Lowcountry charter owner encourages women to navigate the fishing industry

A Lowcountry woman who runs her own charter company is hoping to reel other women into pursuing a career in the fishing industry.

Captain Tanya Dowdy is the owner of Reel Chica Charters. She began fishing in her early twenties and ever since then she’s been hooked.

"The favorite part for me being out here is, I tell people on the water is what I call my church. I believe in the Man upstairs, and I do have my faith, but I feel like I'm the closest when I'm out here on the water, and I really feel like that grounds me," Dowdy said.

What started off as a merely a hobby quickly turned into a career.

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"I saw these guys in a small aluminum boat pull over this massive red looking fish, and I was like, 'what in the world is that?' So, I had no idea in my backyard that you could catch fish like that, and it was a red fish and the addiction started," Dowdy said. "And that's kind of why I got into fishing like I did, 'cause I was out to chase that same big fish that I had seen, and it kind of really got the fire under me."

Reel Chica Charters caters to women wanting to try something outside of their comfort zone.

"I love to get women out on the water and offer them a place where that's kind of stress free," Dowdy said. "So if they've never fished before, or maybe want to amp their game up, they don't have the pressure of maybe the husband, the boyfriend, or just their significant other, or maybe even a good friend to kind of haggle them and give them a hard time."

Dowdy says there’s not many women in the fishing industry, but that it’s never too late for women to find their way out on the water.

More information about Reel Chica Charters can be found on their website.