One of iFishiBelong’s June 2025 “Be What You Don’t See” Pride Panelists, J. Michelle Swope (she/her), the Advocacy Chair of iFishiBelong, Crow Creek Fly Shop owner, and a dedicated community builder in the fly fishing world.
Starting with United Women on the Fly and now iFishiBelong, she helped evolve a movement that emphasized belonging, representation, and safer spaces for all.
Now, as a fly shop owner, she’s turning years of advocacy into action removing barriers to entry, using inclusive language, and physically shaping a space that reflects the values she’s long championed. She reminds us that real inclusivity takes responsibility, effort, and follow-through.
“Advocacy isn’t one tool or one way. I know some ways, y’all know some ways, we need to put them together, and we need more voices. I invite everyone to give us your thoughts to improve our spaces, sport, and way of being in the world together.”
“Guess what? I just bought a fly shop,” J. Michelle jokes. But opening the Crow Creek Fly Shop and Guide Service in Rosalyn, Washington, earlier this year was the culmination and manifestation of her lifelong love of fishing and her work to make inclusive, welcoming, and safe spaces for everyone, including and especially women and members of the LGBTW+ communities.
Growing up on the Olympic Peninsula in Western Washington, J. Michell started fly fishing at the age of 7. Initially fishing for Steelhead, she now has over 25 years of experience guiding the waters of the Pacific Northwest and will fish for anything, with anything, including saltwater species in Mexico and Micronesia. An avid conservationist, she is formerly the Washington regional representative for the Native Fish Society and the chair of Trout Unlimited’s Women’s Initiative in Washington.
J. Michelle is also trained in Behavioral Science and Organizational Development and has worked for many years to improve efficiency, effectiveness, and productivity within groups and agencies. She brings this wealth of experience and skill to her non-stop work in the fly fishing industry, including her collaboration with Heather Hodson to found United Women on the Fly in 2016 and now iFishiBelong in 2023. She continues her involvement today as the iFishiBelong Advocacy Chair.
The 2025 iFishiBelong “Be What You Don’t See” campaign highlights leaders breaking barriers in the fishing industry. Each month, we will feature individuals who challenge conventions and inspire change with passion and resilience, motivating the next generation of anglers to create their paths and “be what they don’t see.” By highlighting these trailblazers, we aim to inspire broader participation and show that leadership roles in the fishing industry are accessible to everyone, creating a more inclusive vision of success.
