When New Wave Fishing Academy was started it was based around the mission of helping everyone become more successful anglers and especially those who do not have the family, friends, or easily accessible opportunities to push them into the sport. From our short time in operation trying to accomplish this mission there has been a very clear population that has a hard time breaking into the industry. From critics online challenging their skills as anglers to talking down or belittling their accomplishments there are a lot of unnecessary hurdles for women and young girls to get into fishing. While we know that these hurdles are not set up by those that represent the majority of the members in the industry they unfortunately are often the loudest voice. To combat this we started the "Women In Angling" blog series last year to highlight some of the best female ambassadors for the sport of fishing and share their stories for those that just need a little push or some role models to look towards to get into this sport we all love!
This weeks feature is Erin Wilson! An avid multi-species angler and fisheries biologist with a passion for learning anything fishing. Erin has taken becoming a student of the game to a whole new level and we are excited to see the impact of her work in the future. Here's what she wanted to share with everyone:
"Fishing started for me at a young age and has been something I’ve enjoyed my whole life. The first memory I have was fishing with my dad around age four catching sunfish, bass, perch…anything that would go for a worm on a bobber! From then I grew up fishing Rice Lake for bass and walleye with my dad, we were never hard core, but rather would get out when we had the chance. At age 14 I learned that it was a possibility to become a fisheries biologist and from that point on I knew that I wanted to work towards that career. Seeing as I already loved all things science, math, and biology… it only made sense to me to combine my love of fish with what I was already good at. As I embarked on my adventure of following my career dreams, I wanted to become more independent as an angler seeing as my dad and I weren’t able to get out as much. This led me to finding the organization Ontario Women Anglers (OWA), where fishing trips involved groups of women getting out and teaching each other in a welcoming environment. At this point in my life, I was attending the University of Guelph for Marine and freshwater Biology and it really kick started being immersed full-fledged into angling. Shortly after I started dating my partner, Greg, and my passion took off like wildfire! I owe it to him for teaching me so much on the water and making me the angler I am today.
Although I love to fish for just about anything that swims at all times of the year, my main passion is muskie fishing! In 2019 I worked at a fishing lodge alongside Greg, where I was introduced to muskie fishing on Lac Seul. Ever since that summer you could say I was hooked! From then on, as long as the season was open and the time allowed, we would be out chasing muskie. Fast forward to now, my experience as a muskie angler and my education in fisheries science allowed the opportunity to work on one of the largest muskie projects to date that’s been funded by Muskies Canada.
I’m currently working alongside Dr. Steve Cooke, Dr. Sean Landsman, and Ph.D. Student Katelyn Cunningham to investigate the long-term movements of Muskie in the Petawawa River. The summer of 2023 was our first field season where we spent 7 months camping in the interior of Algonquin park fishing for and tagging muskie for the project. It was truly a dream and to be given the opportunity to actively partake in such as large project that involved my favourite type of fishing was surreal. Our plans for the upcoming field season are also BIG. While I will be actively working on the Petawawa project, I also have the opportunity to do my own project for the second chapter on my Masters Degree. This project will involve assessing the post release behaviour of muskie at differing water temperatures.
I will add that I’m always looking for volunteers, so if anyone is interested in getting in on some muskie science to let minnow! I also provide project updates on my Instagram and if anyone wanted more information, I would gladly share.
I can’t help but feel so incredibly lucky to do the things I love. If I never put myself out there, I wouldn’t be where I am today. If there is any advice I could give women or girls that want to get into the sport of angling is to also put yourself out there. There are so many ways to do this that one will be right for you! I now volunteer with OWA, and we offer an extremely welcoming community of women that love to help new anglers learn how to fish. On another note: I’m yet to meet a woman in the angling community that wouldn’t want to help a new angler get her foot in the door! It’s as simple as signing up for certain clubs or reaching out directly to the women within the angling community. For myself, if a new angler wanted to come out, I would be happy to teach them the ropes. This way I get to show them what I’m using and why, as well as proper fish handling.
In Canada and specifically Ontario we are all so lucky to live in an area with an abundance of lakes to fish and connect to nature. Our world right now is facing a freshwater biodiversity crisis and as anglers we should all be doing our best to conserve fish populations for generations to come. We can adopt conservative approaches for the well-being of fish in our possession. The top factors of good fish handling include limiting air exposure, if photos are being taken and leave the fish in the net until you are ready. Limiting overall handling time, having proper tools on board will make a world of a difference in handling time and is an investment that is well worth it. Lastly, keep everything that comes in contact with the fish wet, such as your hands or bump board as we want to protect the slime coating of the fish. With that, I want to also add that getting involved with clubs such as OFAH, Muskies Canada or even being on the lookout for fisheries projects is an excellent way to get involved in the world of fishing. In the science community, the perspectives and experiences of anglers contribute widely to research. Despite the collective knowledge of fish from biologists and anglers there are still so many things left to learn.
Thank you for following along and I look forward to sharing updates about my project and angling adventures on social media with everyone!"
We would like to thank Erin for sharing her passion & expertise for fishing with us all. You can connect with her on instagram @wilsonerin27. We will be following along to see the results of her research and contributions to the angling community.
For more female fishing, fisher woman, and lady angler role model be sure to check out the other Women in Angling features at the link below.
If you know somebody who is a great ambassador for Women In Angling (Or the outdoors) that deserves to be recognized and would be willing to create a post please reach out to us on any of our social media platforms so we can get in touch with them.
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If you or someone you know is looking to get into fishing or you just want to become a more successful angler be sure to check out our "Zero To Hero Fishing Masterclass" for courses on everything fishing! The masterclass is built to help you learn how to find and catch fish like the pro's by providing all the information you need and a clear development path! Don't miss out check it out now at www.newwavefishingacademy.com/zero-to-hero
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