We recently connected with Emma Sledge and have shared our conversation below.
Emma, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?
It’s no secret that wild Florida is an unforgiving place. Between swampy terrain, reptiles that could easily kill you, and innumerable biting insects, getting out to the best fishing spots can be risky. Sure, you can catch fish from the safety of a dock or while boating down well-maintained waterways, but my experience is that the best fishing is done in the deep woods or far in the shoal grass where many boats can’t go. It’s not uncommon for me to encounter alligators on the water – gators aren’t dumb and many of them know that hanging out near a fisherman can offer an easy meal. I’ve been chased out of a good spot many times because a hungry gator wanted to grab any fish I might catch. I’ve also had many snake encounters and faced some treacherous weather out on the water. If you spend any amount of time in the truly wild parts of Florida, you learn to be careful quickly and develop a deep respect for the power of mother nature.
Of course, I take as many precautions as I can when I’m spending time at out-of-the-way fishing spots, but even the most careful angler has to be comfortable with a certain amount of risk if they’re going to spend time in the wilderness. I’ve had my kayak flip in high waves, been caught in fierce lightning storms, come face-to-face with all sorts of predatory animals, and gotten deeply lost a time or two, but the risks have never been enough to deter me from fishing these places. I just don’t think you get to experience nature the same way anywhere else and, when I finally find an untouched fishing honey-hole buried deep in the woods, all I can think about is getting out there and finding the next one.
Emma, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I’ve been fishing for about as long as I’ve been able to walk and spent time on the water even before that – I have my dad and his frequent Ceder Key fishing trips to thank for that. I was born and raised in Gainesville but have lived out on the east coast for about the last 15 years, first in St. Augustine where I attended Flagler College, and then in Palm Coast, where my husband and I have lived for the last nine years. When I’m not out on the water, I’m usually busy running my local dog walking and pet-sitting service, Xanadu Pet Care. I’ve been lucky enough to do a lot of fishing throughout central and north Florida in my life and feel very lucky to live in a place where I can fish both fresh and saltwater on the same day without leaving the city limits. Although I’ve been fishing for years, it was only in the last two years or so that I started to share my catches on social media. Well, I’ve always posted fishing pictures, but I think my friends and family were getting tired of all the fish spam I posted, so I decided to start a dedicated fishing Instagram at that point.
Flagler Fisher started as a way for me to catalog my catches and successful techniques for my own personal record but it has really blossomed into a community around me. I’ve been able to connect with anglers from all over the world. I can’t tell you how many hours I’ve spent geeking out over fish my counterparts in other countries have caught – some fish I might never have heard of otherwise. I’ve learned so many new techniques and strategies by watching the successes of others and I try to share as much information as I can about what is working for me.
That’s one thing that I think sets Flagler Fisher apart from a lot of fishing pages: transparency. One thing I always try to do when I post a fish is to include details on what equipment I was using and where I caught it. I want people to be able to see what worked for me and to go try it for themselves. The jargon and shorthand used in the fishing world can be pretty overwhelming, but I try to distill everything I post to the basics so that anyone can replicate my setup without an encyclopedic knowledge of fishing. I don’t claim to be an expert but I know that, through sharing our successes, we can all help each other to become better anglers.
I don’t know that I consider Flagler Fisher a brand so much as a community, but my “mission statement” would be the same either way. I want to make fishing accessible to everyone and cultivate a passion for protecting wild Florida in the process. I believe that the best way to preserve the natural beauty of our state and protect it from over-development is to expose more people to it. I don’t think you can enjoy a great day of fishing in the woods or on the intercoastal without gaining an appreciation for the natural beauty here. Fishing is a way to not only spend time in nature but to interact with it as well. It allows you to participate in the food chain to a degree and to better understand the relationships between the environment, plants, and animals all around us. I like to think that Flagler Fisher helps inspire others to get outside and experience “real” Florida for themselves, which is the best way to generate interest in protecting it. I promote catch-and-release fishing (as the saying goes, “let it go and let it grow”), responsible and sustainable fishing practices that minimize waste and litter, and the advancement of conservation efforts.
How did you build your audience on social media?
As I mentioned, I didn’t have any major designs when I started my Instagram, Flagler Fisher. I was mostly looking for a way to record my catches and keep a running log of what bait was working for me when, where, and for which fish. What I wasn’t anticipating was how many folks would be interested in hearing my fishing stories, or how many people there are in the world who are as much of a nerd about fishing as I am! It can be easy to get discouraged on social media if your main goal is to build a following – it doesn’t happen overnight and it takes a lot of interaction on your part, so if you’re only interested in growing your audience, it’s not going to feel worth it. However, if you are really passionate about your subject matter and are approaching social media with the intent to learn and share your own knowledge, there’s a good chance you’re going to find success. Building a social media presence takes consistency and time, two things that are much easier to provide when it’s a labor of love. I don’t think there is any secret sauce to finding success on Instagram – or any other platform, for that matter. Sure, you can google tons of algorithm tips and tricks that might give you a little boost, but long-term growth and engagement are going to be a lot easier for you if you’re truly interested in the community, not just looking to hawk a product or inflate your follower numbers.
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
Finding my voice in the fishing world has been a process. I think it’s natural for people to feel a sense of imposter syndrome when they undertake something new, and I believe women in particular tend to struggle with this. That was definitely the case for me, especially in a male-dominated sport like fishing. I’m not a fishing pro and, though I’ve got some wonderful local and small business sponsors, I’m certainly not sponsored at the level that the pro teams are. When you get down to it, I’m just a lady with a hobby and it was difficult not to think, “Who cares what I have to say?”
Ironically, I think that has turned out to be my greatest strength. I’m not focused on tournament fishing, selling spots on my charters, or collecting paid subscriptions to my content – I’m just here to talk about fishing. I believe that people find Flagler Fisher accessible because I’m approaching what can be a very technical topic from the viewpoint of your average enthusiast, not as a pro or someone with a bottom line to meet. Over the last couple of years, I’ve been able to move beyond the idea that nobody would care what I’ve got to say and I’ve realized that the fishing community as a whole is amazing at sharing knowledge and making each other better anglers. A rising tide lifts all boats, after all. 
Contact Info:
- Website: linktr.ee/emmasledge
- Instagram: instagram.com/flaglerfisher