Orvis Outfitter Team Member: Donna Smith

Welcome to our new series in which we profile members of the Orvis Outfitter Team, the customer-service folks who answer all your tackle and fishing questions via e-mail (fishing@orvis.com), telephone (800-548-9548), and live chat on our website. Spread out around the country, these experts have the experience and knowledge to help Orvis customers make the right choices and become better anglers. Our third subject is Donna Smith of Westby, Wisconsin.

Donna has been with Orvis for about a decade, serving as a part-time retail associate, then a Fishing Manager, and now a member of the Outfitter Team. Her husband, PJ, is an Orvis-endorsed fly-fishing guide, so they are a real power couple.

1.  When did you start fly fishing? 

I started to fly fish in about 1996, when my husband, PJ, bought a fly rod, which came with a free lesson. The fly shop owner, Marcos Vergara, brought me a rod to learn on during PJ’s lesson at a private lake. Marcos wanted to fish the lake, so after our lesson, we all went fishing for bass and bluegills. He let me use that rod for several weeks as I learned. He was a smart shop owner, getting the wife hooked on the sport, too! We shopped in his store for many years after that.

2.  What’s your favorite water? 

I live in the beautiful Driftless Area of Wisconsin. It is a wonderful place to fish and has amazing trout water. After a short drive from my house, I can be standing in a trout stream.

3.  What’s your favorite species to chase with a fly rod and why? 

I love to fish for smallmouth bass—watching  the take and feeling the fish on the rod. There are some waters in Wisconsin where we can wade-fish for them, but floating down a river in a drift boat is a great way to fish for smallies. They fight hard and fly fishing is truly one of the best ways to catch them.

4.  What’s your most memorable fly-fishing moment? 

As I sat across the table from my husband this evening I thought, “Do I talk about getting engaged on a trout stream?” Do I tell them how PJ asked me to step out of the water and handed me an expensive Wheatley fly box? And do I mention that when he handed it to me, I said to myself, “Wow, why did he spend that much on a fly box for me?” And then I heard it rattle, a sound that a fly box full of dry flies doesn’t normally make!

Naw, I should talk about catching a 47-inch musky on a fly rod because that was a thrill! Though it’s not the only musky I have caught, it was my biggest fish on a fly rod. One of the last musky I caught was as memorable. We fished for two days in cold, damp conditions. We had no follows, no sightings of fish, no hook ups. During the last 5 minutes on the river, our guide, Kip Vieth of Wildwood Float Trips, told me to get up and cast. It had been a long two days, and I thought I was done. This was my spot, he said. After just one or two casts, I caught the only fish of the trip.

5.  What’s your most forgettable fly-fishing moment? 

I once forgot to bring reels on a trip. I was staying at a motel for a bachelorette party. I got there early and thought I’d go fishing. I found a spot to fish, was getting my gear out, and then realized I had no reels in my bag. Ugh! So, I went to check-in at the motel. The guy at the desk asked how my day was going. I told him about my misadventure, and he said, “You know I think we have some old gear in the shed.” He took me out back, where there were about a half dozen old rods. I pulled a couple down, grabbed a reel, and off I went. 

6.  What do you love most about fly fishing? 

I love to teach people how to fly fish, and I have developed some wonderful friendships through the sport. I love the camaraderie and the stories we get to share after time out on the water. I learned long ago that we go fishing so we have stories to tell! I also love that the sport is a challenge. You can learn something new every time you are out fly fishing. It keeps it new, fresh, and interesting. Best of all, I can do it with my best friend and husband, PJ! 

7.  What’s your favorite piece of Orvis gear and why?

I love the Orvis Carry-it-All bag. I can take everything I need, put it in the truck with my boots and waders, and I am off the stream. I do a lot of teaching, and I can stock the Carry-It-All with a Practicaster, a couple rods, reels, items to teach knots, extra nippers and forceps and fly boxes, and a small hatch guide for talking about the flies and the bugs. Everything is in one place and easy to get to. I have also taken it on a couple trips, and it was easy to travel with too! 

8.  What’s your go-to fly when nothing else is working?

When all else fails, tie on a rubber legged Stimulator and a Pink Squirrel. For musky, I use El Chupacabra, and for smallies a white baitfish streamer. 

9.  What was your favorite fly-fishing trip?

I really enjoyed a trip we took with a group of people to the Everglades in Florida. We went to Everglade City and stayed at the old rod and gun club. I loved learning about the history of the area. The fishing was great! We landed tarpon, snook, sea trout, and ladyfish. The Everglades are filled with such diversity in the flora and fauna, I can’t wait to return to discover more about the area.

10. How has working as a member of the Orvis Outfitter team affected your own angling?

Our team is diverse in fishing skills. We share a lot about our fishing adventures, and I pick up things that I can apply to my own fishing, as well, as information I can share with our customers. We talk about flies a lot, so I have picked up some new pattern ideas that I want to try this season. We were challenged last year as a group to learn more about Euro-nymphing. That has been a skill I have been working on and hope to do more of.