The new Orvis #50/50onthewater campaign has been designed to encourage equal opportunities and participation in flyfishing, getting more women out onto our rivers, lakes and streams, and we couldn’t be more delighted to see this effect trickling down into the urban side of this sport we love.
Last weekend, newly-converted urban flyfishing aficionados Susan Skrupa and Larysa Yefremova took a day trip out onto the Wandle in south London, and posted their whole experience on social media.
It’s such a great story that they’ve kindly agreed to let us republish it here, in their own words and with their own pictures…
The faces say it all… a crazy day of mischief and misadventure with Larysa Yefremova on the River Wandle.
Hooked plenty of trees, snapped multiple leaders, lost lots of flies, nearly drowned in my waders in ankle deep water, misplaced our lunch, spent 30 minutes walking the wrong way up the river to be saved by a phone in to London Flyfisher (thanks Damon!), found a random chair in the woods, almost knocked out my teeth trying to out run a BEAR (but saved my fly rod), saw two dead birds floating by, realised that a 4wt and a 6wt are good for clearing spiderwebs under Goat Bridge (bad idea – brave Larysa!)
AND not a single fish to report! But this is what makes it an adventure — and I can’t wait for the next!
OH! And, dare I say it – thank god for Uber!
Will this epic urban fishing report and photo story inspire you to get out on your own local urban river before trout season ends? (Not long now, in many parts of the UK!)
(All photos: Susan Skrupa and Larysa Yefremova)
