| Rhea Topping Interview |
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 Rhea Topping is one the most influential persons in the world of fly fishing. She has been awarded and recognized worldwide for her contributions to education and spreading of this sport. Partner of Mel Krieger in many adventures and above all, a great person. In this exclusive interview for PescandoConMosca, Rhea, tells us about her beginnings, her exotic trips and the most amusing stories of her life as a fisher.
By: Felipe Guler
Photos: Rhea Topping
¿ How did you start to get into the world of fly fishing?
I fished salt water with my parents since I was 4 years old, but with spinning and deep sea fishing tackle. My ex husband and I took up fly fishing about 25 years ago. He didn’t continue it, and I did!
Do you remember your first experience or any memorable story from your beginnings?
I remember very well tying bad knots to attach my flies, and losing almost every fly on every cast in the beginning! I also remember fishing a small spring creek, Mossy Creek, in Virginia (where I still fish occasionally). They had electric fencing to keep the cattle out of the stream. I was a terrible caster, and always broke my wrist on my backcasts. Each time I did, my line would wrap around the electric fence, and I would get a shock! It was a great way to learn quickly not to break your wrist!
 Who taught you to fly fish?My best friend’s father showed me, and then we decided to attend a fly fishing school. Later on, I went to every fishing show available, read many books, and watched all the videos I could find. I also tried to take lessons from as many good instructors as I could, such as Joan Wulff, Lefty Kreh, Gary Borger, Steve Rajeff, Mel Krieger, etc.
When did you realize “I could make a living out of this”?
I never really thought I could. It just evolved. And with the world economy the way it has been, it’s getting more and more difficult. I don’t advise anyone to try to start a new fly fishing business anytime soon.
It was hard to make that decision?
Not really. I owned part of a successful real estate company that sold large farms, and I sold my half of the business to my partner. I decided to take that money and spend it learning to fly fish better. I was lucky! One of the first things I did was to go to a casting school with Joan Wulff. It c hanged my life! A few years later she suggested I think about doing some instructing, I spent 2 seasons just sitting in at her schools, then she hired me as her first female instructor. There were 5 male instructors as well. It was one of the most wonderful times in my fly fishing life! She and I are still best friends, and I just spent all of last week at her house in New York State. She’s now 83 and still doing a few schools and fishing!
Did you have other plans for your life or it was your goal from the start?
It was the last thing I could have imagined! I was a housewife, I played a lot of golf, and I owned half of a real estate company that sold large farms.
So far, which has been your favorite destination?
That’s a tough question because there are so many beautiful places that I have been lucky enough to fish,. Usually, it is wherever I am at that moment! But, I have a real love for the rivers of Argentina in Patagonia, and some special rivers in Montana and Wyoming.
What place is missing in your checklist of destinations, if you had to choose one place that you haven´t visited yet, which country or place would you pick?
We went with Mel and a small group to Slovenia, Spain, and Austria to fish many years ago, but the weather was terrible and the rivers blew out. I have always wanted to return, especially to Slovenia. As a US citizen, it is illegal for me to go to Cuba to fish, and that makes it even MORE desirable! Fishing for baby tarpon is one of my most favorite species, and I hope to do that in Cuba soon! I would also like to fish and see more rivers and places in Chile, and I would like to go to the Seychelles one day.
Describe your ideal fishing day
Start the day, not TOO early!, with a good cup of coffee, and maybe with some good friend(s), and go fish until dark. I prefer fishing without a guide (even though I catch less fish), and not being bound by a lodge schedule for meals. I won’t usually fish the entire time – I might stop to take photos, collect rocks, or just sit and observe the river and the fish. I love just being out there, alone…..
What´s your most memorable fishing day?
Perhaps going fishing with Joan Wulff and another lady, Mallory Burton, in Montana many years ago. We fished on a private ranch with no other people, and no guides. The fishing was slow, as were the hatches, so Joan showed us how to create our own hatch by dapping dry caddis on the water surface. Soon we had trout rising everywhere! It was a lot of fun! We fished until the sunset, and then celebrated a beautiful afternoon by having a glass of champagne by the river.
Do you have any favorite fly patterns?
Yes. In no special order, I love small Renegades (#18 – 24), small conehead muddler minnows (#14-18), an upright, old-fashion (not parachute) Grizzly Adams (#14 – 28), Rusty Spinners (#16 – 22), most midge emergers, and ants.
What makes education your passion?
I have always been a teacher of something. Many years ago it was horseback riding, tennis, and primary school. I suppose I enjoy it because I have good communication skills, and I like people. Additionally, I am a consummate student myself, taking courses in almost any subject from geology to art to casting. I even took a class once on how to rope a cow from a horse, like the cowboys do!
Tell us what you love and hate about teaching.
I love sharing with others, and I love seeing their excitement when they make their first good cast or being there when they catch and release their first fish!
I don’t hate, but I don’t “love” having to get all the equipment and materials ready for my schools, especially all the things to teach knot tying. I also don’t like it if I can’t reach or communicate with a student. That doesn’t happen very often, but when it does it is frustrating. That usually happens because they won’t listen, and they keep doing whatever it is (casting) their way.
