Meet Maddie Brenneman, @maddiebrenneman, and you've got a fly fishing companion for life. Never saying, "No" to a day on the river and always one to crack a joke—her laughter is contagious and her cast keeps the fish biting. We're proud to have Maddie as a Western Rise Ambassador and excited to share her angling skills and travels with you.
CURRENT DWELLING? I'm all over the place! In less than a year I will have lived in New Mexico, Georgia and Colorado. Colorado is where I grew up and where I call "home."
AND YOUR TRADE? I was a travel specialist in Sante Fe for the past 3 years, but recently left to get away from a desk and focus on what I love to do most, fly fishing. I’m excited to be leading the fly fishing program for a property in Granby, Colorado this upcoming season.
PASTIMES? I love to travel, fly fish, camp, hunt, ski, ride horses, cook, drink good coffee and hike with my dog, Tuco.
TELL US ABOUT YOUR FLY FISHING TECHNIQUE.
When Fishing in New Mexico, I prefer fishing small water. While this often makes for technical fishing, it usually means crystal clear water with perfect visibility. Upon sneaking up to the next pool, I just wait and watch the water for fish. Sometimes I don't even take a cast, I just watch them and then I move on. I think that most anglers can relate to my love of watching fish swim in a river, it's hypnotizing to say the least. Knowing what fish you are fishing for is a game changer. Watching your fly drift over a fish and witnessing the take is fly fishing for me, this is what makes the sport unique and beautiful. Not many things make my heart beat faster.
WHAT’S ONE FLY FISHING BUCKET LIST TRIP THAT YOU’VE CROSSED OFF? Patagonia
AND A FLY FISHING TRIP STILL ON THAT LIST? Alaska & Iceland are at the top of my list.
WHAT'S GOING ON IN YOUR LIFE RIGHT NOW? I'm in Georgia at the moment so looking forward to exploring the SouthEast as much as I can. There is so much culture here that I am eager to experience. I recently bought a vintage motorcycle (1973 Honda CB 175) and plan to fix it up with my dad. Planning to get up to the Smoky Mountains in Tennessee and find some wild brookies soon—fly fishing in north Georgia, exploring freshwater springs in Florida, heading to Montana for a short trip in April and possibly the Grand Canyon in May. Then off to Colorado to start guiding!
WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? Shaky Graves, Sanders Bohlke...and a lot of Neil Young, always.
TELL US ONE THING ABOUT YOU THAT WE WOULDN’T KNOW, UNLESS WE ALL WENT FISHING TOGETHER? I have a very goofy and immature sense of humor!
HOW DO YOU TRUST THE WILD? I Trust The Wild by making what I love to do a priority each day.
Photo Credits: @ngkelley, @graysonschaffer
