The world of today is a much different place than what it was 100 years ago. One of the changes is the marked increase in female anglers. Here are three that you should know.
Joan Salvato Wulff
The “First Lady of Fly Fishing”, you can’t tell the story of women in fishing without Joan Wulff. Taken from the American Museum of Flyfishing, “With the exception of 1947, Wulff spent the years between 1943 and 1951 competing and winning national casting championships. During these years, she won twenty-one championships. She concluded her amateur career by becoming the first woman to win the National Fisherman’s Distance Fly Championship with a long cast of 136 feet against an all-male field of competitors. Wulff then turned professional in 1952. She continued tournament casting until 1960 and won several more championships. She completed her casting tournament career with an unofficial women’s world casting record of 161 feet—there was no women’s division at the competition.”
Wulff is an emeritus member of the IGFA board of trustees, has written books about fly fishing and founded her own organization, the “Wulff School of Flyfishing”. Learn more about her amazing life in fishing from the video below:
Meredith McCord
Meredith McCord holds 240 IGFA world records (primarily on fly tackle). She is one of the top record holders in IGFA history. She was introduced to fishing by her father and always loved it. Thanks to her successful business which helped her garner the resources as well as her prowess for angling, she has traveled the world and been featured on many prominent television shows and podcasts. In addition to still chasing records, she hosts guided trips in locations around the world for women and couples with a focus on education and fun.
Her Instagram is certainly worth a follow: 
Kat Vallilee
She holds two permit world records to her name, a 9.5-pounder on four-pound test and an outrageous 22-pounder on six-pound test. She has made a name for herself as a successful angler in the tournament circuit becoming the first woman to win the March Merkin permit tournament, a third-place finish in the IGFA permit tournament and many other tournament successes.
Hear her interview on Mill House here.
In Sum
There are a lot of great female anglers in the world today. This was simply a list of three that I thought you should add to your lexicon. I highly recommend checking out Steven Kantner’s book, “Fifty Women Who Fish”, to learn more about these amazing lady anglers.
Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this piece, then perhaps you would enjoy reading some of my other work as well. You can check out my latest blog, “My Five Favorite Fly Shops”. Until next time, tight lines.
