A Fishe Film About Making Room for the Water
The Water Is Still Waiting for You
There is rarely a perfect time to go fishing. There are children to pack for, demanding jobs, changing bodies, injuries, long weeks, and the quiet voice that says staying home would be easier.
Fishe’s film No Excuses is not about pretending those barriers are small. It is about meeting them honestly, changing the plan when necessary, accepting help, and remembering why time outside is worth the effort.
In This Story
Why You Should Trust This Article
This story comes directly from the film’s first-hand voices. It preserves the central lessons about parenthood, demanding work, women in fly fishing, spinal cord injury, partnership, and the restorative power of being outside.
The film was created as part of Orvis’s 50/50 on the Water initiative, which encouraged more women to discover fly fishing and helped make resources, stories, and gear more visible.
Watch Fishe Presents “No Excuses”
The film is the heart of this story. Watch Nelli, Linda Leary, Erin Ersland, and Paul Thacker share the very different reasons fishing matters to them—and the adjustments that helped them keep going.
What “No Excuses” Really Means
The title is not a demand to ignore exhaustion, pain, access needs, money, time, or family responsibilities. Those things are real, and the people in the film never suggest otherwise.
Look for the version that is possible now. It might be a short day trip instead of a long weekend, a guide instead of going alone, a hand getting into the boat, or a gravel bar where the kids can play while a parent casts nearby.
Fishing does not have to look the way it did five years ago—or the way it looks in someone else’s photographs—to still matter.
Fishing with Kids: Lower the Bar, Keep the Memory
Nelli begins with a truth every parent understands: getting children outside takes logistics. There are snacks, hot chocolate, dry clothes, toys, gear, bathroom stops, changing moods, and the exhaustion left over from a long week.
Still, she says the preparation “pays off exponentially.” Once the family reaches the river, the everyday wrangling changes. Instead of dishes, laundry, and garbage, the questions become who gets to fish, who stays dry, and who explores the gravel bar.
As she puts it, that is a lot more fun than laundry.
A successful family day outside does not need to be long, complicated, or centered only on catching fish.
Adjust the Adventure to the Family You Have Today
Before becoming a parent, Nelli watched friends stop doing things they loved because everything became harder. She decided she wanted to find a way to keep outdoor adventure in family life rather than wait for an easier season.
That choice requires help and flexible expectations. A village matters. So does letting go of the idea that every outing must be an epic weekend or a six-mile hike before the family reaches the river.
Choose the shorter trip
A day trip can leave children excited to return. Ending while the experience is still fun often works better than pushing everyone past their limit.
Pack for comfort
Food, warm drinks, dry layers, simple toys, and a comfortable place to pause can matter more than adding another piece of fishing gear.
Let play count
Skipping rocks, digging in gravel, watching insects, and celebrating a tiny fish are not distractions from the adventure. For children, they are the adventure.
Nelli’s most lasting observation is that a child can be just as thrilled by a very small fish as a large one. Kids return wonder to the river. Their excitement reminds adults that the memory matters more than the measurement.
When a Mother’s Energy Is Depleted, the Outdoors Can Give Something Back
Parenthood asks for energy even when very little is left. That is exactly why Nelli encourages other mothers not to assume an outdoor day is one more task they cannot carry.
Being outside can “recharge your soul” when it is most depleted. The effort happens before the trip, but the return can be a calmer mind, shared laughter, and a memory the family will still talk about decades later.
The goal is not a flawless family photograph. It is building a life in which children know the sound of moving water, the feel of a gravel bar, and the happiness of watching someone they love catch a fish.
On the water, the next cast can become the only problem that needs solving for a while.
Linda Leary: A Different Kind of Reset
Before founding Fishe, Linda Leary spent 30 years in Alaska’s trucking industry. She was an owner for 20 years and president during the final five years before the company was sold.
That kind of work carries pressure. Fishing gave Linda a place where she could set the rest down and focus on one immediate task: reading the water, making the cast, and learning to become better.
Fishing does not erase a demanding life. It creates a stretch of time when the job, the list, and the noise no longer get the first word.
Why Fly Fishing Can Build Confidence Without Becoming a Competition
Linda describes fishing as a non-competitive way for women to spend time outdoors, including time with clients. The river offers a shared challenge without requiring anyone to prove she belongs there first.
Confidence grows through trying and trying again. A cast wraps around your head or a fly gets stuck. Then someone catches her first tiny fish and jumps as though it were the fish of a lifetime.
That combination of humility and progress is part of the appeal. The water does not ask for perfection, and a beginner does not need to wait until she feels fully prepared.
Community Makes the First Step Smaller
Linda watched women’s fly-fishing communities grow around the country as women began fishing with friends, spouses, guides, and organized groups. One person tried it, told another, and created a welcome that kept expanding.
Her advice is wonderfully practical: hire a guide, take a class, go with girlfriends, or ask an experienced angler to help. There is no prize for figuring out every knot, cast, and river alone.
For decades, women have been part of fly fishing. More visible communities, instruction, stories, and thoughtfully designed gear simply make it easier for the next woman to see a place for herself.
