LAC LA BICHE - More than 50 women took part in a two-day ice fishing event on Lac La Biche Lake over the weekend. The women’s weekend included fishing gear and instruction for new anglers and a chance to network and mingle. Outdoor enthusiast and event organizer Lisa Roper says the fun event was planned in the hopes of drawing more women towards more outdoor activities.
“I decided I wanted to take my passion and bring a bunch of amazing women together and host this event, and honestly, it turned out so amazing,” said Roper, an online influencer of hunting and fishing activities, who also has roots in the Lac La Biche area.
“Women empowering women is beautiful…to be here to help each other and lift each other up is what it’s all about.”
The weekend featured two days of ice fishing and an overnight campout on the frozen lake sureface for some of the participants.
After many community members recognized her enthusiasm and dedication, through her online and community presence, Roper says she was contacted by many women wanting to learn the tricks of the trade and about fishing culture.
“I’m so passionate about the outdoors but even more so fishing. I probably spend 200 days a year fishing between open waters and ice fishing. I have a lot of women who have approached me and said, ‘Can you help me, can you teach me and can you take me out?’ I just thought what a great way to bring women together.”
Participants came from around the region and further away.
“To see so many women come so far from Calgary, Saskatchewan and not just Northern Alberta and the Lakeland area…is a real honour to see people take that time out of their schedules and work to show up for the event,” said Roper, adding that it promotes self-care.
“As women, we don’t always give ourselves enough. We’re always so busy whether we are taking care of our kids, family or someone else or thinking about work. We seem to not give ourselves enough time to do fun things. To see so many women sign up and do this shows how much we all really need it.”
The first part of the session was a morning hands-on seminar dedicated to teaching women the fundamentals of fishing.
“By having the workshops in the morning, it allowed women to learn how to properly catch and release, and tie proper knots on their fishing lines so that they can have a more successful chance of landing and releasing that fish,” Roper explained.
Transferring her own outdoor experiences and skills to other women, Roper says builds a strong foundation for those women to teach others.
The outdoors has been a part of Roper's life from childhood. Throughout her life, her father played a big role in her love for the outdoors. After he passed away seven years ago she couldn’t find a better way to commemorate him other than bringing people together in nature, she said.
“I think that being able to share the gifts and the things he taught me allows me to be able to share that with other women. I feel like I’m honouring my dad and I can’t think of a better way to share what I learned from him,” she said.
Fishing for more
In the future, she hopes to hold more seasonal events that focus on women and fishing, in the community she loves.
“I could have chosen any lake in Alberta, but I chose this one. I think the area is beautiful and I want to keep inspiring and showing people just how beautiful it is,” Roper said after last weekend’s event. “This event wouldn't be as great as it was without the support of our sponsors and contributors.”
