The Outdoors

By Scott Rall, Outdoors Columnist

I don’t normally have a lot of time to watch television, but this past weekend my gal was out of town and I had all weekend to pretty much do as I pleased.  I had all sorts of ideas leading up to the weekend, but when the weekend came it was -15 degrees with lots of fresh snow and an accompanying 35 mph wind. I was not willing to travel with my dogs for fear I could end up in the ditch and with lots of dogs on board that could be a problem.

I flipped the tube on to one of the Bally sports channels and saw a program that was highlighting a group called the Women Anglers of Minnesota (WAM). I learned a lot about this group that started 45 years ago and now boasts of over 1,100 members. They were inducted into the Minnesota Fishing Hall of Fame in 2019.

They interviewed the first president of the organization which is registered as a 501(C)(3) non-profit. This was a small group of gals who wanted to share their love of fishing with other women. The group credits its Facebook page with its recent surge in interest and membership. Their social media footprint allowed them a much greater audience in which to share their message.

They hold learn-to-fish events and all sorts of classes and clinics. They focus on women, but kids and youth have also become part of their efforts. They use their funds in a variety of ways. They support high school fishing leagues, fund scholarships and provide rods and reels to those in need.

They also have provided input and financial resources for stocking programs around the state. They even provide input to different merchants and manufacturers about the what, how and why to improve fishing apparel for women.

One of the events that I found to be the most intriguing was their catch-and-release fishing tournaments. Registered female anglers can catch one of several different species during their event. Some are on one lake and others are multi-lake events. In order to register a fish, you need a photo of you and the fish.  Another photo of the fish on a measuring stick and one final video submission of your successful release of that fish.

The show contained many different shots of a pontoon boat full of gals all having a lot better time than most of the guys I know who go fishing. Sure, there is some level of intensity, but they seemed a lot more happy-go-lucky on the water than some of the contests I used to participate in. Guys can get pretty serious, and I am sure the ladies can to, but they all looked like having fun was the most important aspect of their day.

They offer a Master Angler program that awards a catch-and-release pin for certain species over a certain length.  These programs are pretty common and effective in helping teach anglers the importance of selective harvest and proper resource utilization.

I was just plain impressed with what I saw, so I did a little internet searching and found their website to be easy to use and very informative. There are search functions that help you find other members of WAM to interact with. Of course, there is always a few buttons you can push to make a donation. If you can, I think you should.

Their website address is womenanglersofminnesota.com. If you are a gal who enjoys fishing but can’t really find the right avenue to pursue this outdoor activity, this might be a good site to visit.

I am sure that many of their members could out-fish me on my very best day and if the opportunity presented itself, I could learn a lot from them spending a day on the water.

As the snow continues to blanket the parking lot of my day job office, my mind drifts to an open water outing on a nice calm lake somewhere. If you are a gal who likes to fish, or think you might like to give it a try, reach out to these folks. It might be the first day of the rest of your life enjoying the great outdoors on a Minnesota lake with an experienced fishing gal.

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If you have any questions, reach out to me at scottarall@gmail.com.