Wednesday, October 5, 2016 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
9
Women fish Sisters Country waters
Thirty-two women from
across the country came to
Sisters last month to go fly
fishing.
This was no ordinary
fishing trip — this was the
20th anniversary of the
International Women’s Fly
Fisher’s group, which was
originated in San Francisco
in 1996 by a remarkable
woman named Fanny Krieger
who, even at 84 years old,
was in attendance in Sisters
and fished four days in a row
despite the unseasonably cool
weather.
Mary Ann Dozer and Tina
Perin from Sisters organized
the event with the help of cur-
rent IWFF President Rebecca
Blair of California starting
back in January. The hope was
to attract 12 women to come
out to Central Oregon and
enjoy a week of fishing.
Word spread that this event
was going to be held in a
beautiful place with a lot of
varied fishing opportunities,
and quickly the group grew
from 12 to 32 participants.
Many of the women
who attended the rendez-
vous came from California
and Washington. However,
ladies from many other states,
including a neurosurgeon who
enjoys fishing with the group,
came all the way from North
Carolina, where one of the
next rendezvous will be held
near Asheville.
The week began with
most of the ladies checking
in to lodging at Black Butte
Ranch (BBR). That same eve-
ning, The Fly Fisher’s Place,
led by owners Jeff and Tina
Perin, hosted a party for the
group, only eclipsed by the
anticipation of the fishing to
come. Most of the women had
never been to Central Oregon
before and didn’t know what
to expect, so Jeff Perin offered
an overview and description
of the area’s fisheries and how
best to approach them.
Many of the prior events
were held in Montana,
Wyoming, and Idaho, where it
is very common to be able to
fish from the moving drift boat
to trout that are much easier to
catch on flies called attractors.
It was different for the ladies
to come to Oregon, where it
is mandatory to get out of the
drift boat and wade on the
Lower Deschutes, not to men-
tion that Central Oregon trout-
fishing usually presents more
technical aspects than in the
Rockies.
Over the course of four
days, the group participated
in roughly 31 guided trips,
and some of the women fished
on their own on the Middle
Deschutes and Metolius
Rivers or enjoyed classes held
at Black Butte Ranch.
Mary Ann Dozer from
Sisters, and Mia Sheppard, a
guide from Maupin, offered
spey casting classes one after-
noon on the lake at BBR.
“We kept hearing from the
group the great thing about this
rendezvous was within an hour
or so from Sisters the ladies
were guided to the Lower
Deschutes, the McKenzie, the
Fall River, Crooked River and
East Lake,” Jeff Perin noted.
“Fishing was above average
despite rain in many of the
venues and even a few snow-
flakes falling at East Lake.
The fact that Sisters has so
much fishing within an hour
or so of town makes this a rare
and unique place.”
Midway through the event
the group held a potluck at
Black Butte Ranch and invited
the Wild Women of the Water
from Bend to join the fun and
tell fishing stories over pasta,
wine and desserts. Laughter
was common and friendships
were sealed over and over
again.
The end of the week came
too soon for most, with the
fourth and final day of fishing
photo provided
Jeff perin guided a trip that fished Central Oregon’s finest waters.
on Saturday followed by a
pizza party at the Bistro on the
lake at BBR. Awards were
given for the biggest fish and
the smallest fish, the most fish
and the best fish story. While
there were a lot of good sto-
ries, none topped the one from
a participant who fell in the
Deschutes and decided to take
off all of her clothes and dry
out in the drift boat for a bit.
What happens on the river,
stays on the river.
“It is a sure sign of a suc-
cessful week when everyone
raved about the fishing, loved
all of the guides and left talk-
ing about making plans for a
return visit to Sisters,” Perin
said. “From our front, it was a
true success and a lot of fun to
be a part of an event like this.”
For more information on
the International Women’s
Fly Fishers check out www.
internationalwomenfly
fishers.com.
Dan & Julia Rickards would like to invite
you to visit Clearwater Gallery
“Morning on the Ranch”
Saturday, October 8 starting at 10 a.m.
Complimentary print of Dan’s newest painting to the fi rst 150 people.
Award-winning artist Dan Rickards will be at the gallery on Saturday at 10 a.m. to individually sign each print until they
have all been given away. Limit one per family. Clearwater Gallery will be off ering special framing package pricing and a limited giclée edition
on canvas in conjunction with the new release. Please visit www.danrickards.com to view framing options and pricing.
303 W. Hood Av-., Sist-rs • 541-549-4994 • www.th-cl-arwat-rgall-ry.com • www.danrickards.com