The Field Journal
People · Local Instructor

Cathy Fly Fisher

Cathy Fiedler of Creston is where a lot of Kootenay anglers take their very first cast — a Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC instructor who has made a mission of opening the sport up.

Not every important figure in a fishery is famous. Some are the person who first put a fly rod in your hands and told you not to worry, everyone's line piles up at the start. In the Creston Valley, that person is often Cathy Fiedler — Cathy Fly Fisher — a Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC instructor whose quiet, patient work brings new anglers onto the water every season.

Women Who Fly Fish

Fiedler's signature is the "Women Who Fly Fish" intro course, run through the Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC and the Creston & District Community Complex for women 15 and up. It is a proper grounding — equipment, entomology, fly tying, knots, casting, species identification and handling — that finishes where it should, on the river. Beyond the classroom she mentors new anglers and has written on bringing more women into the sport.

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Everyone starts somewhere

A good first teacher is worth more than any fly. If you're new to the sport in the Creston area, an intro class like Cathy's is the fastest, friendliest way onto the water — and the surest way to stay on it.

Known for

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Women Who Fly Fish
The FFSBC intro course she runs in Creston
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Mentoring new anglers
A welcoming first step onto the water
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The basics, done right
Entomology, knots, casting, handling
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Local waters
The Creston Valley & Kootenay Lake

Sources & further reading: local company/people research and the Creston & Kootenay Lake profile. Class dates shift season to season — check current listings with the Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC.