As our farthest-flung angler on the Fishe Wear ambassador team, Emily Mauri is our token tropical fisherwoman! Spending her days in the warm, turquoise waters of Florida, Emily constantly wows us with her photos of Fishe products amongst mangroves, in the salty sea spray of the Pacific, and under the tropical sun. Emily's fly fishing expertise and involvement in the industry is extraordinary. During the winter, she helps organize The Fly Fishing Show, a direct to consumer trade show series that holds events in six key fishing communities across the United States. These events are immensely important for community building and business development for the greater fly fishing industry. In all of her free time after being an organizational powerhouse, a mother, and an accomplished fly angler, Emily is busy saving the world; she runs a mobile zero waste shop, reducing single use plastic and keeping trash out of our oceans… Whatcan’tthis fisherman do!?
What fishing-related accomplishment are you most proud of?
It’s a toss up between strip setting and having a solid double haul.
Before moving to Florida, I fell in love with spey casting because I hated the pressure of overhead casting. Once I moved to saltwater, I had no choice but to fine tune my overhead casting and if I wanted to catch fish. I needed to be able to double haul on a moving boat because sometimes you get one shot and man does it hurt when you’re a few feet short! It is also a bummer when you do all of the previous right and then trout set and lose the fish almost instantly. It really required me to be mindful of little techniques and details that countered everything I had previously learned.
Other than fishing, what are your top three ways to spend your free time?
- Kayaking
- Gardening
- Volunteering
What advice would you give to other mothers balancing fishing and motherhood?
I’m really lucky that our family’s main business is fly fishing. My husband is a full time guide so it’s really just been a part of our daughter’s life since the beginning. We moved to Florida seven years ago so we could spend more time at our home base and not have to travel so much. We don’t regret it!
Tell us about how you started your zero waste shop!
In 2019, my daughter Emma participated inFish for Change* (see note below). As a fundraiser, I made reusable beeswax wraps and started selling them at a little zero waste shop near my home. Shortly after I learned that the shop was for sale and purchased it. While our storefront closed over the pandemic, I still operate mobile soap refills, an online shop and pop up at local community events. Take a look at our website athttps://www.jarzerowaste.com or on Instagram @jarthezerowasteshop to learn more about what we are up to!
Who is your favorite person (or people) to fish with?
My husband.
Reusable silicone ziplocks (for my snacks)
Where can we find you?
@mrsemilymauri and @jarthezerowasteshop on Instagram!
*Fish for Change is a nonprofit education organization that puts together fly fishing trips for students across Central and North America. Their mission is to “use fly-fishing as a platform to make the world a better place by uniting a diverse group of students in wild fisheries where they engage in a variety of initiatives that promote Connection, Education, Conservation, and Exploration.” Check them out athttps://www.fishforchange.org!