Second woman to achieve the FFF Master Instructor, 1999 “women of the year” and later on 2003 receiving the Lew Jewett Lifetime award?
These are all awards from the Federation of Fly Fishers (FFF) and I am very fortunate and honored, particularly by the last two. I worked very hard for a long time before taking the exam for the Master Instructor, and I was very proud to have passed on my first attempt! The lady who got it before me actually didn’t take an exam, as it was given to her when the program was first started and they needed some “Masters.”
 Why do you think women don´t get so interested as men in fly fishing? especially here in South America.
In the US and many other places in the World (Europe, Japan, New Zealand, Australia) women are every bit as interested as men in fly fishing…..and equally talented! The fly fishing industry has been on the decline for a few years, and the ONLY two things that continue to grow in fly fishing are women and salt water! Any male guide in this country that I have ever spoken to has told me they prefer taking women fishing because we listen better to instruction.
Several years ago I gave a casting clinic in Santiago for women only, and I had over 20 show up for it, of ALL ages! I think the problem in Latin America is that you men are still too macho. EVERYWHERE I go in Argentina and Chile I meet women who beg me to let them know when I will offer a class for just women!!! The difficulty is getting someone to organize it for me!
What could you say to motivate chilean women to get closer to this wonderful activity?
There’s nothing to say! IF they were given the opportunity to take a class given by a woman, they would love to go fishing!
How were you inspired by Mel Krieger?
Mel lived on the West coast, and I lived on the East coast. I studied with all the East coast gurus, and decided not to look at instructors that far away. I met Mel at an FFF National Conclave when I was with Joan Wulff. I decided to listen in on one of his classes. His enthusiasm was incredible….and he truly inspired me! I added a lot of his techniques and methods to my teaching style and eventually we became best friends.
 Which is his biggest legacy to fly fishing?I think that Mel has inspired more new fly fishermen AND instructors than anyone else in the world. I also think he, and he alone, elevated the level of fly casting and instruction worldwide. He was a genius at communicating.
How was the experience of collaborating in the film Forty Years in Patagonia with Mel?
The original idea was mine and was to be just a book about Mel’s experiences in Patagonia. He
didn’t want to do it, as he didn’t think people would be interested. I spoke to several publishers and eventually we convinced Mel. The guys that published it came up with the idea of doing a DVD at the same time. I think the DVD is wonderful, although I still can’t bring myself to watching it since Mel died. However, it made the actual weeks of shooting a nightmare, and we both agreed that it was a mistake to try to do a video along with still shots for a book at the same time. It also made them very late in publishing the book, as they were more interested in the DVD and raising money by selling it to pay for the book. Working with those publishers has not been a pleasant experience, but we met some really wonderful people, and went to some beautiful places!
Tell us about your last book: Rod Rage, The ultimate guide in angling ethics.
It took about 8 years to collect all the material for the book, and it was a great experience for me. I learned so much about fly fishing history, and angling etiquette, and I connected with some amazing people! The book is still selling, and I hope it has helped new anglers coming into the sport of fly fishing!
Which is your favorite chilean spot?
I don’t know Chile that well, and from what I have read, and friends I have talked to, there are many rivers and places that I need to visit! I hope to spend a lot more time in your beautiful country in the coming years. We had a great float on the Petrohue with John Joy several years ago and I’d love to spend more time on that river. We also were so fortunate to be invited for 2 trips on Nomads of the Seas. That was an incredible adventure for me, helicoptering over so many gorgeous rivers and lakes! I am hoping to bring some of my regular clients to Chile next season.
Which is your favorite argentinean spot?
My #1 favorite is a secret, a place I often go by myself. The trout aren’t enormous, but the scenery is spectacular. I take a picnic, and my cameras, and always return to the real world refreshed!
However, I can’t think of any place I don’t like to fish in Argentina, from the Mendoza area (someplace I plan to spend a lot more time fishing) to the tip of Tierra del Fuego, and all the estancias and rivers in between. This year I spent three months in Patagonia, and brought four groups down. The only problem, and it was a big one, was the inflation and the high cost of renting a decent fishing car.
 Finally, which is your most memorable catch so far?
If you mean “catch” not necessarily being a fish, it was when I hooked the tail of a large beaver in Montana on the Gallatin River! I don’t know who was more surprised! But my tippet wouldn’t break and I finally had to cut the leader! There’s a beaver (castor) out there still with a nice elk hair caddis in his tail! That same year, I hooked a bat on a #18 mayfly in Spain, a large cow on a bad backcast in Wyoming, and myself several times on the windy Rio Grande! It was quite a season!
If you mean a fish catch, I really don’t have one special one. They have all been memorable in different ways, from the first trout I ever hooked (about a 2 inch wild brook trout in Virginia) to my biggest…a 185 lb. tarpon in Costa Rica.
If you want to add a final message to your readers, please feel free to do it.
We are so lucky to have been introduced to this wonderful sport of fly fishing! Never forget how important it is to protect your resource – support conservation organizations, pick up trash, work to keep the rivers clean, promote catch and release, and spend lots of time with children…..they are the future of fly fishing!
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