Bellefonte – In 2010 the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission held its first introductory fishing course for women, speculating there was a demand from that segment of anglers.
Ten years agency, turns out the agency was correct.
The PFBC’s outreach effort toward female anglers began Introduction to Fly Fishing Program. The first year the program was held in Centre County, the agency didn’t know what level of interest to expect so the course was capped at 20 participants.
“In 48 hours we had 26 women register, so we ran another course,” said Amidea Daniel, outreach education coordinator for the PFBC’s Northcentral Region.
As the fly fishing program remained popular every year, the agency decided to offer women the chance to explore other areas of fishing.
Three years ago, those women who participated in the classroom and on-water segments of the fly fishing course were invited to take a new Women’s Intro to Steelhead Fishing program. The PFBC partnered with the Pennsylvania Steelhead Association, whose members assist with instruction and provide door prizes and flies for each participant.
Daniel said the steelhead program was a natural progression from the fly fishing course.
“It’s a next level opportunity and it allows them to see a little more variety of what Pennsylvania waters can provide,” she said.
The latest addition to the agency’s outreach toward women anglers was a Intro to ice Fishing program that debuted on Jan. 11, 2020 in Tioga County. Daniel said 17 women registered for the program, and even though there wasn’t any ice when the event was held, nine participants still came out to learn.
Daniel said that participants have driven from as far away as Harrisburg for the women’s fly fishing course at Hills Creek State Park in Tioga County, and two women drove from Pittsburgh to join the course at Slate Run, Lycoming County. Another course held at Moraine State Park in Butler County became so popular that at one time there were 30 women on the waiting list.
While the demand among women interested in fishing was apparent years ago, it hasn’t waned.
“The turnout is strong every year, in most cases, where we set up intro classes,” Daniel said. “When it comes to fly fishing, women represent a growing segment. They like the casting and they like the beauty of the sport.”
And they also don’t mind becoming licensed anglers, which is an end result of the outreach effort.
According to Daniel, 19% of those who buy a Pennsylvania fishing license are female. Sometimes, she said, when a woman buys a fishing license, the impact is multiplied because they bring their children or spouses into the sport.
Still, Daniel said the goal of the programs isn’t to simply sell more licenses to women anglers, but to sell the experience the license provides.
With that, she said, the benefit extends to the agency’s mission to promote the sport and protect the resource.
“Behind each fishing license is a story of someone, who at some point in their life, was introduced to the beauty of Pennsylvania’s waters,” Daniel said.
And that could be through fly fishing for trout or steelhead, or dropping a line through the ice.
Because all of the programs have a classroom component in addition to a hands-on fishing segment, this year was a bit of a challenge. COVID-19 restrictions forced the agency to postpone in-person classroom instruction and instead offer that part of the course in an online venue. The on-the-water portion will still be held, Daniel said, but with masks and social distancing guidelines in place.
The hybrid program will be utilized for the steelhead course this fall.
“It’s been interesting because you’re teaching them from a distance,” Daniel said. “As an instructor, you have to be creative.”
But if the level of interest from past program is any indication, the demand for the new hybrid courses will be just as strong.
“This all stems from the agency’s effort to be more inclusive. The whole idea is to help continue the journey in experiencing what Pennsylvania has to offer when it comes to fishing,” Daniel said.
“Providing multiple options for individuals to connect with Pennsylvania’s waters is key to recruiting, retaining, and reactivating anglers. Recruited, retained, and reactivated anglers help our agency continue to protect, conserve, and enhance aquatic resources, as well as continue to provide fishing and boating opportunities.”
- This story originally appeared in PA Outdoor News.
- Photo submitted by Amidea Daniel/PFBC
