This week I interview Ruth Sims, Seattle born-and-raised, who has been fishing since she could walk, but only started fly fishing about five years ago. During the work-week, she’s an electrical engineer for an aerospace company, but during the weekends and off days, Ruth is seeking out new fly fishing adventures and looking for ways to apply her interest in math, physics and engineering to improve her casting and fishing. That level of commitment has allowed her to up her game very quickly, as she’s now focusing her off time into becoming a casting instructor and enjoys teaching others how to fly fish.

In this episode, Ruth and I have a wide ranging discussion about all things fly fishing, including how she became interested in fly fishing (think fly tying and math), the risks of fishing solo as a female and why she enjoys spending water-time with her friends, some of her favorite fishing stories and moments, and how traveling to fish different locations has her rethinking her approach to angling in the coming year.  Finally, I ask her about the challenges she has faced both as a woman and Native American, how that has shaped her, and why we both believe that fly fishing and conservation could greatly benefit from a more diverse group of anglers.