Have you ever fished for trout in 52 different rivers? In 52 weeks? I would say, “Yes, but in rivers all across the country for over 50 years.”
Bayfield local Shelley Walchak has fished in 52 across the Rocky Mountains, and her book, “52 Rivers”, chronicles her year-long adventure. How would you like to travel thousands of miles throughout the West, living out of a travel trailer to experience the best taste of casting your fly on storied waters?
While her book title is unassuming and unpretentious, her stories of fly fishing each different river reads not only as a travelogue, but as a fantastic road trip that paints a collage of colorful waters cloaked in wild, nature-soaked beauty. Shelley’s book attests that she is as good a nature photographer shooting at streams as she is a fly fisher casting in rippled waters. The book has sold 2,800 copies.
My bearlike curiosity about women on the fly led me to find Shelley online. We got together at Brenda’s Restaurant in Bayfield for a first meeting to swap our adventures and feed on delicious home cooking, which as a Southerner, I fully appreciate.
To accomplish fishing a year’s worth of 52 different, unique waters was, I felt, worthy of capturing her whys and wherefores. Shelley stretched herself to overcome the challenges of weather, exhaustion, road weariness, and significant expense for guides. Really, I can’t name a single person who has the ability and determination to match her achievement. “So, Shelley, what inspired you to fly fish in 52 rivers?”
“So people say to me, ‘You left by yourself, no husband, no dog, no gun,”’ Shelley said. “It was an incredible experience by myself. I was not ready to stop that year; I could have gone on and on. I loved the freedom. I was in amazement with the creation as I understood where the fish lived and I developed the art and skill to see them, to catch them, and to handle them properly.”
Writing In her book, Shelley reveals her purpose for her book within her own inspiration for fly fishing.
“The purpose of the book is to inspire others to pursue their passions,” Shelley wrote.
Not only are her photographs captivating, but you feel like you are in the drift boat with her as she shares her experience on the Colorado River.
“The top of the water was covered with insects that looked like miniature sailboats, and we witnessed a feeding frenzy,” Shelley wrote. “We cast dry flies (Parachute Adams) that mimicked the hatch and watched one fish after another take the flies. It remains one of the exciting moments in my fly fishing experience.”
What’s it like to be a woman who has taken up fly fishing? She describes her path as one open to learning. She heard guides say they’d love to teach a woman more than a man. One of the reasons she wanted to write a book is she’s a librarian in addition to her passion for fishing.
Shelley is just as pleased with her photography (she had one camera bite the bullet when she took a river dunking) as with her fly fishing exploits.
“I took eleven thousand photographs for the book, and I spent evenings going through them,” Shelley said. “Sometimes I spent as much as a week at one river going out on my own besides a guided day. Florian (her husband) joined me twelve times. We were at Lee’s Ferry on the Colorado River, and my photographs of the canyon show its magnificence, and it is just amazing.”
Shelley and her husband are looking to fish the Smith River in Montana again.
As we wrapped up our conversation, I had to compliment Shelley on her exploits and efforts. She is as real in life as she is in your book. Her enthusiasm is special. A most aspirational woman with a feat to prove it.
What are your 52 Rivers? Bear