‘Fishinistas’ return with vigor thanks to workshop

Ladies are learning how to storm the beaches of Whidbey Island and lean into the typically male-dominated world of sportfishing.

August 15, 2015 12:00 pm
Volunteer instructors Kevin Lungren (left) and Ken Berry taught 23 women the basics of salmon fishing from shore at Trinity Lutheran Church’s Fishinista workshop held Aug. 8. The next class will be held Aug. 23 from 2 to 5 p.m. and will include a hands-on salmon filleting lesson by Jerry Shimek.
Volunteer instructors Kevin Lungren (left) and Ken Berry taught 23 women the basics of salmon fishing from shore at Trinity Lutheran Church’s Fishinista workshop held Aug. 8. The next class will be held Aug. 23 from 2 to 5 p.m. and will include a hands-on salmon filleting lesson by Jerry Shimek.

Ladies are learning how to storm the beaches of Whidbey Island and lean into the typically male-dominated world of sportfishing.

Thanks to a handful of instructors and the Trinity Lutheran Church Fishinista workshops, dozens of women know all they will ever need to try and land a salmon from shore. The first class was held earlier this month, with 23 women taking part and learning from local legends Kevin Lungren and Ken Berry.

More than just a lesson in the finer points of tying knots, casting and location, the students are implored to follow a rule of philanthropy: Donate every other salmon to the Good Cheer Food Bank, which helps feed those in need on Whidbey Island. According to a news release from one of the organizers, Laura Canby, more than 200 women have attended the workshops over the past five years that it has been offered.

The next workshop, led by local angler Jerry Shimek, will be from 2 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 23 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Freeland. Online signups can be found at www.trinitylutheranfreeland.org/events-news.