JUNEAU, Alaska – For many in the 49th state, fishing is a necessary part of life. What many do not realize, however, is there is a large contingent of women anglers who share a love of all things fishing.

A major part of Juneau's industry is fishing, and each year the king salmon run brings anglers from all over the world to participate. Most of the fishing is done with local guides, and some of those guides are women.

Kayla Roys and Sydney Akagi are both born and raised in Juneau, Alaska and have grown up fishing. Their personal favorite fishing is fly fishing, a specialized form of fishing that uses a line to throw a very small lure, the fly. Flies are hand tied by practitioners, and both Roys and Akagi fly fish and tie their own flies.

They love fishing so much, they have decided to make a film that focuses on women anglers in Southeast Alaska.

“We fish as often as we can, when we can,” said Roys, and we decided to apply for a grant from the http://www.tu.org/tuwomenf3thttp://www.tu.org/tuwomenf3t.”

The grant awards $15,000.00 to produce a short film that will help increase the representation of women in fly fishing. Trout Unlimited requires the entrants to raise a portion of the sum for themselves before awarding the grant.

“There is an art to fly fishing that only the fly fisher truly understands. From the tiny wisps of feathers and thin steel of the fly, the arc of the cast and the excitement of a strike, there is something that is beautiful and special. We want more women to share in it,” said Akagi.

The ladies are trying to raise $5,000.00 for the film, and they have turned to the Kickstarter crowdfunding website for help. So far, they have raised approximately $1,500.00.

The film will cover many sections of southeastern Alaska, where the pair will interview and fish with local ladies. Along the way, they will share their own stories of fishing and share information about the fishing industry and fly fishing in general.

“The majority of the grant will go to cover our transportation costs. We have to fly or take a boat to almost any location we want to film,” said Roys.

The campaign has 11 days to go, so they are looking for as much help as possible. Those who do participate will receive a special gift, up to and including a personal fly fishing lesson with Roys and a photo shoot with Akagi.

Learn more at their Kickstarter campaign site.

Kayla Roys and Sydney Akagi
http://sydneyakagiphotography.com/
[email protected]