Fisher with a mission: first woman to chair Grayling Society wants to protect ‘lady of the stream’

W ith its iridescent pink scales and elegant dorsal fin, the grayling is known to anglers as the “lady of the stream”, yet the society fighting for its protection has never been led by a woman, until now. Angling, and fly-fishing in particular, has always been a very male-dominated sport. The fly-fisher’s club in Mayfair, London, where anglers meet to lunch on dover sole and drink fine wine, did not allow women to cross the threshold even as guests until 2024. One of Britain’s few high-profile female anglers, Marina Gibson has said she’s faced sexism from men in the fishing world. “I was constantly reminded that some people would always resent my presence in fishing simply because I was young, blond and female.” Dr Marnie Lovejoy, chair of the Grayling Society, was inspired to fish in Hampshire by a ‘wonderful female instructor’. Photograph: Marnie Lovejoy But Dr Marnie Lovejoy, a criminal lawyer who has been appointed the chair of the Grayling Society, hopes to forge a new path for female fishers. She has had the backing of the former rockstar turned river campaigner Feargal Sharkey, who is the honorary president of the society. …