They say that, "There is a big fish in every angler", which is possibly why fishing is one of England's top sports. In times gone by fishing was one of the main foods, and was usually the domain of males. Today fishing is now much more than this; it is a relaxing hobby and pastime as well as a competitive sport which is often under minded by critics who claim that "A well stocked lake is an easy catch".

My name is Lucy Bowden and I am 17-years-old. I have been going fly fishing with my Dad for nine years now and have enjoyed every single minute of it. As children Dad would take my sister and I fishing to a local river with our nets, where we would catch minnows (small fish,) but I think my first real taster of fly-fishing was at Drummond Fishery in Crief, where I caught my first real trout! My largest catch to date was 'the biggie' at 8lb, caught on my second ever fishing outing at a small fishery, Conundrum on the Scottish Border.

Yet fly fishing is not all I do. I love to sing and I have sung many times on stage. I love long walks in the countryside and I love going shopping. At present I am studying for my A-Levels, of which I am taking English literature, English language and Media Studies. I hope to continue these subjects into university, and I am determined my fishing career will not be neglected, nor will it be far behind!

I am a member of many fly-fishing clubs. I joined "The Oddfellows Angling Club," based in my home town a few years ago where I am only one of three female members. I'm 2002 I competed with the team in a junior competition at our private water, catching the biggest fish but not the heaviest. Dad and I are also part of "The Chatton Angling Club" where we often head up to the riverside and do a spot of worm or fly fishing on late summers evenings. The fishing up there is strictly private.

In my first year of GCSE's my school did a work experience placement for which I opted to go to "House Of Hardy." Using a "House of Hardy" rod and reel myself I wanted to know more about how the equipment was produced and manufactured and it was at "House Of Hardy" that I first spotted by a male customer, casting on the practice water stretch I was told I had the potential to be on "The England Ladies Team" (ELFA) due to my casting being 'very good.' It was from there that I contacted the team via e-mail and spoke to the team secretary, Kate Royce. Since then Kate and I have become very good friends.

My first ever National competition, 'The Greys of Alnwick Semi-final' took place in 2003 at Sweethope Lake near Bellingham. My team, made up of four female anglers and the only female team out of twelve, unfortunately caught the least heaviest bag of fish on the day which was a disappointment. Due to this we did not qualify for the finals to be held at Sweethope a month later, but we enjoyed our day all the same; meeting new people and sharing hints and tricks was great fun as was being around other woman who share the same interest!

In late 2003 I competed at Marcle Fishery, Scotland to raise money for the "Macmillan Cancer Fund." Cancer is one of the most devastating and unsympathetic illnesses of our time. My family, once having contracted the disease encouraged me to enter into the competition to help those suffering from it. Being the only female angler on the day I did not feel in the slightest bit nervous, and catching the first fish made me feel even better, especially when it was 'a biggie,' taking a grueling forty minutes to land I was worried I would lose it! For "Macmillan Cancer Fund" I raised £129, coming in second with the highest total on the day it felt good knowing that people were benefiting from my skill.

To be honest I am very surprised at how few females do fish, when in fact fishing is one of the few sports where males and females may compete at the same level. Upon starting fishingforeveryone.com I have received lots of publicity; appearing on television, in magazines and newspapers, I have done many interviews. I have also received several e-mails from girls my age saying that like me they enjoy the hobby of fly fishing, many of them desperate to get hooked! This is great and I hope my story will encourage more females to grab that rod and head out to their nearest lake and give it a go.

EDITOR'S NOTE: We recently received the following e-mail from Miss Lucy Bowden:

Hello. My name Is Lucy Bowden and I am 17 years old and have been going fishing since aged six. I live in a part of England called Northumberland. Here in England there are very few female anglers and as such I have set up my very own website aimed to encourage the sport of fishing in more girls and young women.

Visit Lucy Bowden at fishingforeveryone.com or email her at info@fishingforeveryone.com