Editor’s note: This article was originally published in the July/August edition of Yampa Valley Adventures Magazine.

“You don’t need beauty or brawn to fly fish — you just need a willingness to wet a line.“

– Alice Tesar

Historically, fly fishing has been a male-dominated sport. Yet three exceptional anglers from the Yampa Valley are determined to introduce more women into the fold by providing the skills, encouragement and opportunities to learn a complicated endeavor in a safe and supportive learning environment.

The goal of offering introductory lessons to women interested in fly fishing in the Yampa Valley has been a work in progress and has been developed by Alice Tesar, Arianna Birdseye and Hunter Faye of Steamboat Springs. Providing inviting opportunities to introduce fellow women to fly fishing was the shared vision of the three intrepid women who have conducted clinics designed specifically for women interested in exploring the world of fly fishing.

A longtime fixture in the fly fishing community of Steamboat Springs, Ari Birdseye wears many professional hats. Currently, she is a logistics coordinator for outdoor programs serving Colorado Mountain College and Friends of the Yampa, a facilitator of the Youth River Camps in the summer, and a guide for Steamboat Flyfisher. As if that was not enough, Ari is also president of the local chapter of Trout Unlimited.

An admitted perfectionist and compulsive angler, Ari sought avenues to introduce the sport of fly fishing to women who may have, for a variety of reasons, been reluctant to attempt a sport that seems intimidating. Motivated by a desire to help those who want to learn, Ari said her goal was to make the barrier of entry “not so daunting.”

“I have never looked to or accepted gender as a barrier or burden,” Ari said. “I am somewhat thick-headed in that sense.”

Introducing more women to fly fishing was not the only motivating factor for Birdseye. A staunch conservationist, she has grown concerned about the health of the Yampa River in her work with various organizations throughout the community and saw an aging demographic leading many river organizations. To expand river health awareness, Ari had a desire to spread the message to more people. Teaching fly fishing to beginning women anglers was part of a more expansive plan to educate a new cohort about stewardship and the ecological health of the river.

In early 2024, Ari was approached by Stephanie Gordon of Colorado Women Fly Fishers, a statewide collective that seeks to expand opportunities for female anglers. Gordon proposed having Ari host casting clinics in the Yampa Valley. This fit perfectly with the vision she had been contemplating and Ari enlisted the help of her fellow guides Alice Tesar and Hunter Faye to develop and implement the clinics during summer 2024. 

Alice Tesar is a veteran of conducting casting clinics for women in Steamboat Springs, often partnering with Ari. Currently the director of marketing and communications at Steamboat Mountain School, Alice has also been a guide at Steamboat Flyfisher since 2015. A native of Minnesota, Alice was introduced to fly fishing while guiding canoe trips in Ontario and Quebec. Possessing an adventurous spirit and deep community ties, she certainly embodies the vibrant, close-knit town she has called home for the past 10 years.

A product of an all-women’s high school and college, Tesar notes that “learning from women, as a woman, is an incredibly empowering experience.” Yet everything she learned about fly fishing was taught to her by men. Seeing a gender gap in the sport she had grown to love, Tesar began partnering with the nonprofit SheJumps. SheJumps is dedicated to providing technical outdoor skills for women and girls.

Tesar began conducting clinics for women — led by women — which ultimately forged the partnership with Ari Birdseye to continue offering opportunities for female anglers. Yet teaching others to fish was also a small part of Tesar’s vision. Like Birdseye, conservation drives her worldview and fly fishing is a conduit toward opening other people’s eyes to ecological health.

“If I can make a tiny impact on getting people to value time on the water, then I can put a few more people out in the world that care about bug life, water quality or riverbank erosion,” said Tesar.

As development of their clinics for summer 2024 took place, Tesar and Birdseye enlisted the help of fellow guide Hunter Faye. Hunter had been guiding at Steamboat Flyfisher for four years and shared many of the same convictions as her fellow instructors. Fly fishing had opened a door to a broader understanding of the surrounding environment for Faye. “I am filled with gratitude for how much fly fishing has led to a broader understanding of how fragile and significant every ecosystem truly is, and how important it is for us to recreate responsibly and how vital it is that we take care of our public lands and our local watersheds.”

Aside from conservation, Faye places a strong emphasis on the utilization of fly fishing as a metaphysical exercise. Referring to fly fishing as her form of meditation, she believes that “the mental benefits from the sport are endless and I am deeply motivated to share that with other women.” Creating a comfortable environment for women to grow within the sport motivated Faye to join Tesar and Birdseye.

In summer 2014, two clinics were held under the sponsorship of Steamboat Flyfisher with corporate contributions from Winston and Fish Pond. Each seminar was designed for a maximum of 15 participants, which quickly filled — with a large waiting list accompanying each class due to its popularity. Meeting at Fetcher Pond, participants were given rudimentary instruction in the art of fly casting, tying knots and basic etymology. Each session lasted two hours and included individualized instruction.

The clinics were successful not only in turnout, but in the obvious enthusiasm of the participants. Birdseye explained that by learning from women, intimidation and self-doubt was reduced, fostering a climate in which it was easier for students to ask questions. Agreeing with that sentiment, Tesar added that learning from women helped participants see themselves doing the sport and empowering them with the confidence to venture out on their own. 

The success of the 2014 clinics led to the planning of more such sessions this summer. Casting clinics will be held June 5 and July 17. A “knot and bugs” seminar will be conducted June 26 and August 7.

Each woman shared their challenges in working in a male-dominated industry. Whether it be male clients who doubt their abilities due to gender or outright misogynistic conduct, these experiences have only reinforced their commitment to bringing more women into the world of fly fishing.

“There can be a lot of nerves and self-doubt when getting into fly fishing in the beginning,” said Faye. “Not really knowing what you’re doing can create a high level of intimidation and when you’re being stared back at by a bunch of male faces, that can add to that feeling. So, learning from other women and having women just be there and be your cheerleader takes a huge amount of the edge off and opens you up to being more comfortable.”

And while all agreed that negative interactions were far from the norm during their guiding endeavors, there was consensus that women are maybe better learners than men when it comes to learning how to fly fish. “Obviously we’re all individuals and we come with our own face, male or female,” said Tesar. “But in general, I do think that women are more readily prepared to be learners than men. There’s a drop of an ego that women don’t hold on to.”

Hunter Faye agreed and added, “The ego just isn’t present. There is a lot more of hearing your coaching and hearing your tips and immediately being able to display or take action with that, rather than having any doubt in you as the guide.” Birdseye concurred: “Women just are better listeners, and they are more attentive — especially if they are really serious about going fishing.”

The Yampa Valley is truly fortunate to have dedicated professionals and role models such as Ari, Alice and Hunter, who give their time to share their love of fly fishing and the world it inhabits with others — and to be models of stewardship and conservation for a new demographic and generation of anglers. Their work is a testimony that what they do is not about fly fishing — it is something bigger. It is teaching others of the magic of the river, the concert of the individual with nature and the realization that humans are only one small part of a dynamic natural world.

The allure of fly fishing has been a calling for many who seek both solitude and togetherness. And when asked what most inspired her to become an angler, Alice Tesar quoted famed angler Joan Wulff, who wrote: “I dance with a fly rod in my hands for health and happiness.”

This certainly speaks for all three incredible role models who are working to spread the gospel of fly fishing to their fellow sisters.