Julie & Ashley's Wild Adventures (Part 1 of 2)
Episode Notes
Disclaimer: Mayfly Rising is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by any businesses, organizations, groups, or individuals mentioned in this episode unless expressly stated. Resource links are provided solely to support and promote their work as a convenience to our audience. We do not receive compensation for these recommendations.
Contact On The Rivers Fly Fishing Company (Julie’s Guide Services)
On the Rivers Fly Fishing Company offers professionally guided trout fly fishing trips on Oklahoma's scenic Lower Mountain Fork River in Beavers Bend State Park, just minutes from Hochatown and Broken Bow. Led by premier trout guide Julie Mattson, trips are tailored for all skill levels, with all equipment, custom-tied flies, and expert instruction provided. Just show up ready to fish and enjoy an unforgettable day on the water.
Donate To USA Women’s Fly Fishing Team
Help fund women’s proffessional fly fishing competitions, enabling women to represent the USA and bring home those medals!
Join PA Women Anglers Group (PAWA)
This FB group is for females who enjoy Pennsylvania waterways. Whether you fish, support others who fish, enjoy hiking, camping, reading or painting along the banks of our waterways, this group is for you! In utilizing this group as a tool to connect and share with each other, some of you will become mentors for others.
As mentors, you will have the opportunity to inspire current or emerging female anglers. The active participation of women is integral to sustaining the interest of "playing" in or along PA waterways, as well as, continuing the protection, conservation and enhancement of these waterways.
Get Involved PA Fish & Boat Commission Events
The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission is committed to protecting and conserving PA's natural resources. Check out some of our latest projects to protect our waterways and wildlife.
Join A Chapter Near You Trout Unlimited
We care for and recover rivers and fish. Trout Unlimited brings people together across the country to be champions for their rivers and help make our water cleaner, our communities healthier and our fisheries stronger.
Visit Wilderness Voyagers
Make Wilderness Voyageurs your go-to outfitter to experience Ohiopyle’s best white water Rafting, biking, Youghiogheny fly fishing, kayaking instruction, SUP tours & scout adventures in and around Ohiopyle State Park. Make your outing with family and friends the best it can be on the rivers and trails of southern Pennsylvania, western Maryland, and eastern West Virginia.
Learn More Rivers Conservation Fly Fishing Youth Camp
The Cumberland Valley Chapter of Trout Unlimited is hosting the 31st Rivers Conservation and Fly Fishing Youth Camp. Several other states now offer similar camps, but this is the original camp that became the model for the others. This is not just a fly fishing camp. It is primarily a coldwater conservation camp with a balance of classroom instruction and hands on learning in both coldwater conservation and fly fishing. There are early morning and evening fishing sessions each day.
Learn More Casting For Recovery
The mission of Casting for Recovery (CfR) is to empower women in treatment or recovery from breast cancer through oncology-informed retreats. These retreats connect women to each other and to nature using the therapeutic sport of fly fishing—and are offered at no cost to participants.
Learn More Project Healing Waters
Healing America’s Veterans through the therapeutic art of fly fishing. Project Healing Waters aims to foster restoration, resilience, community, and lasting connections in the journey towards healing.
Learn More Penn State University
There’s a reason Penn State consistently ranks among the top universities in the world. Across multiple campuses and an online World Campus, our 90,000 students and 20,000 faculty and staff know the real measure of success goes beyond the classroom—it’s the positive impact made across the world.
Music by Jonas Blakewood
Episode Summary
Fishing is about more than the fish we catch. It's about the people we meet, the communities we build, and the friendships that often become more meaningful than fishing itself.
That sentiment perfectly captures the heart of Episode 4 of the Mayfly Rising Podcast. In Julie & Ashley's Wild Adventures (Part 1 of 2), Kimberly Ranalla sits down with professional fishing guides, educators, and U.S. Women's Fly Fishing Team members Julie Mattson and Ashley Wilmont for a conversation that blends humor, conservation, education, and decades of unforgettable memories on and off the water.
While the episode is filled with laughter and stories that will leave listeners smiling, it also explores some of the most important conversations in modern fishing—from conservation and mentorship to building welcoming communities that encourage more women to discover the sport.
