Featured Fly Girl August 6, 2020

Cat Toy August Featured Fly Girl

We’ve been following Cat for the past couple of years and her passion for fly fishing and helping others is truly remarkable. Our friend Cece Rubin nominated Cat as the monthly featured fly girl. Not only does Cat take the best selfies, she’s a self taught angler with over 400 days fly fishing, fly tier, accomplished down hill skier, former motocross racer, volunteers as a ski patroller at the Loveland Ski Area and her superpower is being a registered nurse. Cat is an amazing human! Follow her adventures at @crazycat313.

I’m a Nurse, what’s your superpower?

Read Cat’s Blog

Hello! My name is Cat. I grew up in Mammoth Lakes, California, next to the wild trout creeks and streams in a quaint ski resort town nestled in the magnificent Southern Sierra Nevada mountain range. I learned to ski at an early age of 3 from my grandparents. My grandfather would take my younger brother and I fishing to the high alpine lakes and mountain streams. We hiked the spectacular glacier carved mountains blanketed with vibrant wildflowers, tall majestic Jeffery and Bristlecone pines, and deep earthquake faults.

I love living here in Colorado. I am a full-time registered nurse with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing Degree from the University of Nevada, Reno. My career in nursing started in Colorado with experience in psychiatric nursing, post surgical rehabilitation, and as a nursing educator. As an outdoor enthusiast, I have such a deep passion with my hobbies. As a former motocross racer, I still enjoy the adrenaline and excitement riding on my YZ250F dirt bike in the mountains. My outdoor self indulgence for the love of fly fishing is nearly every day off I have. The winter months includes the enjoyment of fly fishing, downhill skiing, snowshoeing, back country skiing, and my dedication as a volunteer ski patroller at the Loveland Ski Area.

My outdoor self indulgence for the love of fly fishing is nearly every day off I have.

I had a friend who wanted a fishing buddy on the rivers, simply handed me a fly rod. This is where it all began. Ultimately, I was learning how to fly fish on my own. I believe getting myself out on some solo trips on the river required me to learn fly fishing in great leaps and bounds. I thrived early on, and I yearned to continue to be successful on the rivers.

Although it has been just over 2 years of fly fishing, being a registered nurse gives me an amazing work schedule that allows me 4 days off a week. I have blissfully fished well over 400 days. Last October, I began fly tying with tremendous success in catching marvelous large trout on my own flies. Now, I tie flies nearly every evening after a nursing shift. It is so fascinating to analyze the intricate facets of fly fishing, from spontaneous hatches, to the most technical presentations required among the ever changing drifts of a trout stream.

Being a registered nurse gives me an amazing work schedule that allows me 4 days off a week. I have blissfully fished well over 400 days.

The dry fly is my addiction of choice when it comes to catching trout. There is a really cool nostalgia and precision with catching fish on a dry fly. I usually carry two rigs to keep up with the hatches as well as changing up the fish menu. I’m fond of my WildStream Searcher 10′ 4 wt. for euro nymphing, and my WildStream Horizon 9′ 5 wt. for dry fly fishing. I try to make time to keep tying new fly patterns. The pleasure is to catch a fish on my own fly. It gets me excited to keep tying and refilling my fly boxes for the next fly fishing trip.

Special thanks for being a brand ambassadors for these companies. Shopmcfly for my luckiest fly fishing hats and t-shirts. WildStream Fly Rods for keeping me bent. Shwood Eyewear for keeping me able to stalk the trout. Buff USA for stylish protective neck buffs from the sun. Togens Fly Shop for getting me on the big beautiful trout with the flies I tie with their superb fly tying materials and fly fishing accessories. WORN for keeping my feet happy year round with work, fly fishing, hiking, and ski patrol.

Fly fishing has taken me to some of the most ruggedly beautiful, breathtaking canyons found in Colorado. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed meeting some of the coolest friends who are into fly fishing and people in the fly fishing industry. The near future will unfold as there will be more to come with fly fishing for Cat. There is so much to share, enjoy, and to treasure.