Early Childhood Educator Sarah Wennogle on Fly Fishing

(Newswire.net — August 16, 2017) Denver, Colorado –Colorado native, Sarah Wennogle, has been fly fishing for several years now and still has so much to learn. Living in Colorado, home to world class rivers, lakes and streams, has been a blessing. 

Her enjoyment of fishing began when she was a child. Every summer her family would travel by car to Minnesota and vacation in a small, family-owned cabin on Cedar Lake. Here she first learned to fish using a long stick tied with fishing line and a hook. “I learned to fish from my dad and his brothers. Even as a kid, they insisted that I bait my own hook with a worm. I didn’t like doing that, but catching tiny fish from the edge of the dock was compelling enough that I learned to do it.” 

For her twelfth birthday, she received her first spin rod. “I was thrilled!  It was shiny red. I loved pulling back and releasing the line forward into the water. It seemed very glamorous to me and made me feel like a real fisherman.”  In the following years, she would request to be brought fishing on each birthday and this is how she first explored Colorado waters as a youth with her family. 

Fast forward many years into the future, Sarah met her soon to be husband who is an avid fly fisherman. “Dan and I were able to bond over a love of fishing, but I quickly found out that I had a lot to learn about the art and craft. I had never experienced fly fishing before. There was a lot I didn’t know.” Luckily, her husband proved to be a patient teacher. The couple began spending time together exploring Colorado rivers while Dan taught Sarah the basics of fly fishing. “I recall being easily frustrated at first.  I had no sense of how to control the fishing line and I was constantly getting hooked on trees and bushes. If the wind began to blow, I would feel like giving up.” However, she stuck with it. “I continued to learn something new and gain a bit of control each time we went fishing together.” One particularly important day, Dan took Sarah to the edge of Georgetown Lake. Here, there were no trees or bushes and the wind was calm. “I was able to really practice the wide arm movements of casting the line again and again without the frustration of getting hooked on trees. This was an important day for me. The technique started to click.”

For Sarah, the joy of fishing was not about catching fish at all. She found immense pleasure in spending time outdoors exploring Colorado rivers, being physically active and spending time with someone she loved. “I wasn’t focused on catching fish because in the two years I had been practicing, I had only caught 3 or 4 fish in all, several by sheer luck or accident! I was in love with the entire experience, but not fixated on catching fish.”

In the Fall of 2016, the couple traveled to Wyoming to go fly fishing for Dan’s birthday. They had decided to book a guided fly fishing tour. This weekend spent fishing would become another turning point in Sarah’s experience as a fly fisherman. On the first day of the guided tour, Sarah continued to hone her technique with the rod using tips offered by the fishing guide in conjunction with the skills she had already developed.  Suddenly, the fish began to strike. “At first, I thought I was just getting lucky again. I quickly realized though, that with all I had practiced and learned, catching fish could actually be natural and simple.” The fishing trip was exciting and thrilling and gave Sarah the opportunity to experience reeling in fish of all sizes. “It was such a great turning point for me because I was experiencing success using the skills I had worked so hard to learn, but also because I was getting the opportunity to practice reeling fish into my net. I was also gaining practice in unhooking the fly, holding the fish for a photo and releasing it safely back into the water.” 

After this incredible fishing trip, Sarah no longer told people that she didn’t care whether she caught a fish or not. “Now I understand the thrill of catching a fish. When I head out on the weekend to go fishing, I am still enjoying the entire experience of being in nature with friends or family, but I’m also excited to reel in a big fish or two and try out my skills!”

Sarah credits learning to fly fish as big boost in her confidence, saying it was an authentic challenge to learn how and required a lot of patience and perseverance. She also considers fly fishing an important part of her relationship with her husband. “Fly fisherman can spend an entire day and night on the river. My husband loves to fly fish and if I had not learned how to participate in this incredible sport, I would be missing him a lot! Instead, it is something that we love to share and we plan to teach our kids and make this a family tradition.”