Get to Know a Pro: A Q+A with Amanda Bauman
For Amanda Bauman, there's two parts to the fly fishing equation—if you break it down to its simplest form. The fish and the water. And it's up to us to learn about the fish and study the ways of the water. Amanda learned to fish in her spare time as she was growing up in Idaho, after school and in between shifts as a firefighter. A former elementary school educator, Amanda brings her nature as a teacher to her work as.a guide. She says, "We are all still learning—no matter how many years you've been fishing, there's still more to learn. So I bring that curiosity to every moment I spent on the water. And I love to share that with my clients." Amanda is also the Director of Project Big Wood, a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting and rehabilitating her home waters, the Big Wood River of the Sun Valley, Idaho area. About this work, Amanda says," With Project Big Wood and with my guiding, I hope to inspire a sense of commitment to protecting the Big Wood watershed. If people understand the way a watershed works and the ways our behaviors impact the health of that watershed, then we can make a positive impact on that river and other rivers!"
A WOMAN INSPIRED BY WATER
Amanda at home on the Big Wood River in Idaho. Photo by Hillary Maybery.
Q: How did you get into fishing?
AB:
Well, fishing was something I could do by myself in the evenings after my firefighting shifts. It was also a great way to disconnect from my day and connect with nature. Being somewhat self taught, I remember vividly the first fish I caught on a dry fly on the East Fork of the Bitterroot River. It was that calm summer evening that I fell in love with fishing.
Q: What's a perfect day on the river for you?
AB:
If I'm guiding, it's working with people who are curious, who respect the environment, and who find joy in being on the river, even if they are new to it! If I'm fishing, well, that's a perfect day. Being on the water—whether or not the fish are biting!
Q: Why do you work in conservation?
AB:
Working on rivers and working with people, you learn what it means to be using a waterway as part of a community. It’s not just about teaching fishing or the act of fishing. It’s about respecting one another’s distances, picking up after others, learning how
not
to walk through a protected riparian zone just to take a shortcut. Humans can do a lot of damage just walking to a river. But humans can also—if they understand the ecology of a waterway—do a lot to repair and rehab and sustain that waterway. I love working for Project Big Wood because we are empowering people to protect the waterways they love and use and the waterways that connect them as a community.
Q: What do you hope that your clients take with them after an experience with you on the river?
AB:
Guiding to me is about creating a kind of reverence for our local ecosystem because, really, fishing is a byproduct of a healthy ecosystem. Whether my clients live in a rural area like Sun Valley or in an urban area and come to Sun Valley to experience the outdoors, I think it's essential to help people connect to the outdoors. A reverence for the outdoors is a notion that can unify all of us. But it's also about having a good time on the water and meeting each guest where they are in their fly fishing journey. Understanding what the client wants to get out of their day on the water can go a long way!
In addition to her work with Project Big Wood, Amanda is an in-demand guide for
Silver Creek Outfitters
in Ketchum, Idaho.
Q: Do you have a favorite guiding moment?
AB:
It's hard to narrow it down to just one, but I do remember a special day when I was teaching a young girl to fish. I was constantly amazed by her ability to soak up the knowledge I provided while reminding me of the brilliance that a young imagination can have and bring to any activity.
"Water is the driving force in nature."
- Leonardo da Vinci
Q: What are your favorite hatches?
AB:
My favorite hatches are the spring and fall baetis because they seem to mark the changing of the seasons, bringing new life in the spring and an inviting breath of cold air in the winter.
Q: When you're not fishing...
AB:
I love to garden, cook, mountain bike, and think about fishing.
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