Celebrating the Woman Who Changed Fly Fishing Forever

Joan Wulff—born Joan Salvato in 1926—was celebrated for her 100th birthday on October 18, and the sport of fly fishing has remained shaped by her record-setting casting and teaching. She took up her father’s fly rod at age 10, won her first national casting title at 16, and later claimed 17 national championships, including a 1951 distance win in an all-male field. In 1960, she reportedly cast 161 feet using a bamboo rod, silk shooting head and monofilament running line. Wulff also co-founded the Wulff School of Fly Fishing in the Catskills with her husband Lee, emphasizing timing over brute strength.