Meet our amazing volunteers!

Emily is our first official Rising to the Fly volunteer and our Sponsor and Volunteer Coordinator.

Emily was  born and raised in Bakersfield, CA and worked her way to Northern California over 16 years ago to attend California State University, Chico. Since graduating from college, she has been passionately involved in the Agricultural sector, specifically in California’s Processing Tomato Industry. 

Emily started fly fishing over 10 years ago with her husband (Nick) and father in law (David). Unfortunately, her father-in-law became ill and she made a promise to him that her husband would never fish alone. He would always have a partner on the river and a spirit in the sky. 

Emily fly fishes with passion and respect this sport deserves. She has developed an immense amount of confidence by surrounding herself with people who share similar sentiments like the co-founders at Rising to the Fly. Emily said, “starting out can be intimidating and in some cases economically challenging, but it doesn’t have to be. I’ve never felt like I couldn’t do anything because I’m a woman and I want to empower that same attitude onto others”.

We are so excited to have Emily on our team!

Meet our volunteer Gwynne! Gwynne helps out with our education and guidance for Rising to the Fly. 

Gwynne’s desire to fish stems back to when she was a little girl. She stood on a dock at Lake Almanor fishing shirtless with her 3 brothers, because she could. Growing up in Northern California, her parents instilled a love of adventure and nature and growing up with 3 brothers gave her thick skin and determination to show she could do “whatever” in spite of being a girl.

Fly fishing hooked and reeled her in, about 5 years ago. She sought out all opportunities to say “yes”, to as many fly fishing experiences as she could manage. She would attribute having an open heart, a learning mindset and a “be brave be awkward” attitude to spawning many adventures and friendships.

Gear she no longer needed was passed on to her eldest daughter, and she taught her to cast. Watching her daughter’s determination and seeing her daughter’s joy at netting her first fish on the fly inspired her to continue to support those who are fly curious (interested in fly fishing).

Gwynne affirms, “I am thrilled to be a part of Rising to the Fly! The only thing better than fly fishing is sharing information, collaborating and supporting other women on how to navigate where and how to begin.”

Meet our newest volunteer, Carole! Carole has the very important task of responding to everyone who fills out an application to get more information and keep us on track. She's also an amazing asset to our events team helping with guidance and education.

 Carole’s earliest memories of fishing start at the family Cabin on Echo Lake. The annual family summer escape to the lake provided lots of fishing. Standing at the foot of her parents’ bed at 5 years old, loudly proclaiming, “The sun is on the mountain” which in her world meant it was time to go fishing. Her progression was much the standard, day hikes to fish, longer trips fishing with family and friends. 

Since 2015, her involvement with Casting for Recovery (CfR) and her work as a co-coordinator, has brought her to fly fishing. Her extensive volunteering with CfR has given her many memorable fishing adventures and has helped forge life long friendships. Her need to share the joy of fly fishing with others has led her to participate as an instructor in the Southern Sierra Fly Fishers many programs, including the Fly Gal Weekend, where she has helped over 300 women experience the delight of fly fishing. She also represents CfR,SoCal on the Southwest Council - Federation of Flyfishers International. Her desire to get “toes In the water” has led her on a whirlwind of fly fishing adventures the past 9 years. Carole understands that after acquiring the rod/reel, sometimes the hardest part is getting yourself to the water. She appreciates the support and connections that RTTF offers women to start and continue their fly fishing journey.