tap into their inner
Outdoors
woman
women
Kathleen Strudwick never visualized herself as an angler. She grew up in a part of Southern California where there were no lakes or outdoor areas in which to fish. But then she married an avid fisherman, and they had three sons who followed suit. Strudwick found that she felt like a burden whenever the family went on fishing trips, always having to ask one of the guys to tie the knot on her hook or untangle her line. Most of the time, when the boys would pack up their gear and head for the Mineral King Valley, Strudwick and her daughter would stay home. “It’s good to have guys’ time alone and girls’ time alone,” said Strudwick. “But I always thought I’d like to go out and try fishing by myself. To learn how to do it by myself.” Then, she thought, she might even able to teach her daughter to fish, and the whole family could enjoy it together.
Strudwick’s opportunity came when a friend invited her along on a three-day women’s fly-fishing course up in Plumas National Forrest. Strudwick leaped at the chance. And through that program, Strudwick, a school office assistant and mother, not only learned that she was a passionate and capable outdoorswoman—she also realized that she was not alone.
The weekend class was part of California’s BOW (Becoming an Outdoors-Woman) Program, sponsored by the California Waterfowl Association, a nonprofit that seeks to restore the state’s waterfowl population and support responsible hunting and fishing. The program consists of several events, such as hunting and fishing trips for women like Strudwick who have an interest in the outdoors, a segment of the population that is rapidly growing. According to the Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation, more than 17 million women participated in fishing in 2017—a 3.1% increase from just two years prior. BOW is helping more and more women feel empowered to pursue that ambition. “For many of the women, this is their first real introduction to the outdoors,” says Sarah Gonsalves, BOW coordinator. “It’s designed to introduce them in a noncompetitive and nonconfrontational learning space.”
BOW offers a wide array of overnight hunts, deep-sea fishing excursions, and fly-fishing camps for outdoorswomen of all skill levels, but one of the most popular programs is the Women’s Multi-Course Workshop—a three-day training camp of outdoor skills and camaraderie for 20 to 40 women at the CWA’s Grizzly Ranch in Solano County. Here, novices of all ages, many of whom have never stepped on a boat, much less baited a hook, can get an exhilarating crash course in hunter education, fishing, kayaking, boating, archery, firearms, orienteering (navigation with map and compass), leather work, bow hunting, canning and wildlife art.
The Multi-Course menu is a broad introduction to the great outdoors, but the program as a whole is aimed at overcoming the barriers women typically face when trying get out into the natural world. Even things that would be simple for an average fisherman—like finding waders that fit—can be complicated for female anglers. Gonsalves has them covered, with wear from companies that are starting to meet this growing demand, along with all the standard, and sometimes prohibitively expensive gear, like fly rods, boats and tackle.
BOW is also taught by women, who provide encouragement and camaraderie, along with valuable expertise, helping students feel empowered to be out on that water, no matter what their experience level. Because sometimes the biggest barrier women face is the outdated perception that women should not or cannot fish.
“They can literally show up off the street and take one of these courses,” she says. “This course is designed for beginners. We don’t just throw them into the deep end. They’ll have a capable mentor with them through every step of the adventure.”
“For many of the women, this is their first real introduction to the outdoors.”
But beyond just enabling women to experience the outdoors, BOW—especially the Multi-Course—empowers participants to make nature a part of their everyday lifestyle. Rather than just showing women how to land a fish, Gonsalves and her crew teach them how to bait their hook, where to drop the line and even how to scale, clean and cook their catch when they’re done. In a world increasingly concerned with what people are eating and where it came from, there’s no better way to source your food than by pulling it from the water by hand.
“You can literally show up off the street and take one of these courses.”
“It’s a very personal way to connect with nature,” says Gonsalves. “There are things you see and feel on a long fishing trip that they never see anywhere else. If you’re doing it right, nature comes to you.”
And if the anglers don’t catch a fish, not to worry. At BOW, there’s always a new friend eager to share hers. Relationships are at the core of every BOW clinic, but especially on the Multi-Course, where women—from teens to seniors and from different backgrounds and occupations—can bond over their shared learning experience and build long-standing friendships and mentorships around what will hopefully become a lifelong hobby. The organization hosts a Facebook page where former participants can connect long after the event, whether it’s to discuss a new study on the health benefits of fresh halibut or someone having bought a new fly rod that they want to break in.
Strudwick was so excited about her experience in the fly-fishing course that she came back for the Multi-Course. Now she has all the skills necessary to go out angling by herself or with her newfound friends from BOW.
She is also now prepared to hold her own with the sportsmen in her family. And now, when it’s time for the girls to go out on their own, she can spend quality time with her daughter as they head out to the lake and cast off together.
Many states have BOW programs and they are growing throughout the country. Find one near you today and for more stories of anglers, visit TakeMeFishing.org.
“You can literally show up off the street and take one of these courses.”