WOMEN ON THE WATER, BY CHRISTI HOLMES

When Johnson Outdoors asked me to be part of the Old Town Women on the Water series, I was a little bashful. The series highlights their women pro staff to encourage more women to get out on the water. When they had asked, I had only recently joined the Old Town team. I also was not a bass tournament angler, like most of the Pro Staff. From what little I knew about the other women on the team, we all seemed so different. We hail from across the country, from California to Maine, and target everything from sturgeon to brook trout.

When I watched the first video, I was immediately impressed. The first release featured Annie Nagel, who fishes for king salmon in the open ocean off of the coast of California. Talk about brave! She describes the amazing things she has witnessed from her kayak, "I've seen breaching humpback whales, ospreys swooping after prey, and sea lions that want to play tug of war with my fish. Kayak fishing allows me to be more present in the moment than I've ever been before. It's simplistic, yet when you hook a fish, it turns beautifully chaotic, and I live for that." I think we can all relate to that zero to 60 feeling of relaxing one second and going into fight mode the next second when your drag starts screaming. 

The next video featured Katie Backa. Katie is a self-proclaimed tomboy who spends nearly every day out on the water. She competes in bass fishing tournaments in Texas and across the country. I doubt there are many other women in kayak bass fishing tournaments, so kudos to her for bucking the trend. Katie says, "it's important to me to show people that there are strong women in this field. Helping get rid of the stigma that women always need someone to be there and help them all the time. I think women are far more capable than they give themselves credit for." Damn right they are. 

These women are breaking down stereotypes and encouraging others to get involved in kayak angling. Last year Annie hosted a "Scales under my Nails" virtual women’s fishing challenge during the pandemic, where participants entered 300+ fish. 

Next up was Jean McElroy. Jean has over 15 years of kayak fishing experience and has won multiple kayak fishing tournaments in her home state of Florida. If that isn't impressive enough, she is a self-taught angler that started fishing at the age of eight and now works for Florida Sportsman Magazine! I would love to talk to Jean about how kayak angling has evolved over the years. 

I don't have many close friends who are women. I feel too different because of my passions for hunting and fishing. But with each Woman On The Water profile I watched, the more I felt a kinship to the other women. I want to meet them and fish with them. I wasn't the only one with whom these videos hit home. Comments like, "I want to fish with her," "it's so awesome that more women are getting involved!" and "she seems like a badass" were common themes in the video comments. 

The most recent profile features Virginia Salvador and knows a thing or two about fishing. She co-captains the Gatecrasher, a fishing charter boat in San Francisco, and kayak fishes on her days off. And if she isn't cool enough, her favorite species to target are sturgeon! She describes being dragged around by them, "I loved how I felt like I was one with the fight, and there were no other factors getting that fish in except me." She continues that her goal is to "motivate and inspire in a positive way." I have no doubt she is doing that. 

We each found kayak fishing differently. Annie's boyfriend introduced her to the sport. Katie was tired of being stuck fishing from shore. And I didn't want to deal with a boat. I often hunt and fish alone, so buying and trailering a boat seemed like too much work. I like how quick and easy it is to load and unload a kayak by myself. It gives me independence.

Old Town employee, Heather Swindler, graces the final video. Heather embodies the term sportsman and turns to the water as an oasis where she can decompress. She competes in numerous kayak bass fishing tournaments across the country and posts live updates on her Instagram account. I love following along and cheering for her on there. She knows what the bass want, and I wish she would tell me what it is!  

Though we range from single moms to dog moms, from captains and guides to just-for-fun anglers, we share much more in common than I initially thought. Annie summed it up nicely when she said, "I love feeling the water's constant energy just inches below me." Kayak fishing is personal. 

These women are making waves, and I am proud and honored to be among them. Even though we have never met in person, the support and camaraderie among us are palpable and empowering. I have no doubt we – along with Johnson Outdoors – will continue to inspire other women and girls to get out on the water to experience the awe of the outdoors. 

Christi Holmes is a part of the Old Town Pro Staff team. She is a Maine Guide, a writer, and the founder of Maine Women Hunters (@Mainewomenhunters), a group that inspires women to get out hunting and fishing. Johnson Outdoors is proud to have Christi on the Old Town Pro Staff team and to highlight her adventurous spirit in Old Town’s Women on the Water series. 

Below is the Women on the Water episode featuring Christi Holmes:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLLiw73Vf_0  
Follow Christi on Instagram @christiholmes