Fly fishing is changing, and with it, so is the profession of fly-fishing guide. The first guide with whom I fished was a grizzled old cynic with a three-day growth of beard who chomped on the same cigar stub for the whole day on the water. Old or young, guiding has tended to be a male-dominated business. But not only are women increasingly becoming participants in the sport, they are demonstrating that whatever its history, it is inherently not a pursuit that revolves around gender. Leslie Ajari is a great example of this. Raised in Truckee and introduced to all kinds of water-borne sports at an early age by her father, outdoor writer and journalist Bruce Ajari, she guides for trout in Northern California’s “Golden Triangle” (the Fall River, the Pit River, the McCloud) and also for steelhead on the rivers of Northern California and Southern Oregon, as well as on the Grande Ronde in eastern Washington and the Olympic Peninsula on the west side of that state. She’s one of the many women now becoming part of the new normal in fly fishing in the West.
Bud: You’re from Truckee, “A small drinking town with a big fishing problem,” as a T-shirt I have says. Often, growing up in a place largely defined by how others see and use it motivates people to get as far away from it and what defines it as possible. Sort of a variation of the “How are you going to keep them down on the farm?” syndrome. But you’ve been fly fishing and tying since you were 10 and after college in the Bay Area have made a career of fishing and guiding. What instilled in you a love for the sport, and what kept you interested in it?
Leslie: Growing up in Truckee, the outdoors were always a part of my childhood. Not only was fly fishing a typical day in the life, but so was skiing, snowboarding, biking, hiking, wake boarding, and rafting. Growing up doing all of these outdoor activities, you take it for granted. It’s just another day in the life of a Truckee kid. I was excited to venture out on my own when I left for college and see what else was outside the microcosm of Truckee. However, I believe that once you “leave the farm” and explore the rest of the world, you come to realize and appreciate just how special a place Truckee is and the high quality of childhood a kid from a mountain town has. Growing up in Truckee and fishing the Truckee River, I have been blessed with good fortune as an angler. It’s a technical fishery and elevated my angling skills from the get-go. I was very blessed to have a father who instilled a love of the sport and taught me responsible angling techniques. I have a feeling he had no idea about the fly-fishing addiction he was hooking me on. In my late teenage years, I spent less time on the river than during my earlier years, eager to explore what else the world of the big city had to offer. However, by the time I was in my early 20s, I had grown bored and disillusioned with city life and was once again spending my spare time on the river.
Bud: When I interviewed the filmmaker Barbara Klutinas, who made the wonderful DVD Stepping into the River, and asked her what brings women to fly fishing, she told me that it is the same thing that brings men to it — like men, women who come from angling families tend to become anglers. But even though more women are entering the sport, like men, only a few become guides. What motivated you to turn an avocation into a profession?
Leslie: Making the transition from a recreational angler to a guide was a big decision and one I spent many hours ruminating on. I was at a point in my life where I knew I needed a change from the job I was currently doing. It was a choice of continuing down the path of a fairly conventional nine-to-five career or venturing out into something new. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that continuing my current career path felt more and more like a huge sacrifice in my quality of life. I finally came to the conclusion that it was the right time to take a leap and shake things up. I was already spending most of my time on the river, so I signed up for guide school to see if I had the chops for making it a career.
Gender really didn’t play a role in the decision. After all, fly fishing is about finesse, and not muscle. Anyway, I suppose that most jobs historically were male dominated to begin with. Even in the corporate world, there is still a smaller percentage of women than men. Why should fishing be any different? Culturally, I think we just see fewer women in the field because it is less of a cultural norm for girls to grow up fly fishing. However, this is a trend that does seem to be changing.
Bud: Guiding tends to have some of the qualities of a guild — admission to acknowledged membership in the ranks of those who already do it is not always easy, regardless of one’s gender. Maybe it’s because steelheading attracts a special kind of person and occurs in sometimes trying circumstances, steelhead guides, in particular, seem to exhibit that kind of behavior. Traditionally, it’s been something of a fraternity, as has fly-fishing guiding in general. As you say, that seems to be changing. What’s it like to be a young woman employed in what has long been seen as a male profession, and how does that perception square with the reality today as you experience it?
Leslie: Guiding in certain circles really is very similar to a guild. And you work your way up in respect as you go. No rookie guide goes out there and is already a legend. Respect is definitely earned, not given. Those initial years of guiding are what sets the precedent for the years to come. You are building the foundation of the career path you want. I knew immediately that I wanted to guide for steelhead fished on the swing, so I marketed myself and honed my skills as such.
During those initial years, your peers are very aware of what you are doing. Are you active in giving back to the watersheds you are capitalizing on? Are you respectful of other guides? Are you conscious of doing what is best for the fish? Are you doing strange cockamamie things on the water? Your colleagues will absolutely be looking and weighing your merit as a guide using some of those questions.
In terms of being a female fly-fishing guide, I have found that gender doesn’t seem to matter very much. I don’t expect preferential treatment because I’m a chick, and I certainly don’t think that I should set a lower standard of guiding because of my gender. I make sure I can keep up with the boys. I’m sure there is more scrutiny, since I stick out a bit more than everyone else, but I have found the fraternity of fly fishing guides very welcoming. And again, this goes back to being humble and having respect for your fellow guides. I have a feeling that if I expected special treatment because I’m a woman and didn’t show the proper respect to my peers, my colleagues would probably think differently of me.
