Wanda Hair Taylor was born in Dawnville, Georgia and lives in Dalton, Georgia, has been a professional fly fishing guide and instructor since the 80’s and has been fishing since she was four. Her grandmothers taught her to fish. Her love for fishing increased when she agreed to marry a professional fly angler. She became a fly fishing guide, fly casting instructor, Fly Fish TV hostess, featured in fly fishing videos, online Podcasts, and a published outdoor writer. She has been a feature angler or host in magazines, on radio, television, video, computer fly fishing games and Podcast from coast to coast. Her passion is teaching independent fly casting/fishing to women and girls as well as pursuing fins with a fly around the world. She has been a featured speaker at fly clubs, expos, conclaves, and private fly fishing events across the United States.
Her fly fishing topics range from how to fly fish in fresh and saltwater, destination fly fishing, mentoring others into the sport, and her fly fishing life story. Wanda teaches fly fishing and conducts instructional guiding classes locally in Tennessee and Georgia, as well as nationally at IFFF Expos, TU Festivals, club events and fly fishing shows.
Her awards and achievements of “Firsts” are one of the reasons Kevin Howell, owner of Davidson River Outfitters, gave her the title, “South’s First Lady of Fly Fishing.” She was the first woman certified by the International Federation of Fly Fishers as an IFFF Master Certified Casting Instructor and the first woman Orvis endorsed guide in the Southeastern United States. She was awarded the Southeastern IFFF 2005 Woman of the Year Award and 2008 the IFFF SE Council award of Excellence. This award was given to Wanda for her work with cancer survivors of “Casting For Recovery” and The Georgia Women Fly Fishers, “Casting For Confidence” as well as for her teaching and testing activities for the IFFF Certified Casting Instructors program.
Wanda is also a highly involved volunteer in Project Healing Waters, Casting for Confidence and Casting for Recovery as well as a Board Director for Casting Carolinas. Wanda has been an advisory staff member of TFO Rods for many years. She is on the pro staff of Chota Outdoor Gear and an ambassador for Aqua Design and Maven Fly technical clothing for avid women anglers. She has conducted the Women’s Casting Instruction Class at the VA Fly Fishing Festival, Wanda’s Youth Casting Clinics, Cape Lookout Albacore Festival and Wanda’s Fly Fishing Clinics for Women only, Guadalupe River, Texas. Wanda has caught incredible trout from her home waters on the Hiwassee River in Tennessee to Idaho, Montana and Colorado, nineteen sailfish on twenty-pound tippet in two days in Guatemala, 5-pound to 10-pound bonefish in many of the Bahamas Islands, tarpon on the Coast of South Carolina, kings and stripers on the coast of California, king salmon in Alaska and large dorado in Mexico.
Wanda Taylor – Inducted in 2016 in the Recreation category for her many contributions to fly fishing as a professional guide, certified fly casting In-
structor and highly involved fly volunteer with Casting Carolinas, Project Healing Waters, Casting for Confidence and Casting for Recovery.
