Fly Fishing Gals

Nearly two years ago I found myself out on a River for the first time.   My plan was to learn the basics of fly fishing so I could take that trip I had dreamed about for years in Montana.  I knew I could only handle so much horseback riding in the open range and would need a second activity to take in the scenery.  Something about casting a fly rod in a river with the mountains in my view seemed like a piece of paradise.

 Little did I know that this new hobby no one expected to keep my attention past a month, would be what helped me survive a divorce.  2 months after that first day on the river, I started a new life leaving everything that was my future behind.  Both scarred and excited for what was ahead, yet terrified over the thought of failure and surviving alone.  It was another failed marriage to the world, another couple that didn't make it, to me it was a second chance.  I had lost my identity molding to expectations that were unreasonable and for the first time I was standing alone with no one instructing me.  After 5 years of an abusive relationship I had finally come to the point of taking my life in my hands and changing my future.  Keeping busy to keep from my thoughts, I spent every moment I could on a river.  Scouting for that new special place, that new rock to think on, that broken tree that always seemed to represent my spirit.  Casting seemed to be the only thing that helped me keep my sanity, that brought me back to a place of peacefulness. 

Time has gone by and adventures have come and gone.  I made that trip to Montana and held that Rainbow Trout in my hands, spent hours fishing with friends, scouted the local rivers and streams, but most importantly remembered who I was.  Defying those who said I couldn't make it on my own and leaning on those who offered their support.  It's been the most amazing two years of my life, in some ways the worst but in others the best! For me Fly Fishing has been an open door to a journey where I've made so many new friends, fished the most beautiful locations, watched my first sunrise,  experienced falling in love again and the pain of love lost.  It's a journey I wouldn't trade for a minute.