Teach a woman to fish, and she’ll start her own business improving the industry and guiding people on expeditions at locations across the country.
Abbie Schuster, a 28-year-old Simsbury native, loves fly fishing. She learned from her parents as a kid, picking up the sport on the Farmington River and at Martha’s Vineyard.
As an adult, she started at the University of Vermont, but after a trip out to Montana she saw what she called “the best place in the world” and knew her future was there. She applied to the University of Montana from the airport while getting ready to go home and started there the next semester.
Schuster went to Sweetwater Travel’s guide school to better learn the art of guiding. Guides take people out on the water and do everything from teach people how to fly fish to correct bad habits. She started working as a guide at 18, and she’s done it ever since.
In 2016, she started Kismet Outfitters. The company offers guided fly fishing trips, corporate events and more, all from Schuster. Those who hire her can even participate in trips that combine fly fishing and yoga.
