Women That Fish
The fishing industry needs more women that fish! Women who fish now are exceptional role models for the next generation women of fishing - and we want to celebrate that! Meet today's fishing ladies as part of the Women In Angling blog series.
Kelsi Doughty
This weeks Women In Angling feature female angler is Kelsi Doughty! Kelsi is an avid multi-species angler both on the water and on the ice. Check out here story below:
"Fishing started for me when I was very young. I can remember some of my fondest memories are going out walleye and bass fishing with my grandfather on the Mississippi with my little pink rod. Ever since then it has played a crucial role in my life.
I grew up in the Calabogie area of Ontario, with 300 acres and a river running through the access road. While growing up, my parents didn’t have the perfect relationship. This lead me to a world filled with anger, anxiety, and a disorder called “depersonalization.” Whenever
things were getting tough in my house I would grab my tackle box, rod, and some
snacks before heading down to the river, fish until dark, then walk back home. Fishing
was my therapy, and still is now, along with life coaching.
To this day I spend a lot of my time out on lakes, but now with my fiancée. In the summertime it's on our boat, and in the winter on the ice. I fish mostly in the Rideau Lakes area, targeting lakers and bass in the summertime but as soon as pike opens in the spring you can find me out in my kayak trying to catch a few. In the wintertime I enjoy getting out on the ice in many different areas, my fiancée and I sometimes will go up to Calabogie to target stocked trout such as rainbows, brookies and splake.
One of the great things about the fishing industry is that there is so much out there and focuses can vary so much for each individual. My focus is pleasure fishing, and showing women how amazing fishing can be for your mental health! I am an ambassador for The Cure Is Outdoors, which is an outdoor business that highlights the positive effects that the outdoors can have on your mental health.
One of the more recent challenges I've faced in fishing is learning how to fish out of a kayak and feel comfortable in it! There’s been many of times when I’m out on my favourite laker spot trolling and have had larger boats circle me and create huge wakes (it’s the worst). So learning how to stay calm and focused when that happens can be difficult. I would like to enter in some tournaments in my kayak this summer in my area – but that can also be daunting, I am an established angler but can’t help but feel anxiety surrounding the tournament world.
I'm not sure exactly where I want to go in the fishing industry but that is one of the great things about it; there are so many opportunities and directions to go in. Right now my goal is to meet anglers in my area and push myself out of my comfort zone. I love meeting new female anglers in the community and am always open to meeting new people. As I’m typing this – I'm gearing up for a women’s ice fishing trip to Nipissing next weekend, which was also very out of my comfort zone!
If you are a woman in the fishing industry, I highly recommend reaching out to other women to get to know them! I am an instagram message away! @kelsi_doughty is where you can find me!"
From the entire New Wave Fishing Academy team we would like to thank Kelsi for sharing her story, passion for fishing, and struggles with us all. Kelsi is a role model for the anyone looking to get into fishing and there is no doubt that her story will help inspire others to get into fishing or at least give it a try to see if it connects with them. Be sure to connect with her on instagram if you're a women looking to get into fishing!
Women Who Love Fishing
If you know women who love fishing, is a great ambassador for Women In Angling, or simply the outdoors lifestyle, that deserves to be recognized please reach out to us on any of our social media platforms so we can get in touch with them.
Women And Fishing Resources
Additional "women and fishing" resources and links for female fishing enthusiasts to connect:
Fishing For Ladies
New Wave Fishing Academy is an educational platform for the recreational fishing industry that allows everyone to learn how to catch fish; virtually. Not catching fish on outings is a sure way to keep new anglers from coming back to the sport BUT most who go fishing have no idea where to start or how to find success without HOURS of trial and error on the water that nobody has. Before you ever get to the water you can learn how to turn fishing trips into catching trips with our online fishing educational resources.
Click the link to Learn How To Fish!
To experience a day of fishing on the water with us be sure to check out our YouTube channel at the link below.
Women In Angling History
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 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. These hurdles are not set up by those that represent the majority of the members in the industry but unfortunately they are often the loudest voice.
To combat this we started the "Women In Angling" blog series in 2022 to celebrate the women who love fishing, highlight female ambassadors and role models for the sport of fishing, and share their stories for those that just need a little push or someone to look towards to get into this sport we all love!
To read all of the amazing Women In Angling profiles click the link below:
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