The reel version. No pun intended.

"Cause I'm just a girl, oh, little old me" — you know the song. Thanks to Gwen for her sarcastic commentary in the 90s that brings me to this topic.

There's a version of women in fishing that shows up in magazines and brand campaigns. It's usually clean. Inspirational. Everyone's smiling in matching gear, nice boat in pristine condition in the background, a lady holding a fish that's perfectly angled toward the camera like she just solved gender equality with a MirrOlure.

That version isn't fake, exactly. It's just not the whole story.

The real version is messier. And funnier. And sometimes awkward as hell. When you hop on a boat there are no bathrooms, no mirrors. It's raw, unedited, and can be quite the process — especially in the winter months. I'll spare the crude details for another article.

Being a woman in fishing — especially if you're actually embedded in it, not just visiting for a photo — means you exist in this strange space where you're both completely normal and slightly out of place at the exact same time.

Most days you just learn to roll with that.

There are things you get used to when you're a female angler. The jewelry questions, for one. It's always — "Is that a trout necklace?"

I think to myself, nah bro. It's a dolphin. But I'm always polite and ready for the next obvious question.

"Do you fish?"

Hmm. Maybe I should say no, not at all — I'm studying aquatic science and I just really love fish. But of course I say yes. I fish a lot. I love fishing.

Then the small questions keep coming. With bait? Where do you fish? From a boat? I know what they're really asking — whether I'm actually good at it. So I pull out my phone and show them a few pictures of recent catches. Their tune completely changes.

"Oh wow. You wade fish."

And then, before the small talk gets too awkward, the classic line:

"My wife fishes, too."

None of this is malicious most of the time. It's just culture catching up with reality. Fishing has been a heavily male space for a long time.

So when you show up at the dock fully immersed in it — waders, wade box, the whole deal — it short-circuits some people's expectations. You get used to it.

Shot: Sarah in a pink performance shirt, smiling, holding a redfish while wading.
Credit: RS Mag Issue 01

Is She Here to Fish — or Here to Say She Fishes?

Every woman in fishing goes through this phase. You can feel it when you're around new people. There's this quiet evaluation happening.

Is she here to fish — or here to say she fishes?

Unfortunately, the culture has seen both. And the only way through that phase is simple.

Fish. Catch fish. Lose fish. Talk about fishing. Know your gear. Be honest when you don't know something. Pay attention.

The outsider moments still happen though. Sometimes it's subtle. You're in a conversation where the guys start talking about trips they've taken together for years. Trips they are planning. Women never get invited on those trips — that would be too weird. Male friends I've made through the fishing industry end up calling my husband to invite him instead. I get left out. We have a couple of friends who say they won't go unless I come because I always show them where the fish are. I appreciate the small wins. Because at the end of the day I just want to fish.

The truth is most women who stick with fishing long-term stop thinking about the "woman in fishing" label very much. It just becomes your way of life. And those of us who do it — we notice each other.

Because the water has a way of leveling everything.

The wind is brutal for everyone, but for those of us with long hair it's a damn nightmare pulling bird's nests out of not only your reel but also your hair. The trout are picky for everyone, and unless you're six feet tall you're sometimes walking titty deep with elbows up to find the summer fish. The redfish sometimes require pushing through mud that I wouldn't make it through if I didn't stay in shape. It can be rough. But when there's a will there's a way.

The culture eventually sorts itself out. But women have to work harder simply because we aren't built the same. What we share is the passion — and that creates an eagerness and willingness to learn that doesn't go away.

If you love the process — waking up early, walking into cold water, deep water, muddy back lakes, casting for hours for a single good bite — you'll find your place.

Not because someone made space for you.

But because you made space for yourself.

Shot: Three women anglers on a Texas flat holding a big redfish together.
Credit: RS Mag Issue 01

Sarah Bosenbury, Titty Deep Podcast.

Gear made for women who actually wade: shop women's fishing clothing.

This story first ran in RS Mag Issue 01, Reel Sportswear's print magazine. Want the next one? Join the Crew and you'll hear about it first.