Meet five of the best guides in North America. And they're all women.
Mar 1, 2005
Lady of the Lakes
Maine's storied Rangeley Lakes region has lent its name to several classic fly patterns and a double-ended watercraft uniquely designed to position anglers in front of fish. For the past 18 years, Maine native Bonnie Holding has steadily earned a reputation as one of the area's best guides, introducing a long string of clients to her favorite game fish: brook trout and landlocked salmon.
Bonnie's many friends instantly recognize her at a distance by her trademark braid of strawberry blonde hair, a memento of the days when her brothers teasingly dubbed her "The Ugly Redhead." She admits that she had little exposure to the outdoors growing up. That all changed when she met her husband, Blaine, now one of Maine's most experienced game wardens, 28 years ago. The two learned to flyfish together. Bonnie went on to become the first woman employed in L.L. Bean's outdoors department, where she honed her casting skills under the direction of renowned angler Dave Whitlock. Soon, she was giving casting clinics herself.
Maine's rigidly structured system for licensing guides is similar to Alaska's. Bonnie, now 48, has held the highest rating of Master Guide for 18 years. Along the way, she's learned to temper her
natural competitiveness and desire to catch fish and has become a better guide in the process. "It's not always about the fishing," she says. "Just being out there and seeing the moose and deer is the main thing for most people-the fish are secondary. I've also learned never to promise anybody a fish. I'll promise them a good time, just not a fish. Some people couldn't catch their own rear end with a hook; others are so good that it makes me wonder why I'm even guiding them."
Alone among our subjects, Bonnie can't remember facing skepticism from male clients. She credits her good fortune to growing up with four brothers, an experience that taught her a lot about dealing with men.
Despite her many achievements in the field, Bonnie considers her involvement with Casting for Recovery her most satisfying accomplishment. This national program (www.castingforrecovery.org) allows women recovering from breast cancer to meet in a remote setting and learn about
flyfishing. Teaching participants to cast, Bonnie admits to a special satisfaction when she identifies the one or two attendees at every session who obviously plan to make angling a lasting part of their lives.
"It's such an incredible program," Bonnie explains. "The sporting camps in Maine have been tremendous. Very few of them have charged anything for hosting us." Her own commitment began after she gave a brief casting clinic during her first retreat. "As we finished," she recalls, "I noticed one of the women in tears. When I approached her, she explained that she'd been preoccupied with chemotherapy and radiation for months, but for the last twenty minutes she hadn't thought about anything but her fly line! When I realized how much that meant to her, it reminded me that I had an obligation to give what I could."
Contact: Bonnie Holding, 207-246-4102; Edge of Maine Fly Fishing, PO Box 377, Coplin Plantation, ME 04982.
We require
all participants in interactive areas to accept the terms of the Bonnier Corporation subscriber agreement. Please
read the agreement
before making comments. When you click on the button above to submit your comments, you are indicating your acceptance of and
are agreeing to adhere to the terms of the subscriber agreement.
RELATED ARTICLES
