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 make 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 / questions there are a lot of unnecessary hurdles for women and young girls to get into the sport. While we know that these people setting up these hurdles do not represent the bulk of the members in the industry they unfortunately are often the loudest voice. To combat this we want to highlight some of the best ambassadors for "Women In Angling" that we know and share their stories for those that just need a little push to get into the sport or some role models to look towards!
This weeks feature is Tristin Jarratt, the backyard angler! A multi-species enthusiast both on the water and through the ice; Tristin lives and breathes fishing and is always chasing the next bite! Hear her message to other new anglers below:
"Fishing has always been a great passion of mine. My earliest memories (and where this burning passion all started) was fishing a trout pond in my grandparents front yard. Every morning I would bring a bucket and a container of night crawlers down to the pond with me and would spend hours trying my luck at catching rainbow trout. When I wasn’t catching trout I would fill my bucket with all my other “ odd ball catches”, bring them up to the house, and my grandfather would bring out a book to help Identify what species I had. This was something I took great interest in, and It followed me throughout my adolescence, and bloomed into something young Tristin wouldn’t have even imagined.
Fast forwarding to present tense, I am “ that crazy fisher girl”. But let me tell you, there has been hurdles, defeat, and times where I would question my place in the fishing Industry all together. It can be tough trying to get involved in something when your knowledge isn’t as advanced as others. You will definitely come across a select few who will challenge you, and question your abilities. Though this happens to virtually everyone at some point in their lives, let's face it; women just don’t seem to get taken as seriously in this male dominated sport. However, in recent years the table is turning and women are making their mark in the fishing industry so don’t let that that fear factor discourage you!
When I decided I wanted to advance my knowledge and skill set, I started out reading, and watching YouTube videos. I would put hours into watching, learning, and writing things down. One of my favourites is Jay Siemens. He is a great advocate for anglers, and his content is both fun, and informative. https://youtube.com/c/JaySiemens Another great resource, (and why I’m happily writing this blog post) is the content released by the New Wave Fishing Academy! There are so many different aspects to fishing, and this is a perfect breakdown. I truly believe if you are new to the sport, or simply wish to advance your knowledge, that is a great place to start, familiarize yourself with the basics, and that will bring you confidence.
Once I started to gain confidence I became more independent and that’s when I opened myself up more. I began sharing my catches on social media, and talking to likeminded people. Now, this is when you are bound to run into the key board warriors. Not everyone is there to support you, and that’s OK. But you must be open to constructive criticism. Fishing is a learning curve, always. It doesn’t matter if you’re new, or a veteran of the water - you are always learning. Every fishing trip you go on, I think you should try to identify at least one thing you learned from that experience, or something you could have done better. Work on a game plan, and try again. If I’m really stumped, I reach out to other anglers for advice. This is another great way to advance your skill set. Now, some of you may have access to fishing clinics and groups of women that are just as fish crazy as you, and I am all for it! But I personally, do not have that luxury. If you’re on social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram etc) Follow those female fishing advocates, and join those fishing groups! Make connections, and don’t be afraid to reach out. You’d be surprised how many people are more than willing to help out (myself included) , and sometimes you get lucky enough to build beautiful friendships along the way. Speaking of which, The Canadian fishing network https://m.facebook.com/canadianfishingnetwork/ has played a tremendous roll in my involvement in the fishing community, not to mention; confidence building. You’ll become aquatinted with anglers of different skill sets, participate in fun contests and tournaments, and meet likeminded people. The annual CFN fish off without a doubt, pushed me out of my comfort zone, and I think that’s so important if you want to grow as an angler.
In fishing you can feel so confident, have the right gear, have the knowledge, but aren’t seeing the results. It doesn’t happen over night, and it might not happen on your next five fishing trips. My advice to you, is focus on personal achievement. It’s easy to get caught up comparing yourself to others, and wondering why you can’t be as successful as “them”. But if you asked someone how they got to where they are today, they will tell you it took time, effort, practice, determination and a whole lot of failure. Set a goal, stay focused on on your goal, and keep persevering until you get there. I promise you, it will pay off.
big effort = even bigger reward. You got this!"
As Tristin highlighted in her feature fishing requires continuous learning. We can assure you if anyone thinks they know all there is to know or have it all mastered will soon find themselves in a slump. Keeping an open mind, making smart decisions based on good information, and being prepared go much further than you think when it comes to putting fish in the boat! We would like to thank Tristin for taking the time to prepare this feature and hope you found it as valuable as we did. To connect with Tristin you can reach out to her on instagram at @backyardangler.
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.
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
Have you ever wondered why lures don't come with instructions and wanted to know how to fish them? Look no further than our "How To Fish" series where you will learn what each bait is, how to use it, when and where it excels over other baits, our preferred setup to use it on, and the common mistakes anglers make when using it. www.newwavefishingacademy.com/how-to-fish
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