Fly Fishing: A Conduit for Community

Women on the Fly retreat to the South Holston River this fall

Fly fishing is often perceived as a solitary sport, where anglers disconnect from the noise of the world to find peaceful reflection on the water. Certainly this can be true, but perhaps that is the paradox of it. What begins as a way to find solitude turns into a conduit for community. 

Community in Shared Experiences

Through fly fishing, life experiences are shared and commonalities are strengthened on the water. Experiences that make us feel isolated often find common ground with other anglers on the water. Fly fishing has communities for veterans, cancer survivors, women, and a myriad of audiences that find connection beyond the fly rod. Fly fishing becomes not just a way to spend a Saturday, but a channel for healing, recovery, honesty and growth.

Mentorship 

A sport suitable for all ages, fly fishing is rich in mentorship and connects generations of expertise in a genuine way. 

Currently, I am sitting in Carolina Mountain Sports during the monthly fly tying meetup. Renowned fly tyer Mickey Reavis explains a particular tying technique to the group. My husband Nick responds with a clarifying question, another attendee chimes in, and all of this goes on around a table of tyers that range from newcomers to experts alike.

Multi-generational sharing of knowledge, expertise, tips, what works, and what doesn’t. A man with years of expertise sharing what he’s learned with a group from all different backgrounds and walks of life. All of us are coming to fly fishing at different times, and yet we share the same piqued interest that draws us to the sport and to each other. 

Fly shop owner Richard Griggs sharing expertise and inspecting a fly tied by Nick Freeman

Unity in a Divided World

In a world that can feel increasingly divided, fly fishing offers a rare kind of unity. The river is a place to connect and find shared interest with others. Much of what we watch, read and listen to aims to divide and polarize us, but fly fishing binds us together. At the end of the day, fishing brings us together. We can put down the differences because it really is just fishing. 

Fly fishing is more than finding solitude on the river. It’s building community, learning from those who have come before us, and finding reprieve from the world that desires to divide us. We invite you to seek out the community that fly fishing provides. It’s more than just a way to disconnect and “get away from it all”. In fact, you may find yourself more deeply connected than ever before.