. The bowl and smoker were both great products and quite popular at the event.
About The Event:
The Virginia Fly Fishing & Wine Festival (January 14-15, 2023 in Doswell) will feature something brand new in 2023: An exciting new program, sponsored by Take Me Fishing, and designed to ensure that women from all walks of life excel in the quiet sport of fly fishing.
“Beyond the Cast Women’s Fly Fishing Symposium,” the first event of its kind, will offer a wide variety of intermediate to advanced fly-fishing programming created specifically for women and taught by experts from all over the country. “We’ve provided numerous introductory casting and ‘Fly Fishing 101’-style classes over the years,” says Festival Director Beau Beasley, “and those classes have been enormously successful. ‘Beyond the Cast’ is different. What we have here is a program by and for women, with a focus on topics that women have told us they’re looking for and haven’t found elsewhere. Having said this, women fly anglers of any skill level are welcome to attend.”
“We are thrilled to be the festival’s sponsor and support this unique women’s initiative at the fly-fishing festivals in Virginia and Texas. RBFF’s Take Me Fishing brand has a focus on women with its national campaign Women Making Waves, supporting initiatives that make women feel comfortable and confident in the sport.” says Stephanie Vatalaro, Senior Vice President of Marketing & Communication for the Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation.
Ultimately, “Beyond the Cast” program developers, sponsors, and instructors hope to build a connected community of confident, independent women anglers. Some elements of the program may include:
- state wildlife officials on how to interact safely and appropriately with wildlife;
- how to choose the right waders and wade safely;
- how to fish from a kayak;
- developing personalized tactics for mountain trout fishing;
- all about sling packs and fly boxes;
- ask an expert anything;
- and a security specialist on planning a safe day on the river.
Symposium participants will interact with one another, industry leaders, and special guests during a complimentary lunch on the Saturday of the festival. When they aren’t participating in symposium-specific programming, students are invited to take in the rest of the festival over the course of the weekend.
Because a chief goal of symposium organizers is to create a friendly, vital community of like-minded angling women, “Beyond the Cast Women’s Fly Fishing Symposium” is limited to 50 participants. This symposium will also include up to half a dozen Lead Anglers, carefully selected angling women who will serve as the symposium’s goodwill ambassadors and ensure that each participant is connected with at least one seasoned mentor over the course of the weekend.
To kick off the weekend’s Beyond the Cast Symposium, an evening “Women’s Meet & Greet” for symposium attendees will be held Friday, January 13, 2023, from 5:30 to 7:30 PM at the festival hotel. Hosted by Steam Bell Beer Works, Meet & Greet guests will enjoy heavy hors d’oeuvres and great conservation with likeminded women.
Fishing Stars:
- Angelica Talan
- Charity Rutter
- Tom Rosenbauer
- Kiki Galvin
- Katlin Groundwater
- Kim Ranalla
- Stephanie Vatalaro
- Sarah Holt, Development Director for Project Healing Waters
- Beverly Smith, Vice President for Trout Unlimited
Website:
Social:
- https://www.instagram.com/vaflyfishingfestival/
- https://www.facebook.com/vaflyfishingfestival
- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1qimcBNjGOEBMYPXuCHqbg
- https://twitter.com/ObeaslBeau
