Fly fishing is not a male domain! There are many women who have dedicated themselves to fly fishing and are actively committed to it. Today we introduce Yvonne Borrmann, a fly fisherman who wants to learn a lot and likes to share what she has learned with other people.

Yvonne Borrmann is 52 years young, married and a qualified engineer-pedagogue/vocational school teacher. She learned to fish from her father when she was a little girl and discovered fly fishing 3 years ago. Today, Yvonne is an active member of the Landesangelverband Thüringen, Angelverein Blue Marlin e.V. and accompanies her husband Dominik, who is also the EFFA national representative in Germany, on the fishing water, in her own fly fishing school and at many events at home and abroad.

We asked Yvonne a few questions:

How did you get involved with EFFA?
Yvonne Borrmann: I first got to know EFFA at Aquafisch in Friedrichshafen. That was in 2014.

Do you have a favourite water?
Yvonne Borrmann: No, I don't really have a favourite body of water. For me, all natural and thus unobstructed flowing waters are attractive.

How did you discover fly fishing for yourself?
Yvonne Borrmann: I have been fishing since I was 8 years old and went fishing a lot with my father on my home rivers - the Elbe (Saxony/Anhalt) or gravel pits. After my education, starting a family and pursuing my profession, I lost sight of the hobby. Unfortunately, as a full-time vocational school teacher and manager of a small family business (family, house, farm and garden), there was no time for fishing.
I gave my father a fly-fishing course here in Thuringia for his 60th birthday and this rekindled my passion for fishing. Since 2015, I've been allowed to fish again in Germany, because I had neglected to have my fishing licence rewritten after the fall of communism in 1989, and so I was allowed to take the fishing exam again. That's just under three years now. During this time I have the feeling that I have to and want to catch up on a lot of things.

Do you fish exclusively with a fly?
Yvonne Borrmann: Yes, I fish exclusively with the fly. Nothing is more relaxing, meditative and appealing for me to stand in/near the river until dark, observe nature and concentrate on the target fish. [But it is not only fly fishing that fascinates me, but also fly tying. As a textile engineer with a penchant for intricate handicrafts, the art of fly tying is obvious and thus my great passion today.

Do you have special fly fishing preferences?
Yvonne Borrmann: Basically, I like every kind of fishing, but I have chosen fly fishing as the more sustainable and interesting fishing technique.
My favourite rod is a LOOP S1, 9", #5, for nymph and streamer fishing. This year I still want to have my husband, Dominik, teach me the fine dry fishing and for that I resort to a Sage because it is simply more suitable.

Which fishing destination would you still like to visit?
Yvonne Borrmann: Dreams are allowed. My big dream is Patagonia and of course grayling fishing in the Altai (Russia, Kazakhstan and Mongolia).

How do you encounter the male fishing world on the water?
Yvonne Borrmann: Without exception, the encounters on the water or at the tying table are characterised by politeness, respect and esteem, gender is completely unimportant. There are no differences, why should there be? On the contrary, in fly fishing we are all the same and can learn from each other in every respect. The small percentage of female fly fishers remains undisputed, but I see a potential for development and already positive tendencies in the scene.

What is the most important thing for you when you are on the fishing water?
Yvonne Borrmann: Being out in the fresh air, relaxing, observing insects and testing my own flies. Since I'm usually out with my husband Dominik, I logically want to land the first fish. It usually works, even if it has always been a fish from the nursery.
We both run a fly fishing school, Dominik the instructor, me the tyer and organiser. The wonderful thing is that we share a hobby, complement each other in our skills and have the same views regarding our responsibility in dealing with nature.

What does fly fishing mean to you and what should you pay attention to when fishing?
Yvonne Borrmann: When you are at the fishing water, it is like a little holiday, a piece of adventure and freedom, which ideally balances out everyday life. What to watch out for is regulated by the rules that every angler should know. Greed in fishing is completely out of place.

What should women pay attention to when they start fly fishing or want to develop their skills?
Yvonne Borrmann: They should simply start and approach it just as confidently as they do in everyday life, attend a fly fishing course and absolutely place value on quality. In a club, an organisation or an organised fly fishing trip, every man as well as every woman will find like-minded people where the chemistry is right. In my experience, there is no gender-specificity here either.

Infos: info@abendsprung.de,  abendsprung.de

Interview: Stefan Schramm

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