Rylie Lyon: Bear Trail’s Next Generation
Rylie Lyon has big shoes to fill. Not only is her mother Nanci the operator of Bear Trail Lodge and the holder of multiple angling records, but her father Heath is also considered one of the deans of the Naknek River guiding fraternity. She was raised in the town of King Salmon, population <400, although it swells substantially when the commercial fishermen (and visiting recreational anglers) arrive during the brief summertime period.
She’s still just 21, but has already accomplished a ton on and off the rivers. After graduating from Bristol Bay High she left Alaska for Washington, where she played college basketball, then transferred to Montana, where she’s pursuing a dual major. She’s also engaged to a guide at another area lodge, but rather than creating a Hatfield-McCoy dynamic it seems to have only enhanced her appreciation for the outdoors.
Last July Keith Combs and I went on one flyout with Rylie as she trained an apprentice guide. This year Hanna and I enjoyed two flyouts with her, where she shared her knowledge and coached us through two exceptional days of fishing and bear-watching. At first I felt bad that this petite girl was hauling all the gear while I traipsed easily through the tundra and brush, but it quickly became apparent that not only is she a great guide and teacher, but also that she could probably kick my ass in a fair fight.
Here’s her story, in her own words:
HPFC: What are the pros and cons of being raised in King Salmon, Alaska.
RYLIE LYON: The pros are easy. I think I have a different perspective from growing up out here – the perspective from the salmon and the land and from growing up in a super-small, tight-knit community. There was always so much support growing up here between sporting events and church community groups. I felt like wherever I wanted to go when I graduated high school and left here, the community would make sure that they got me there. I still feel like I’m home when I’m here.
The only cons, I would say, would be when I first graduated high school and left, college was kind of a wake-up call. Even though I went to Walla Walla, which isn’t a very big city – it’s pretty small compared to the rest of the world, but compared to here it was huge. The first time I went grocery shopping I went way overboard because everything was so cheap and I was used to stocking up on things. A gallon of milk is 10 dollars or maybe 11 dollars here, and in Washington I think it was like 3.
HPFC: What other things differentiate you from kids raised in larger towns, or in the lower 48?
RYLIE LYON: Growing up here, mom was guiding all summer long. I always needed a babysitter, and my grandma loved coming out here to visit and babysit me, but she always wanted to take me home to her hometown and mom’s hometown of Odessa, Washington. It’s a super-small farm town. Grandma would always joke that I was deprived, so mom was finally convinced one summer that I could go home with grandma for a couple of weeks. We went to Odessa and we were driving around and I asked her what the strange things were on the side of the road – they were sidewalks. To grandma that was extremely concerning that her granddaughter did not know what a sidewalk was and why we needed one. It was a hard concept for me to understand. That’s when grandma said, “Nanci, your daughter needs to see a little bit more of the world and have a better understanding of what’s going on around her.”
HPFC: In addition to growing up in King Salmon, you grew up inside a fishing lodge. What particular perspective does that provide?
RYLIE LYON: It was eye-opening because you see a lot of different people in different social classes. You learn at a young age to be very mature. Because of that, a lot of my friends growing up and even now have been older than me. It makes you grow up faster, but it’s also a lot of fun. I’ve met some incredible people who I consider great friends and family and you make a lot of really great friends on the water.
HPFC: How old were you when you decided you want to be a guide and how old were you when you started?
RYLIE LYON: I was 16 when I started. I was doing flyouts and then as soon as I was 18 – my birthday was in March – I got my Coast Guard license immediately so that I could guide on the rivers as well. I would say that I didn’t really know that I wanted to guide until I actually started guiding. Fly fishing was something that my parents were always better than me at, and being extremely competitive I never enjoyed it. My parents used to have to bribe me to go fishing with them, which is crazy because I lived in one of the most plentiful fishing habitats in the world. Now that I realize that, I regret not getting out as much with them while I was younger.
HPFC: Your mom is obviously a badass, so you had a great female role model, but was it nonetheless hard to be taken seriously as an 18-year-old woman guiding?
RYLIE LYON: Absolutely. I always like to say that fly fishing is a completely equal sport in terms of gender. Being a female fly fishing guide is only as hard as you make it. Of course you are going to have some people who doubt you, simply because you’re female and you’re young. It just depends how much you let it get to you. Honestly, most of the time you just prove them wrong and the people who listen to you catch more fish than the people who doubt you, so it works out in the end, usually.
HPFC: I know that you went to Costa Rica for tarpon last year and you’re headed to Louisiana for redfish later this year. What is your bucket list species or destination?
RYLIE LYON: Where do I start? Redfish is on the list. It’s happening this fall and I’m super-excited for that. Probably next on my list will be Golden Dorado, somewhere in South America, along with peacock bass. I really want to do peacock bass. Swinging for trout on the Naknek in the fall is my favorite thing in the world. Next on the list would be swinging for steelhead, probably on the Skeena and Skagit Rivers in British Columbia. It’s a serious challenge – one fish out of a thousand casts. They’re humbling fish, to say the least.
HPFC: Was it hard for guys to date you before you were engaged? Were they intimidated? Do they have to have certain levels of outdoor abilities to make the cut?
RYLIE LYON: I don’t know how guys felt about that. I would imagine that they were a little intimidated. My view of relationships is that it’s all about the teamwork effort, and not about belittling anyone. I love that team feeling, the sense that together you can get anything done.
HPFC: What other hobbies do you have?
RYLIE LYON: Definitely hunting. It’s kind of newer. I started about two years ago but I love it. I started archery as well, probably a year ago. Got my first bow, love it, practice all the time. My goal is to kill a whitetail this winter, when I go back to Montana in the fall. It started with turkey hunting. Wade took me turkey hunting one day and I was immediately addicted. I went back to college in Washington and killed one on my own. Hunting and fishing go hand-in-hand, but I really wasn’t introduced to it until a couple of years ago and now I hooked.
HPFC: What’s your death row meal?
RYLIE LYON: Honestly, probably a bacon cheeseburger and fries.
HPFC: In the movie of your life, who should play you?
RYLIE LYON: Angelina Jolie, because in Mr. and Mrs. Smith she was just a badass. An absolute badass.
HPFC: Are you going to end up in King Salmon?
RYLIE LYON: This place is always home and I don’t see myself ever completely saying goodbye to it. However, with that said, the winters out here are harsh. They were tough for me. There’s not a lot of daylight and there are some things to do but not a lot. You have to keep yourself busy. So I feel confident saying that Bristol Bay will always be a part of me and I will always find my way back in the summers.
HPFC: Last question: You have one day left in your life to fish. Where are you going, what species, what time of year?
RYLIE LYON: Chasing rainbows on the Naknek in the fall.
HPFC: Did you know that’s what your mother said, too?
RYLIE LYON: No, I didn’t. That’s typical, though.
