Megan Plete Postol 12.10.20
Fly fishing expert Lindsay Agness, of the Finger Lakes area of New York State, harnesses her passion for the outdoors to motivate other women. Agness serves as the Women & Diversity Initiative Coordinator with NYS Council of Trout Unlimited. She also participates in numerous other volunteer initiatives. Through the Women & Diversity program with Trout Unlimited at the state level, she has brought awareness to hundreds of women in the sport of fly fishing through seminars, speaking engagements, events, and one-on-one correspondence. Lindsay Agness details this further:
“I’ve been trying to encourage women and build relationships across the state. It’s about supporting other women.“
Over the past twelve years, she has helped more than 350 women learn to fly fish. Agness hosts a NY Women of Trout Unlimited Facebook page to engage women interested in fishing education, stream conservation and community across NYS through social media. She praises the accessibility of social media because it allows women to connect with each other.
“If women don’t see other women in fly fishing, they can’t visualize themselves there.“
Lindsay Agness – Volunteering Her Time
In addition to her work with Trout Unlimited, she also volunteers with Casting for Recovery, a program providing healing outdoor retreats for women with breast cancer. Lindsay Agness has stated, “The ladies get so excited about fly fishing they make me cry. The Casting for Recovery experience is something where I walk away in awe of these women. They have taught me how to live life, and appreciate life.”
Agness also volunteers with OASIS Adaptive Sports, Inc. (Outdoor Adventures for Sacrifice in Service), a non-profit organization offering instruction, equipment and support to disabled military veterans in a variety of sports activities. She also works with Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing, a program dedicated to the physical and emotional rehabilitation of disabled active military service personnel and disabled veterans through fly fishing. She not only helps others, but returns to fishing for her own wellbeing, too. Lindsay Agness elaborates:
“Fishing gives me serenity. It’s very fulfilling. It gives me peacefulness, I find I am thankful for everything around me.“
Lindsay Agness – She’s Earned her Accolades
Agness, a NYS certified Outdoor Guide, has a lifetime of fly fishing under her belt and the awards and recognition to prove it. She was a 2018 recipient of the New York Person of the Year Award by Outdoor News. She was recognized with the Trout Unlimited National Volunteer Award for Distinguished Services for Veteran Service in 2016. Agness received the Leader in the Community Award, a proclamation given by the Monroe County legislature for her leadership in the local community for service to local veterans in 2015. Currently, Agness has five grandchildren, and she’s enjoying sharing her love of the outdoors with them.
“Where I am now in my fishing journey is that I’m just happy to teach. I’m happy to be there. I just want to take them fishing. I want them to go on nature walks, I want them to have picnics and sit by the stream and to be excited about catching a trout and letting it go.“
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