During a beautiful week of fall like weather on the cusp of autumn last year, a group of a dozen women met up outside of Billings Montana at the Kingfisher Lodge for the first ever Redington Rally. Redington is a fly fishing brand that produces waders, wading boots, fly rods and reels and is also one of the brands under the Farbank company umbrella.
Redington Gear, The Kingfisher Lodge, United Women on the Fly and Dun Magazine all partnered to create a four day, three night guided fly fishing retreat for a group of over a dozen women to fly fish on the Big Horn River.
The event was co-hosted by United Women On the Fly’s Community Outreach Team Leader, Angelica Talan, Fly Fishing Influencer and Redington Gear Brand Ambassador Kayla Lockhart and Redington Gear ambassador and outdoor photographer Kaitlyn Boyer.
Women Make 30% of Fly Anglers
According to the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation, women make over 30 percent of fly anglers. Redington Gear, The Kingfisher Lodge, United Women on the Fly and Dun Magazine decided to create an event to support the idea of women connecting with each other and to fly fish together.
Realizing that fly fishing is a sport suited for those in a higher socioeconomic bracket due to the high cost of gear and other factors, Redington recognized the discrepancy in opportunity for those interested in attending their inaugural event. Events like these often sell out within minutes of their announcement because there is a particular class of fly anglers capable of paying all cash for an event like this without any hesitation. With the desire to make this unique event a little more accessible, Redington created an all-expenses paid scholarship fund for one lucky participant from an underrepresented community to attend. The application process was essay based and the recipient of the scholarship was blindly chosen by a group of principals from each of the organizations sponsoring the event based on the applicant’s personal story.
Daily Fun
Each day began with a Lodge Lounge breakfast followed by a 6 hour guided float on the Big Horn River. The Kingfisher Lodge supplied each of the guests a delicious gourmet lunch complete with an entree, desert and beverage. The evenings were a time to connect and share stories about the day and also included workshops on fly tying, how to take personal photos on the water and how to build community online and in person.
Here are some photos from this amazing event. For more photos and behind the scenes, be sure to check out the UWOTF Instagram feed and Highlights Reel.
