Caught a Fishing Partner

Cindy Ward is the graphic designer who elevated our SaraBella sketch from a post-it note to a beautiful logo. We appreciate her love of fly-fishing and her talent. Thank you for sharing your skills and your spirit with us!

My name is Cindy and I’ve been fishing all my life. Really. Some of the first memories I have are of sitting on my dad’s lap, stuffed in a life vest, hands grasping the grip of a miniature fishing pole, in a boat in the middle of a clear Wisconsin Lake.

Fast forward past my formative years in the midwest woods to those of a responsible adult and mom. (It happens to even the best of us.) There were a few days at the lake here and there with grandpa and kids but most of my time was spent baiting hooks and untangling lines rather than indulging my desire to cast for the lily pads. But enough of that, let’s get to the good stuff.  Fast forward a few more years. Marriage one is history, the kids are out of school, married and on their own and drowning worms in the stocked streams of southern Missouri is fast losing it’s luster.

I fell in love with Colorado when I was a teenager and swore one day I’d live there. So I packed up lock, stock and tacklebox and moved to Denver.  I spent my first year exploring all the amazing outdoor recreation that Colorado has to offer and was captivated with the mountain streams and the people I watched fishing them. A spark went off and I was hooked on the idea of learning how to do that too.  It was then I met this amazing Colorado guy. He loved hiking, cycling and skiing as much as I did but most of all, he also loved to fly fish and was willing to help me learn!

I jumped into my first pair of waders with both feet, borrowed a pole, mooched a few flies and set out to set the fly fishing world on fire. Lucky for me my new love was patient as I learned some new skills – fly fishing is way different from spin casting – and soon we were taking our fishing gear on backpacking and canoe trips.  Some of our favorite times together have been ones spent fishing rivers and mountain lakes, looking for the most likely places fish should be hiding out, being each other’s cheering section when a fish is hooked and gleefully manning the net to help bring them in.  Even when no fish are caught, the time spent together outdoors enjoying the beauty all around us and the quiet rythum of the casting never fails to bring a smile to our faces.  Last September I married Vern, the love of my life and soul mate who also happens to be my fishing partner and our wish list of places to fish, like our love, just keeps growing.