Living Life On The Fly: Humble Beginnings

Cassandra Ellery Sorensen

Some have asked what instilled my great curiosity for all that is the wilderness. Why am I addicted to a hunting and fishing lifestyle? Well, it’s exactly that, it’s a lifestyle. It’s the only thing that makes me feel truly alive and connected with both myself and the earth.

My passion for the outdoors comes from my father. I grew up in Northern Alberta, land of minus 40 with a windchill. Growing up I have had the opportunity to learn through hundreds of hours of experience as he and I went on many hunts. I also had a strong indigenous influence as I lived very close to a reserve. Elders shared stories about the Creator, technique, medicine, and the spiritual value behind the land. From this stemmed my interest and motivation to become a steward of the land, and a passionate conservationist.

As a family, we didn’t start hunting for fun. We hunted to put food on the table. Over the years I have perfected and created my own recipes for wild game. My dad just happened to have a talent for it and became a guide. I learned the trade of being a good guide, and how precious it is to observe, absorb, watch everything. Experience is knowledge, and great effort isn’t always rewarded. I utilized the knowledge and experience I had to go on and be a hunting guide myself.

I was raised on a wild diet because we were too poor. I’ll never forget it, it was blizzarding and -20, and we were out in the bush hunting. I was a young girl at the time. I asked if we could go home. My dad simply replied “do you want to eat tonight?” Of course I said yes, and he told me “Then shut up, watch your feet and keep on going”. Ol’ grizzly Adams taught me to appreciate the land, work hard, work silent, work til the job is done, appreciate the farmers, be able to adapt, to appreciate indigenous peoples, animals, and especially the chase.

I moved to Southern Alberta in 2016. I chose to move here mainly for school, but also because there was a pheasant season. I learned how to tie flies with the tail feathers from the birds I shot, and from that stemmed my obsession with fly fishing. I wasn’t a pro by any means, but I worked my butt off to learn as much as I could. I taught myself how to fly fish via YouTube videos and taking tips offered to me by other anglers. I spent hours, days, weeks and months without catching anything despite the time I spent on the water. I persevered and finally got the hang of it. Over the years I have really learned the ins and outs of adapting to the conditions of the river, through great time, and energy spent. Being a trout bum has become an insatiable obsession of continual pursuit. My educational goal is to become a wildlife biologist and do research in the arctic.

I truly believe that this passion for the outdoors is the best way to build character. Especially with fly fishing. The positive self development I see within myself is leaps and bounds ahead of where I started. Wisdom is garnered through failure. Patience and control must be executed in everything you do, which only comes with time and experience.

I’ve come to realize that the fish caught can serve as a teacher, and sustenance. Fly fishing will show you that you can appreciate the fish even more by letting go of the beauty. To be present, to put down your phone and be alone with yourself. Listen to your thoughts, and take in the scenery. To smell the river, relax to the sound of flowing water, feel the riverbed beneath you; so you can get back to a more grounded place within your mind.

Each cast of your fly line provides a cycle of appreciation for the chase. You don’t always have to harvest, it’s okay to revel in the way the sun hits its scales. Absorb every imperfection and scar, understand it, let go and try again. Understand the difficulty of surviving in the wild. These small details make you realize the importance of proper catch and release methods. It’s a commitment to something more then yourself, and is a symbolic release of an individual’s internal struggles. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to put the fly rod away permanently, as it has become more then just a hobby. It’s become a lifestyle, and a passion I truly love to share with others. I hope to inspire other men and women to pick up a fly rod themselves, to never give up, and to fish as much as possible.

The effects of living on the fly truly create a lifestyle of health and happiness, in more ways than one. So, I urge each person who has the chance. Start fly fishing. Trust me, you won’t regret it.