Fishe Ambassador Spotlight
Ryan Scavo on Fishing, Family, and a Life Outside
“Fishing gets me into the places that make me feel most alive.” That one line captures the thread running through Ryan Scavo’s life: wild water, creative work, family adventure, and the pull to keep exploring.
Known as Ryan or Ry—and online through @ryoutside—she is an angler, photographer, storyteller, outdoor mother, and longtime member of the Fishe community.
Ryan’s Story, in Her Own Words
This profile brings together Ryan’s original Fishe ambassador biography and her longer first-person interview about fishing, family, creativity, and the outdoor community that helped her feel at home on the water.
Nickname
Ryan or Ry.
Alaska Roots
Born in Valdez and raised across Girdwood, Anchorage, Dutch Harbor, and Palmer.
Known For
Fishing, photography, outdoor storytelling, family adventures, and encouraging women to lean into time outside.
Growing Up Outside
Ryan’s earliest memories are rooted in the freedom to roam. She grew up in the generation that was told to come home when the streetlights came on, with backyards, parks, bike trails, and family outings shaping her relationship with the outdoors.
Fishing entered through ordinary family adventures. There was crabbing from shore, casting worms into a local pond, and weekends built around camping, hiking, and being outside together.
Later, dating someone who loved fishing as much as she did helped turn an early interest into a lasting obsession.
Ryan Scavo, known throughout the outdoor community as RyOutside.
“Fishing gets me into the places that make me feel most alive.”
— Ryan Scavo
For Ryan, fishing is not only about what ends up on the line. It is a reason to travel, look closely, solve problems, tell stories, and spend meaningful time with people she loves.
The joy behind the catch is part of what makes Ryan’s stories so memorable.
Fishing Memories That Still Stand Out
Ask Ryan for one favorite fishing memory and several arrive at once. She remembers pulling a bass and trout from the same hole on Pennsylvania’s Lackawaxen River, then watching a pike grab a sunfish she had hooked on a family lake.
She also remembers nearly landing a massive tarpon in St. Croix during a work trip that left room for evening fishing sessions.
The memory she ultimately chooses is a redfish redemption day in Texas. After being skunked on an earlier trip and waiting through a two-year delay, Ryan and her husband finally landed redfish together on Laguna Madre, only days before Hurricane Nicholas arrived.
It was breezy, beautiful, hard-earned, and—in Ryan’s word—magical.
Finding Fishe—and Finding Her People
Ryan first encountered Fishe through social media during a period when women’s visibility in fly fishing was growing rapidly. She reached out almost immediately, asking how she could collaborate or help bring more women onto the water.
That first contact led to photography collaborations, ambassador opportunities, visits with the team in Anchorage, and time together at the Fly Fishing Show in Denver.
The most important discovery was community. Ryan realized she was not an anomaly and was not alone in her passion. There were other women who loved fly fishing just as deeply and wanted to support one another both on and off the water.
A Creative Life Built Around the Outdoors
Fishing is only one part of Ryan’s relationship with wild places. Mountain biking, skiing, photography, writing, and family time all belong to the same larger story.
Through RyOutside and Big River Collective, Ryan has continued sharing outdoor imagery and stories grounded in real experience rather than polished perfection.
Her work pays attention to the whole adventure: the preparation, weather, children, dogs, missed fish, laughter, and small moments that surround the image everyone eventually sees.
Fishing and Motherhood: Ryan’s Advice Is to Lean In
Ryan does not pretend there is a perfect formula for balancing motherhood and fishing. Some days feel inspiring, while others are complicated, tiring, or chaotic.
Her advice is simple: lean in.
Lean into the support of a partner, family, or community so there is room for restorative solo time on the water. On other days, bring the whole crew and lean into the whirlwind that children can add to an outdoor adventure.
For Ryan, there is no winning or losing at balance. There is only the ongoing work of making room for what helps a person feel alive.
Sometimes adventure means solo time. Sometimes it means bringing the whole family along.
What Ryan’s Story Offers Other Anglers
Let the Outdoors Be Expansive
Fishing can lead into photography, travel, family traditions, friendship, conservation, and creative work.
Value the Near Misses
The fish that gets away can become part of the story rather than proof that the day failed.
Ask for Support
Making space for adventure often depends on community, honest planning, and a willingness to accept help.
Follow Ryan Outside
Ryan’s Instagram archive brings together fish, wild landscapes, family adventures, and the colorful outdoor life that first connected her with the Fishe community.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Ryan Scavo?
Ryan Scavo is an angler, photographer, writer, outdoor storyteller, mother, and longtime Fishe ambassador known online as RyOutside.
Where is Ryan Scavo from?
Ryan’s original Fishe profile says she was born in Valdez, Alaska, and grew up across Girdwood, Anchorage, Dutch Harbor, and Palmer.
How did Ryan get into fishing?
Fishing grew from family outings, crabbing from shore, casting worms at a local pond, and eventually sharing the sport with someone who loved it as much as she did.
What is Ryan’s most memorable fishing experience?
She chose a Texas trip where she and her husband finally landed redfish together on Laguna Madre after an earlier trip ended without a catch.
What is Ryan’s advice for mothers who want more outdoor time?
Her advice is to lean into support, protect some solo time, and also embrace the joyful unpredictability of bringing the family along.
Where can people follow Ryan?
Ryan shares outdoor photography and stories through RyOutside, Big River Collective, and her Instagram account, @ryoutside.
The Places That Make Us Feel Alive
Ryan’s story makes room for the entire experience: the fish landed, the fish lost, the family logistics, the creative work, and the communities that help adventure remain possible.
The lesson is not to wait for perfect balance. It is to keep leaning toward the places, people, and experiences that make life feel larger.
Follow Ryan’s AdventuresRelated Reading
Fishe + SaraBella Fly Rod: Ryan Scavo’s Review
Read Ryan’s firsthand take on a collaboration built for women who love the water.
Meet the Fishe Ambassadors
Discover more women helping shape a welcoming and adventurous fishing community.
Morgan Pierce: Fly Fishing, Motherhood & the Backcountry
Meet another outdoor mother building family life around wild places and the water.