A welcoming group can turn an intimidating first day into the beginning of a lifelong community.
Paul Thacker: Letting Help Open the Door
Paul Thacker grew up in Alaska and began fishing before he was old enough for school. It became one of the great releases of his life—something difficult to compare with anything else.
After a spinal cord injury while training for the Winter X Games, fishing became harder. Getting into a boat required help, independence looked different, and the activities that once felt automatic carried new logistics and emotions.
At first, pride became another barrier. Paul wanted to do everything exactly as he had before and prove the injury could not change him. Reality required a different kind of strength: accepting that assistance did not make the experience less his.
Erin Helped Him Remember What Was Still Possible
When Paul and Erin began dating, Erin was already an avid angler. She helped make the return possible without pretending the obstacles were gone.
Paul says that once he moved beyond the pride and stubbornness around accepting help, “it opens up a whole world of possibilities.” Fishing together eventually carried them from adventures close to home to the extraordinary waters of Patagonia.
The story is not that injury never matters. It is that partnership, adaptive thinking, and a willingness to receive help can return experiences that once seemed closed.
Changing the Method Is Not Giving Up the Life You Love
One of the film’s strongest lessons is that independence and isolation are not the same thing. Doing something with assistance can still be deeply personal, challenging, joyful, and fully yours.
Adaptation protects the reason you wanted to go. The boat or access point may be different, and the trip may require more hands, planning, or specialized equipment.
None of that removes the beauty of the place or the anticipation of the next fish.
Erin also speaks about the mental importance of returning to familiar, ordinary joys after injury. Being able to go outside with the person you love is not a small thing. It can help life feel expansive again.
Six Ways to Create Your Own Way Back to the Water
You do not need the same solution. These ideas can help when family demands, confidence, stress, injury, disability, or time have made fishing feel farther away.
1. Make the trip smaller
Choose a nearby access point, a half day, or one simple objective. A manageable outing is more useful than a perfect trip that never happens.
2. Ask for the specific help you need
That might mean carrying gear, getting into a boat, watching a child, checking access, or simply joining you for the first day.
3. Start with a guide or class
Instruction reduces the number of unknowns. A good guide or teacher can help with equipment, casting, safety, water reading, and local access.
4. Pack for the person, not the photograph
Bring the snacks, layers, seating, mobility support, medicine, toys, or comfort items that make the real people on the trip feel secure.
5. Redefine a successful day
A fish is wonderful, but so are one good cast, a child’s first river, a quiet hour, or the courage to return after a long absence.
6. Go with people who make room
The right companions do not rush, shame, or keep score. They help solve the day so everyone has a genuine place in it.
The Real Lesson: Make Room for the Water
The film gives the river several meanings. For Nelli, it keeps family adventure alive and creates memories her children may carry for 50 years.
For Linda, it quiets work pressure and builds confidence. For Erin, it clears the mind. For Paul, it became part of reclaiming possibility after injury.
The river offers each person something different. That is why there cannot be one correct way to get there.
The preparation may be inconvenient, and the plan may be imperfect. You may need help, a shorter day, different equipment, or the courage to be new.
Go because the experience can be worth the adjustment. The barriers are real, but so is what waits on the other side of them.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Fishe’s No Excuses film about?
The film shares stories of anglers making room for fishing through parenthood, demanding work, injury, disability, and changing expectations. Its message is to adapt the adventure rather than assume the water is no longer for you.
Who appears in No Excuses?
The film features Alaskan anglers including Nelli, Fishe founder Linda Leary, Erin Ersland, and adaptive athlete Paul Thacker. Each person describes a different reason fishing matters.
How can parents make fishing with kids easier?
Choose a shorter trip, bring snacks and warm drinks, pack dry layers and simple toys, accept help, and let play be part of the day. Success does not require a long hike or a large fish.
Can fly fishing help with stress?
Many people in the film describe fishing as a mental reset. Focusing on the water, the cast, the surroundings, and the next fish can create distance from work and everyday pressure.
Can someone return to fishing after an injury or disability?
Many anglers do return with adapted equipment, accessible locations, guides, companions, or other support. Needs differ, so plan around the individual and ask local professionals about access and appropriate assistance.
Is fly fishing welcoming to women and beginners?
Women have long been part of fly fishing, and today there are visible communities, classes, guides, trips, and gear designed to help more women begin. A supportive first group can make learning feel much less intimidating.
What is the easiest way to try fly fishing?
Take a beginner class, hire a guide, or go with an experienced and patient friend. Borrowing or renting gear for the first outing can also help you learn what you enjoy before buying equipment.
Related Reading
Fishe x Orvis: A Collaboration Built for Women Who Fish
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FisheWear + Women’s Flyfishing
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Fishing as Self-Care for Women
Explore why focused casting, friendship, and time outside can feel so restorative.
Your Reason to Go Can Be Bigger Than the Excuse
Start with the version of fishing that is possible today. Bring the children, call the friend, accept the hand, take the class, shorten the trip, or simply stand beside the water again.
