Established in 2015

 Pamela Dunlap - Founder

Falling in love on the first date isn’t a story that’s often told. Especially when it ignites a fire that still burns hotter than ever, even after a decade. But, for Pamela Dunlap, November of 2013 was the beginning of an unexpected fairytale that has only gotten sweeter with time.
 
Ten years ago, on an otherwise lackluster blind date (that she almost said ‘no’ to), Pam was introduced to the sport of fly fishing. Standing knee-deep in West Virginia’s Bluestone River on a cool autumn afternoon, with her first Rainbow Trout in hand, the trajectory of her life was forever changed. After a single cast, she was hooked.

Unbeknownst to her, that chance encounter would soon create a thirst for adventure, especially if it challenged her comfort zone. While she still enjoyed her hobbies of painting, gardening and decorating, the love she discovered for fly fishing created a paradigm shift and compelled her to action.

A short two years after that initial cast, Pam founded Women Wine & Waders when her thirst for knowledge became greater than the local and regional resources that were available to her. This educational group (open to ladies of all ages and skill levels) was designed to ‘contribute to the well-being of women through fly fishing,’ whereby new friendships, accomplishments and lasting memories are encouraged, inspired and treasured. 

As an advocate for women in the sport, Pam later joined forces with a friend from Ireland to co-found International Women’s Fly Fishing Day, the first group of its kind. On the 2nd Saturday of each September, this global event fosters a virtual community of camaraderie among female anglers that celebrates and champions their individual and collective accomplishments in fly fishing. After five years running, women in over nineteen countries have found meaning and connection through this annual event. 

Pam’s passion for fly-fishing is contagious and her heart for others, inspiring. Her authenticity is ever so evident in her sweet, southern and disarming disposition and she never fails to lead by example. Her greatest accomplishment, in her own words, is “Every time a lady gets it. When she hooks up with that first fish and I can see her excitement and the smile on her face as she’s fighting and landing it. It’s always about so more than just fishing, and that is worth a thousand casts.” 

Given her tireless work ethic in the fly fishing arena, it is no surprise then (especially to those who know her), that she was honored as one of West Virginia’s ‘Wonder Women’ in 2021. This award, annually bestowed upon a select few by West Virginia Living, celebrates amazing women who are raising the bar in their communities, serving as beacons of light in their respective industries and fostering change for the greater good. 

Continuing to lead by example, Pam is a member of her local TU chapter and she volunteers for Project Healing Waters, The Mayfly Project , and Beyond the Backyard. She was also a recently featured guest on Fly Fish Forever, a Fly Fishing International podcast, where she showcased the spectacular beauty of West Virginia and the thrill of fly fishing those small, mountain streams for native Brook Trout. 

Fittingly, this 5’2” dynamo and whirlwind of a change maker hails from Hurricane, West Virginia. And, although she wasn’t born in the Mountain State, she got there as fast as she could. Almost singlehandedly, she has given a name to fly fishing in one of the most unsung fishing destinations in the United States and serves as an inspiration to aspiring anglers everywhere. In true Mountaineer form, she has created something from ‘nothing’ and will forever serve as West Virginia’s leading lady on the water.

Pamela Dunlap didn’t ‘find’ her calling, it found her. And she would tell you that it was all in God’s perfect timing.