Kayla Lockhart makes a living out of tracking down fish in remote places, whether it’s vampire Payara in the Amazon or long-lost trout in Colorado. The professional angler likes to say she didn’t find fly fishing. It found her.
Lockhart grew up with an unstable upbringing and always struggled with anxiety and depression. When she was 21, she was in a rough place mentally and wanted a distraction. She signed up for a fly fishing 101 class and soon became engrossed in the sport.
“Fly fishing gave me a community and eventually, a real sense of purpose,” Lockhart says. “Fly fishing has this way of forcing me to slow down, be present. and focus on what’s happening right in front of me. It’s one of the places where I feel most grounded and most like myself.”
She hasn’t put the fly rod down since that first introductory class, knocking out one “full send” fly fishing adventure after the other. Her favorite? Seeking out native Colorado greenback cutthroat, a species that was once believed to be extinct. Lockhart was able to cast for this rare fish in a remote backcountry lake but only after traveling a forgotten old mining road to the edge of the water.
“It was more like a rock climbing trail,” Lockhart says. “It took me hours to make my way up, and there were moments when I thought I should turn around. There’s something rewarding about putting in that much effort for a fish, especially one with such a unique connection to the place it lives.”
To craft the backcountry adventures that keep her coming back, Lockhart credits her Ford Bronco® SUV as the access key to public lands that open new waters she might never otherwise attempt, or might only consider as a hike-in option*.
“There’s something really special,” she says, “about being confident in your vehicle when you’re heading toward a place with no cell service, no guarantees, and maybe not another person for miles.”
With proper research, a capable vehicle, and the same dedication to seeing an experience through, you too can land a full-send fly fish-and-camp epic. Start here.
Three Memorable Fly-Fishing Off-Roading Adventures
Klamath River: Northern California
The Klamath River, in Northern California, is one of the most renowned fisheries for steelhead trout in the continental U.S. Steelhead are known for their fight after being hooked, and the Klamath is known for its meaty, half-pounders.
Many anglers hit the Klamath via drift boat, but if you want solitude, head out in a capable 4WD vehicle to the Middle Klamath, where dirt roads off of the Siskiyou County Highway inside the Klamath National Forest, and the occasional hike, lead to pristine stretches of the river.*
The Echo Trail: Minnesota
This former logging road rolls through Superior National Forest for 36 miles between the small town of Ely and the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. But you don’t have to wait until you reach the Boundary Waters to cast a line. Side roads and hiking trails lead to a variety of backcountry lakes and rivers throughout the road’s corridor.
The Adirondack Mountains: New York
The 6-million-acre Adirondack Park is one of the largest public forests on the eastern seaboard. The off-road driving is more scenic than technical, with gravel roads leading deep into the park where anglers can access backcountry streams and ponds*.
You could spend weeks driving and fishing the park and only scratch the surface. Start in the southern end of the park, where you can drive the 20-mile-long, graded Powley Road through the Ferris Lake Wild Forest tracing the edge of East Canada Creek. Multiple free campsites line the road, and East Canada is full of brown trout.
Beyond encouraging anglers to engage these locations mindfully to discover their own honey holes, Lockhart encourages anglers to always practice ethical fishing and “ensure that you’re leaving no trace and following the local regulations.”
For more adventure-planning advice and inspiration, check out our Full Send content hub presented by the Ford Raptor® lineup of vehicles.
*Always consult the Owner’s Manual before off-road driving, know your terrain and trail difficulty, and use appropriate safety gear.
This article is sponsored by Ford.
