The women casting out to Australia’s male-dominated fly fishing sport
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Australian women fly fishers are pushing to represent Australia at international competitions.
Tasmanian fly fisher Karen Brooks took up the rod 20 years ago and these days when she is not guiding or coaching she enjoys competing.
"It does bring out the competitive side in you and although you are competing with other people you are competing with yourself, because you're trying to improve your own technique," Ms Brooks said.
At the recent state championships in Tasmania, she was one of only four women amongst 30 competitors.
Nationally, of 140 fly fishing competitors there are eight women registered.
South Australian Casey Mattson is one of them. She's so keen to compete at a higher level, she's joined the governing body for all local competition fly fishing, Fly Fish Australia, to help the push for a national women's team.
Later this year, Australia will send two men's teams to Northern Island to compete in the Commonwealth Fly Fishing Championships, while South Africa, England, Scotland, and Northern Ireland will field a men's and women's team.
"A women's team has always been on the cards, Australia could have sent a team to [Ireland], but they chose not to," said Ms Mattson.
The young fisher, who is competing in events around Australia, says that there are women fishers who have given up competition simply because there's not been the option of joining a national team.
"The fact is, with these teams if we send a women's team, five blokes miss out, so it does mean some people who have previously represented Australia may miss out so we can send a women's team," said Ms Mattson.
Fly Fish Australia says women aren't purposefully discriminated against — the teams are picked from rankings and currently women aren't in the top rankings.
"We've operated on an objective system of rankings through three years of competition and at this point in time we haven't had enough ladies high enough up in the rankings to qualify to represent at those levels", said Fly Fish Australia president Rob Staples.
He added that he can understand their frustration.
"I think we have been slow, I think that is a fair and reasonable comment, but I really feel that we are now turning the corner and making some progressive and positive steps to improve the participation of ladies and also younger members within the competition sport fly fishing," said Mr Staples.
Ms Mattson believes change is inevitable.
"I think at some point it is not going to be up to the Australian board, it is going to be up to the Commonwealth board, so it's something they are already looking at, how do they enforce this rule of sending a women's team as well as a men's team," she said.
These two women are that serious about competing that they do every step themselves, from practicing on rivers and lakes to creating their own ties that they hope will give them a competitive edge.
"I think it adds to the whole sport as a whole because you are learning everything right from the start through to catching a fish, it's always more rewarding to catch a fish on a fly you've tied yourself," said Ms Mattson.
Fly fishing is a game of cat and mouse, the fly on the end of the line is mimicking the real thing — a particularly juicy-looking insect helps.
"In competition we're only using barbless hooks, there's not a lot of flies you can buy with no barbs … it's also good to create," said Ms Brooks.
Women were fly fishing in Australia in at least the 1930s but it is thought they were casting lines well before then.
Casey Mattson and Karen Brooks are determined to represent Australia.
It is hoped the nation's first women's team to compete at the Commonwealth fly fishing championships will do so in New Zealand in two years' time.
In the meantime with that goal in sight, these women have a great excuse to get on the water for some extra training.
There's plenty of practice to be done and plenty of rivers and lakes to fish.
"It's a great life," said Ms Brooks, "we're definitely living the dream, it's good fun especially when you catch fish."
Watch this story on Landline at noon on Sunday.
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