Bud: What did you need to learn to become a guide, and what is the process of becoming a guide?
Leslie: Technically, all you need in California to become a guide is to post a $1,000 bond and pay the California Department of Fish and Wildlife a few hundred dollars. However, a license to guide does not make one a true guide. As I mentioned before, I went to guide school to see if I could handle the “guide life.” I grew up teaching swim lessons in high school and college, so I had a fair amount of practice as an instructor. Mainly, I needed to work on the vernacular and polishing my rigging and casting. After going through guide school with Confluence Outfitters, I was lucky enough to start working for them. They’re such an experienced group of guides — I was able to learn and hone my skills at a very rapid pace. They have been instrumental in shaping me into the guide I am today. To any aspiring guides, I would recommend surrounding yourself with anglers and guides who will make you a better angler and, more importantly, a better instructor.
Bud: What do you enjoy about guiding? What are the frustrations?
Leslie: I love watching clients progress as anglers. I subscribe to the school of instructional-based guiding, so at times, there can be a fair amount of teaching on the water. It is just awesome when you see a skill set finally click with a client. Also, the morning commutes on the raft aren’t bad, either. Talk about an office with a view!
Occasionally there are moments of frustration, though. It seems like more and more people are on the water fishing, and they don’t always know the proper river etiquette — for example, an angler lipping a steelhead they caught out of the water for a picture or fifty and then tossing it back in the water without reviving it. This drives me insane. I guess seeing any fish mishandled is enough to make me contemplate doing bad things.
Bud: As clients of guides, many of us are likely to be average fly fishers, at best, and one good reason for even beginners to hire a guide is to make progress along the learning curve. In your experience, what sorts of skills should trout anglers work on to improve our competence? And how about skills for steelheaders and would-be steelheaders?
Leslie: The best clients are those who are always willing to learn. You can control every aspect of the guide day except making a fish eat. Which is why there are so many other things to focus on when the fishing is slow. One thing you can work on as a trout angler is casting. Practicing single-handed casting doesn’t require water, just your rod, reel, and line. Better casting means covering more water and fewer tangles.
Another great thing to work on while fishing without a guide is reading the water. Before slopping into the water like a herd of buffalo, take a few minutes to look around and see if you can spot any fish. Then next time, do it again, and again. Eventually, you will have a good reference as to where the fish are holding. It will vary from spot to spot, but this is a great way to begin understanding trout habitat.
Bud: Steelheaders and, increasingly, trout anglers have embraced the use of Spey and other two-handed rods. You’ve done so, as well, climbing that learning curve and even competing in the casting competition at the SpeyO-Rama at the Golden Gate Angling and Casting Club. What’s your advice for someone who’s taking up the really long rod for the first time, and what are the keys to progressing as a two-handed caster — and, since they’re not quite the same, as a two-handed angler?
Leslie: Spey casting has become immensely popular on the fly-fishing scene. The first time I cast a Spey rod, I was drawn to the challenge and artistic nature of it. And then the first time I caught a steelhead swinging a fly, well, it was an instant addiction. Competition casting is a more recent challenge I have embarked upon.
I think the best recommendation I can give to anyone taking up long-belly casting is to practice. You need to be on the water to do this, and it can be very tough to practice in the midst of having fishing opportunities, but to progress and be competent, you do have to practice.
In terms of Skagit or Scandi casting, I cannot emphasize enough the importance of anchor consistency and visual awareness. You cannot complete a Spey cast properly unless your anchor point and D loop are in the correct place at the right time. On every cast, you should be looking at your anchor and D loop to perfect the correct timing and sweep speed.
In terms of fishing a two-handed rod, when starting out, there is always the urge to fish only those perfect or mostly perfect casts. The rest are immediately stripped in to be recast. By the time you have made a good cast as a beginning Spey caster, you have probably managed to cane the water and spook all of the fish. Make a mend and take the time to recount what went wrong on a cast while you are letting it swing through and fishing. You may even catch a fish.
Bud: One of the unsung leitmotifs of fly-fishing lore is the topic of fly-fishing dogs. (Ralph Cutter wrote about his in an “Under the Alders” column a few years ago.) You’ve got one — Marlee. Why does a dog figure so prominently in some people’s sense of the ideal angling companion?
Leslie: Dogs and fly fishing. Well, I think that dogs in general are such an enrichment to human life. I know there isn’t a day that goes by when I don’t immensely enjoy Marlee’s company. He is a part of my family. Dogs truly are iconic f ly-fishing partners. Perhaps it correlates with having a fishing partner who loves the outdoors and also can’t give up your secret fishing spots. Perhaps also there is just a rich tradition of dogs in European outdoor sports such as hunting and fly fishing. Or perhaps the majority of the fly-fishing community is so awesome because they love dogs just as much as I do.
Bud: Here we are at the traditional Silly Tree question. If you were a tree, what kind of a tree would you be?
Leslie: I would be an old-growth redwood that managed to escape the clutches of the crazed logging industry.
