Today we’d like to introduce you to Sara Jo Royalty.
Hi Sara Jo, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I am from Ohio. Our family had farms and raised horses and I was educated to train horses growing up. We had a bass pond on our farm that I frequented whenever possible. I graduated early from high school at 16 and moved to the Carolina coast, where I fished commercially as a long liner, shrimper and bottom fisher, and lived on a sailboat. I also worked and played music at local restaurants. After my first son was born, we moved to the Oregon coast. Shortly after, my second son was born. At this point, I was working nights and raising my children during the day, and that’s when I found the caddy yard. Because I was already prone to physical labor, many people recommended caddying at Bandon Dunes as a profession. I decided it was time for a change of pace, given my children were about to enter school. I began caddying in 2012 and that was about the time I picked up flyfishing, as I had decided that fishing commercially wasn’t an option as a mother. I gained my first sponsor as a Tyer for Spirit River, and a year later, I was accepted to the Temple Fork Outfitters Pro Team. Snowball to ten years later and I have been caddying professionally all over the country including the PGA Tour for a decade, and have been a sponsored fisherman and fly tier for about 6 years. My most recent contracts have been with Semperfli Pro Team and Daiichi Hooks, but I also have sponsorship contracts with Korkers Footwear, Aquaz Fishing, and Dr. slick. I am also the Vice President of Flyfishers International for the State of Oregon. During my council, I have created a sustainable stream of income for the council beyond donations and have its many conservation groups throughout the state to work together to preserve Oregon’s Natural State. I am also an accomplished songwriter and musician and I play several instruments including piano, guitar, and bass among others. I also attended college on a vocal scholarship.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
There wasn’t even a road to walk down. Had to pave it myself as I went. Being a single parent of two boys while pursuing three artistic careers as a self-employed individual; can we make it harder? Yes, we can. In 2008 before my son was born I was given an expired malaria vaccine for my travels to Egypt. This landed me with a man-made, mutated bacteria called a spyrokete, that reprogrammed all of my organs to collect disease. I consequently contracted Lupus, Multiple Sclerosis, Lyme Disease, and Epstein- Barr, some among the list to be named. I was given two years to live but did not like the predicament so this is when I enrolled myself in a community college with a music scholarship, but concentrating on a chemistry degree. After much study, I used a series of natural cures including juicing, frequency medicine, and Kangen water to find myself completely negative for all of these diseases today. But it took ten years and I felt bad a lot of the time. I would consider this my greatest obstacle to date, other than raising teenage boys.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
In flyfishing, I am known for my detail-oriented flies. People visiting high-pressure waters tend to order from me so they get something closer to nature than the local fly shop is willing to offer. These flies take extra time but pay off in big fish. I am also known for making assortments of flies for specific locations and seasons.
We love surprises, fun facts and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
That I’m a musician, and that I’m known locally and consult often in frequency medicine and water science.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: Www.instagram.com/sarajoflies
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/steeliez?mibextid=LQQJ4d
