Meet the Fishe Team
From the Ice Coast to Alaska Waters
Some people arrive in Alaska with a fly box already organized and a lifetime of fishing stories behind them. Libby Ouellette arrived with a degree in outdoor recreation, a love of mountains, and one wonderfully honest question for her future employer: “Will you hire me if I don’t know how to fish?”
The answer opened the door to Alaska rivers, a 15-pound silver salmon, years of growth alongside Fishe, and a life where skiing, adaptive sports, rescue dogs, iced coffee, and fishing all belong in the same story.
This profile preserves Libby’s original interview answers and photographs while giving her story a fresh, easier-to-read home.
Libby at a Glance
Outdoor Roots
Recreation Management with a concentration in Adventure Education.
Fishing Milestone
A 15-pound silver salmon she hooked, landed, and filleted herself.
Off the Water
Adaptive skiing, Fenway the rescue sled dog, and iced coffee in every season.
A Note About This Fishe Profile
This conversation was originally published in 2022. Libby’s answers are preserved in her own words, so references to team size, product patterns, job titles, and time at Fishe reflect the moment of the original interview.
Meet Libby Ouellette
Today we are sitting down with our very own fierce fisherwoman and wicked-awesome wholesale manager Libby Ouellette! Hailing from New Hampshire on the “Ice Coast”, Libby joined us at Fishe Wear here in Anchorage four years ago and has never looked back. A Jill of all trades, Libby has done it all for Fishe - from customer service to shipping and receiving to her current position as Wholesale Manager.
From Adventure Education to a Fly Rod
How did you first get into outdoor recreation? Into fishing?
I attended college in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont - the Green Mountain State! Mountains and recreating in them were a big part of my college experience. I ended my four years with a degree in Recreation Management and a concentration in Adventure Education. Through this experience I learned a great deal about the outdoor industry as a whole - from tourism to gear and apparel, and everything in between.
Little did I know that my studies would culminate in a job at a women’s fly fishing company. Even though I grew up skiing and hiking, I never picked up a fly rod until I moved to Alaska and started working for Fishe!
The Most Alaska Parking Story Possible
My craziest Alaska story started with…
Pulling out of a parking spot in downtown Anchorage and backing straight into a moose! Don’t worry, both my Chevy Cruze and the moose surprisingly came away from the encounter without a scratch…
Growing Right Alongside Fishe
What has changed since you started working at Fishe? What have you learned?
The change I’ve seen in Fishe since I first started is like day and night. When I started, it was just Linda, Cheny, and I selling four patterns out of a shoebox-sized retail space. Now, we are a team of over 15 employees and contractors, selling a diverse array of products in 13 patterns. Our beautiful retail space is a nice upgrade too!
I can proudly say that I’ve personally grown right alongside Fishe. I always tell Linda that I have learned a bachelor’s degree worth of information in the business realm through my various job titles. On the fishing front, I feel like a different person from the girl who asked at her interview, “Will you hire me if I don’t know how to fish?” Through my job at Fishe I’ve traveled across Alaska fishing some of the most spectacular waters in the 49th state.
The Silver Salmon That Changed the Scale
What has been the highlight of your fishing career in Alaska?
Catching a 15-pound silver salmon! By far the biggest fish I’ve ever had my hands on. I hooked it, got it into the boat, and filleted it all by myself. It was a proud moment to fly home with a fish box so I could share my silver with friends and family back East. I caught it during a Women’s Fly Fishing Kenai Cannery trip in summer 2021. It was my favorite fish and hands down the best “business trip” I’ve ever been on.
Making the Mountains More Accessible
I have a passion for…
Adaptive Sports. For the past five winters I have volunteered with adaptive recreation organizations teaching skiing. Leaps and bounds have been made in adaptive skiing technology, and it’s an incredible experience to help people take part in an activity they thought was never in the cards for them. The fact that skiing is one of my favorite hobbies and Alaska has some of the best downhill terrain in the world helps as well.
Life Beyond the Fishing Day
Other than fishing, how do you spend your free time?
- Skiing—and convincing Linda that ski passes make excellent sales incentives.
- Training Fenway, a stray sled dog rescued from Nome.
- Drinking iced coffee. Sub-zero Alaska temperatures cannot stop her.
One Big Hope for Fishe
What are your hopes and dreams for Fishe?
I want to expand my wholesale program to include stores in all 50 states!
Why You Should Trust This Profile
This is Libby’s original first-person Fishe interview, supported by the photographs that accompanied her story. Her answers preserve the humor, uncertainty, pride, and outdoor experience that made the conversation worth sharing in the first place.
Conclusion: There Is More Than One Way Into Fishing
Libby’s story is a reminder that belonging on the water does not require beginning there. She came to Fishe with an education grounded in outdoor adventure, a love of skiing and hiking, and no fly-fishing background at all.
Then came the first cast, Alaska travel, a silver salmon, and the confidence to bring the fish home herself. Her path was not inherited or perfectly planned. It grew through opportunity, good people, and the willingness to try something unfamiliar.
Sometimes becoming an angler begins with admitting that you are not one yet.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Libby Ouellette?
Libby is a Fishe team member whose original 2022 profile traced her work across customer service, shipping and receiving, and wholesale management.
Did Libby fish before working at Fishe?
No. She grew up skiing and hiking but did not pick up a fly rod until she moved to Alaska and began working for Fishe.
What did Libby study?
She earned a degree in Recreation Management with a concentration in Adventure Education in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom.
What was her biggest fishing achievement?
She caught a 15-pound silver salmon, landed it, and filleted it herself during a 2021 Kenai Cannery trip.
What outdoor cause matters to Libby?
Adaptive skiing. She volunteered for years teaching skiing through adaptive recreation organizations.
What is the story behind Fenway?
Fenway is a stray sled dog that Libby rescued from Nome, Alaska.
What was Libby’s craziest Alaska story?
She backed her Chevy Cruze into a moose while leaving a downtown Anchorage parking spot. Neither was scratched.
What was Libby’s dream for Fishe?
To expand the wholesale program until Fishe could be found in stores across all 50 states.
