The new travel trend to get hooked on

Growing up in Minnesota, Lindsay Kocka experienced the joy of the outdoors from an early age, spending summers learning to fish with her grandparents at their cabin. Though it wasn’t until she moved to Montana in 2020 that she got seriously into fly-fishing, a niche form of angling that relies on a weighted line and distinct focus on casting mechanics. 

“If you think of the film A River Runs Through It and that image of a graceful backcast, where it’s immersive and slow and has a meditative quality to it—I was drawn to that,” she says. “It looked like an interesting way to engage with my body and mindfulness practice in the outdoors.”

The reality of wading through dynamic river environments and crawling around loose rocks on her hands and knees, however, proved to be a little trickier and less poetic than Kocka had expected at first. But as a yoga instructor, fitness trainer and mobility specialist, she saw an opportunity to apply the principles of healthy movement to support new anglers and bring people together.

She launched the Wade Well Method in 2019 and from 2022 has been leading fly-fishing retreats, which have been growing in popularity ever since, mirroring the surge of interest in the sport itself. 

What makes a perfect rental property for fly-fishing groups? “Being near the water,” she says, without missing a beat. Ideally, she adds, it will have a stream on-site, but if not within a walkable distance. She seeks out properties in picturesque locations and prefers them to be isolated to create a sense of calm and immersion in nature. “I want people to feel like, ‘Wow, this is just how it’s supposed to be.’”

Many of Kocka’s retreats take place in Montana, though her favorite spot is the North Shore of Lake Superior. “It’s not really on people’s radar as a fly-fishing destination but it’s incredible, and there are lots of cool, rustic lodging opportunities that really embrace the forest experience and sauna culture,” she says.

What advice does she have for first timers? “Be prepared to get out of your comfort zone.” But that shouldn’t put people off, she says, as fly-fishing is an accessible sport and suitable for a wide range of body types and varying levels of athleticism.

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The rivers, she concedes, have been traditionally male dominated, but she’s excited to see women now leading some groups inside the sport, while organizations such as Brown Folks Fishing and Brown Girl Outdoor World are promoting diversity.

“Fly-fishing evokes joy and connection,” says Kocka. “The chance to experience wading in a river with others, from different ages and backgrounds, while forming new friendships—people love that social component.”