© Dawn Kish

FLY FISHERWOMAN

November 7, 1988. That was the day when Natalie “Nat” Jensen fell in love with the Colorado River. Call it a feeling. Call it kismet. Call it what you will, but that was the day Jensen’s life changed. Although she’d found her home, her calling wouldn’t become clear for another eight years — when Jensen would learn how to fly-fish. She landed a job with Lees Ferry Anglers Fly Shop in 1995 and asked one of the owners how to catch a fish in the river. “She said to me, ‘Honey, you need to pick up a fly rod,’” Jensen says. “I practiced every day for many years, just casting.” Today, Jensen is the only female fly-fishing guide on the Colorado River. “A lot of people have no clue what’s in Northern Arizona,” she says. “When they love it, it makes my life that much richer.”

— Kathy Ritchie

For more information about Natalie Jensen and Lees Ferry Anglers Fly Shop, call 928-355-2261 or visit www.leesferry.com.

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