Some anglers are drawn to the water for the solitude. Others go for the fish. But for twin sisters Faith and Grace — sixteen years old and already four years into the sport — fly fishing is something else entirely: a shared world and a way of being together that no screen can replicate.
On a recent float down the famous Green River, we followed this family as they launched their Flycraft Guide, rigged their rods, and let the current do the rest. What unfolded was less a fishing trip and more a window into what happens when a sport becomes a family language.
Check it out:
Two sisters, two styles
If you spend five minutes watching Faith and Grace fish, you understand them quickly. Grace is the aggressor — big rods, heavy flies, hard casts driven into the far bank, streamer patterns stripped back fast and deliberate. She is also the gymnast of the two: power, precision, commitment.
"I just like watching the fish be so aggressive towards the fly. It's probably one of my favorite things about streamer fishing." — Grace
Faith fishes differently. She gravitates toward dry flies — smaller, more delicate presentations, reading the water with patience rather than attacking it. She is the ballet dancer of the pair, and that precision shows in how she handles a technical presentation on a slow run. On this particular day, Faith landed four fish, including a rainbow she called her favorite of the outing.
The bionic ant wager
One of the highlights of the day had nothing to do with the river itself. Both girls sat down at the vise and tied the same fly — the bionic ant, a simple, highly visible pattern they rely on heavily up Nephi Canyon.
Kevin, our Flycraft videographer, proposed a solution: fish your own ant the next day, and whoever catches the first fish wins. The loser buys a coffee. The competition was very much alive.
The boat that changes what's possible
Here's the thing about getting a family into fly fishing: the gear matters less than the access, and the access matters less than the experience. What you really need is a way to get on the water together without it becoming a logistical ordeal.
That's exactly what the Flycraft Guide has been for this family.
At 14 feet long and built for three anglers, the Guide is wide enough to be stable and light enough that the girls can help load and unload it from the truck on their own — no trailer, no ramp. More importantly, its self-bailing floor and shallow draft technology (just 3–4 inches) opens up stretches of river that most boats simply can't reach. Sections of the Green that would be inaccessible in a heavier craft become fishable. That's not a small thing when you're trying to put a teenager in front of rising fish.
"I don't know that we could do the things in other boats that we're able to do in a Flycraft. There's water we've been able to get on that we couldn't do in anything else." — Dad
Both girls can stand and fish at the same time thanks to the Guide's leg lock standing braces — a detail that matters when throwing streamers and you need a solid platform to strip from. The 360-degree rotating seats mean everyone can pivot to follow a fish without the boat becoming chaos.
And it isn't only for fishing days. Last summer the family floated the Colorado River purely for fun — stopping to jump off rocks, soak in a hot spring, and just drift. The Guide handles that just as well as a technical trout run. It fits in the bed of a pickup or on a roof rack, deflates for storage, and comes with a 3-year factory warranty. It's a boat that meets your family where it is, whether that's a serious hatch or a lazy float with snacks.
If you've been putting off getting on the water with your kids because the logistics feel like too much, the Flycraft Guide is worth a serious look. It's the kind of gear that removes excuses.
What their dad learned by slowing down
Ask their dad what changed between raising a son who didn't take to fly fishing and raising two daughters who did, and he doesn't hesitate: he learned to slow down. With the girls, if they want to stop and watch the birds or pick wildflowers, they stop. If they want to have a picnic for two hours, they have a picnic. The fishing can wait.
"If you've got kids that want to fish, just slow down and take the time. Skip rocks. Pick up flowers. Do the stuff they want to do. They'll enjoy the fishing a lot more."
He's also proud of something harder to teach than a cast: tenacity. When it was time to learn, Faith and Grace took it seriously. They put in the hours at the vise and on the water, and it shows.
More than a fishing trip
Faith says the best part of fly fishing is the peacefulness — the quiet, simple nothingness of being outside. Grace says it's taught her patience and hand-eye coordination that most people her age haven't had reason to develop.
Their dad said the biggest thing he learned was to slow down. Watching Faith land that rainbow and Grace strip streamers into the bank, it's hard to argue with the results.
Ready to get your family on the water? The Flycraft Guide is a 14-foot, 3-person inflatable drift boat built for families who want to fish water other boats can't reach — no trailer required. LEARN MORE HERE >>
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