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Pêcheuse de fil en mouche / Women on the Water

  • May 21, 2021
  • Ned Morgan
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mots :: Christina Hedrei // photos :: Alain Denis.

Au début, c’était une sorte de thérapie. La pêche à la mouche me permettait de m’évader pour admirer la beauté de la nature depuis les rives. Mère de trois enfants et infirmière de salle d’opération à plein temps, j’attends impatiemment les fins de semaine, histoire de passer le plus de temps possible au grand air. 

De là, mon intérêt pour ce sport. J’ai passé tant de soirées à m’enfiler des vidéos YouTube, à échanger avec des pêcheurs locaux et le marchand d’articles de pêche du coin. C’est ainsi que je suis devenue une mordue de pêche à la mouche. 

Faire tomber les clichés

Il va sans dire que cette pratique a longtemps été considérée comme un sport masculin. Même si de plus en plus de femmes s’y adonnent, il n’est pas rare d’entrer dans un magasin de pêche à la mouche et d’y être accueillie avec un : « Vous cherchez quelque chose pour votre conjoint ? ».

L’année dernière, j’ai rejoint un groupe de femmes passionnées par la pêche et par l’initiation de leurs semblables. J’ai été captivée par l’aspect artistique du montage des mouches et par la sensation d’être debout en bottes-salopette dans les rapides. Sans parler du frisson que procure un lancer presque parfait.

Àmesure que mafascination grandissait, je découvrais le rôle des femmes dans l’histoire de ce sport. J’ai découvert des femmes comme Joan Wulff, une journaliste sportive et pionnière du perfectionnement des techniques modernes du lancer, qui a contribué à faire tomber les préjugés.

Women on the water white and red shed Alain Denis photo

Nous sommes privilégiés de vivre à une époque où la pêche à la mouche est encouragée et reconnue comme sport pour tous. Les événements auxquels hommes et femmes peuvent participer, comme le 50/50 On The Water, deviennent rapidement la norme.  

En symbiose

La pêche à la mouche m’a permis de mieux comprendre et apprécier la nature. Chaque fois que je suis sur l’eau, j’apprends quelque chose de nouveau : à quoi les poissons mordent, où ils se cachent, comment la rivière coule ou comment trouver mon rythme dans un lancer à quatre temps. Plus rien ne m’atteint.

Au Québec, nous sommes choyés d’avoir beaucoup d’endroits où lancer nos lignes avec une grande variété de poissons. J’ai pêché de l’omble de fontaine dans des ruisseaux près de chez moi à Piedmont et de gros saumons dans les rivières emblématiques de la Gaspésie. Dernièrement, j’ai exploré la rivière du Diable dans la région de Tremblant, qui recèle de nombreuses sections favorables à la pêche à la truite.

Women on the water back of jeep Alain Denis photo

Peu de sports nous permettent de nous y initier à la mi-temps de sa vie avec autant de facilité. Et aucun n’est aussi gratifiant mentalement et physiquement tant par la création de mouches, le lancer, la capture et la remise à l’eau d’un poisson. Je ne cesse d’apprendre, de me transformer et d’attendre avec impatience une nouvelle saison de pêche. 


Fly fishing started as a form of therapy for me. It offered an escape to admire the beauty of nature from the banks of rivers, streams, lakes, and ponds. Leading a hectic, weekday life—mother of three and full-time operating-room nurse—I live for weekends, to spend as much time in the outdoors as possible.

That’s why I started to take an interest in fly fishing. I spent evenings watching Youtube videos, connecting with local anglers, and conversing with my local fly shop manager. A fly girl was born.  

Women on the water Riviere a Simon Piedmont Alain Denis photo

Drifting away from clichés

Now it goes without saying that fly fishing has long been thought of as a gentleman’s sport. Although more women are getting into it, it is still not uncommon to walk into a fly shop and be met with: “Are you looking for something for your boyfriend or partner?”

Last year, I joined a group of fly girls whose passion for fishing and introducing more women to the sport was contagious. I was captivated by both the artistic aspect of tying flies and the incredible feeling of standing in waders in flowing water, not to mention the thrill of making a close-to-perfect cast.  

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   As my own passion for the sport and creativity of tying flies grew, I came to a better understanding of the role, historically, that women have played in fly fishing. I learned about women such as Joan Wulff, a pioneering sportswriter and developer of modern casting technique, who helped break through the just-for-men conceit.

Women on the water white and red shed Alain Denis photo

We are now fortunate to be living in an age where fly fishing is encouraged and supported as a sport for both genders. Events that both men and women can enter, such as 50/50 On The Water, are fast becoming the standard.  

In symbiosis 

Fly fishing has helped expand my understanding of and appreciation for the natural world. Every time I am out on the water, I learn something new—about what the fish are biting on, where they are lurking, how the river is running, or finding my groove in a four-point cast. The rest of the world melts away. 

We are fortunate in Quebec to have numerous places to cast our lines for a wide variety of fish. I have caught brook trout in streams near my home in Piedmont and large salmon in iconic rivers in Gaspesie. Lately, I have been exploring the Diable River in the Tremblant region, with many sections favorable for trout.

Women on the water back of jeep Alain Denis photo

 There are few sports that we can come into so smoothly in midlife. And none completes a full circle of mental and physical gratification as fly-tying, casting, and catching and releasing a fish. I am truly excited to have become a female angler—forever learning, transforming, and looking forward to another season.  

From Vie en montagne, summer ’20.

Du terroir au gin / Homegrown Gin

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Ned Morgan

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No one called me Feet Banks back in 1987. In those days, most people called me by my given name—except for my ski buddies, to whom I was known by the most badass moniker to ever schuss the slopes: Twinkle Toes.
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