AKRON, Ohio — An Akron woman is on a mission to share her passion for fly fishing. She is taking folks from all walks of life out on the water to teach them a new skill.
Christa Clasgens owns Silverhen Fly Co., the only female-owned and operated fly-fishing guide service in Ohio. Recently, she has seen a significant increase in a certain demographic taking over the waterways.
Clasgens is seeing an increasing number of women taking to the water.
Even her business name is a tribute to women, "Silverhen basically means, aggressive, angry, female Steelhead. It's sneakily female," said Clasgens.
Clasgens has been a natural with a rod in her hand since she was a girl, "I asked for a fishing rod for my birthday. I was about eight or nine."
She shares a passion for teaching women the art of reeling and casting.
"Women are probably the largest growing demographic in fly fishing and they have been for some time," said Clasgens.
Clasgens continued, "but, we're seeing all sorts of people from all walks of life do fly fishing now, and I think that's great because there's a lot of benefits. The therapeutic aspect of it, the camaraderie that we have with our friends and our family when we go out together and we fish."
The fly-fishing industry also places an emphasis on conservation.
"We have to look after these waters; otherwise, we won't be able to catch these fish next year or the year after that," said Clasgens.
"The fish that come out of the lake, that are lake runs. Between the small mouth, the steelhead, the suckers, you name it. There's a whole world class fishery here," said Clasgens.
There are fast-growing groups, such as "Ohio Women on the Fly," which are seeing an increasing number of women interested in fishing. Clasgens offers free clinics and floats for women to get into the water in both Ohio and Pennsylvania.
"I would love 10, 15 years from now, I see some ladies and they say you taught me how to fly fish, and now I'm a guide. I hope that a lot of women have the opportunity to learn from me, because it's something that I really enjoy doing, teaching them," said Clasgens.
You can connect with Silverhen Fly Co. here.