Where It All Began
Ashley's journey into fishing began on the stocked trout streams of Chester County, Pennsylvania. Growing up surrounded by farmland and small streams, those early experiences sparked a passion that would eventually grow into a career dedicated to teaching, guiding, and conservation.
Her story is a reminder that every angler starts somewhere, and often those first memories become the foundation for a lifetime spent outdoors.
The Stocked Trout Debate
One of the episode's most thoughtful discussions centers around a topic that often divides anglers—stocked trout versus wild trout.
Rather than arguing which fishery is "better," Ashley offers another perspective. Stocked trout create opportunities for people to experience fishing who otherwise may never have that chance.
Those first successful days on the water often become the beginning of something much larger. They create anglers who eventually care about healthy rivers, public access, habitat restoration, and protecting fisheries for future generations.
Conservation doesn't begin when someone becomes an expert fisherman. It begins when someone falls in love with fishing.
Teaching Is Conservation
For Ashley, conservation isn't limited to stream restoration projects or environmental policy.
It's found in every lesson she teaches.
As an instructor for Penn State's renowned Joe Humphreys Fly Fishing Program, a guide on Pennsylvania's Youghiogheny River, and a volunteer with organizations including Trout Unlimited, Project Healing Waters, Casting for Recovery, and Reel Girls, Ashley has dedicated countless hours to introducing new people to fishing.
Teaching someone to cast a fly rod may seem simple, but every new angler becomes another potential advocate for clean water and healthy fisheries.
Education, she explains, may be one of conservation's most powerful tools.
Fishing Beyond the Fly Rod
Although Ashley is known for fly fishing, listeners quickly discover she enjoys far more than one style of fishing.
Whether she's chasing muskie, carp, catfish, or spending time in her jon boat with conventional tackle, Ashley believes there isn't one "right" way to fish.
The important part is spending time on the water, continuing to learn, and sharing those experiences with others.
Building a Women's Fishing Community
One of the most meaningful stories in the episode is how Kimberly and Ashley first met.
Their friendship began through the Pennsylvania Women's Anglers (PAWA) community, founded by Amidea Daniels, where women gathered to fish, learn, and encourage one another.
Those early retreats became much more than fishing trips. They created friendships that would continue for years and eventually become part of the story behind Miss Mayfly and Mayfly Rising.
The conversation serves as a reminder that welcoming communities are often the reason people stay in fishing long after catching their first fish.
From a Sketch to Miss Mayfly
Kimberly also reflects on the earliest days of Miss Mayfly.
Long before women's waders existed, there was simply an idea—and a sketch.
Sharing that dream with others created accountability. Once family and friends knew what she wanted to build, there was no turning back.
Julie and Ashley watched that vision grow from a concept into a company that now serves thousands of women anglers across the country.
Team USA, Friendship, and Endless Laughter
Competitive fly fishing brought Julie and Ashley together, but Team USA gave them something much greater than medals.
Listeners hear stories from team housing, tying flies together, traveling across the country, and creating friendships that continue long after competitions end.
One of the episode's funniest moments recounts how Julie somehow managed to get the pull tabs on her wading boots tangled together before an awards ceremony. One simple question—"What's wrong, Julie?"—became an inside joke that still makes everyone laugh today.
The stories continue with Ashley's unforgettable fox tail encounter and the legendary adventures of Mr. François, the mischievous mink pelt that became the centerpiece of one of Team USA's greatest practical jokes.
Why Fishing Friends Matter
Not every story is lighthearted.
Julie shares a frightening experience after slipping on unfamiliar water in North Carolina, reminding listeners that even experienced anglers can quickly find themselves in dangerous situations.
The conversation becomes an important reminder that fishing partners provide far more than companionship. They offer support, assistance, and sometimes the help that can prevent a close call from becoming something much worse.
More Than Fishing
By the end of Part 1, one message stands above all the stories.
Fishing certainly gives us unforgettable days on the water.
But it's the friendships we build, the communities we become part of, and the people who share those adventures that often become more meaningful than fishing itself.
