Over the past few years, Hilary Hutcheson has become one of the more visible women in both fly fishing and conservation, and her list of jobs and accomplishments is downright impressive. She’s the owner of Lary’s Fly & Supply in Columbia Falls, Montana; a fly-Fishing guide; a brand ambassador for YETI, Costa, and Patagonia; a member of Protect Our Winters (POW) Riders’ Alliance; and board member of Backcountry Hunters and Anglers. Last month, she was a guest expert on Tom Rosenbauer’s podcast (see below), and she’s appeared in many videos featured on this blog. (See here, here, and here, for example.)
Her tireless efforts are driven by a profound love of the resources that she holds dear–the rivers, mountains, and wilderness in which she has chosen to spend her life. In an interview published on the #5050onthewater website, Hilary talks about how she got her start, what makes her such a tireless advocate for clean water and efforts to slow climate change, and why she started her own fly shop. It’s a fascinating read.
“My mantra is: Let’s just have a good time. And if you look at it that way it’s like, ‘Ok, we don’t get to have a good time if we don’t take care of the resource first.’”