Mia Sheppard

Mia has always had a great fondness for the natural world and finds every reason to be in the outdoors. Born in Tennessee, Mia grew up in the mountains, rock hopping along the river banks and spending hours with her sisters playing in the mud, catching crawdads, and hooking trout with line and worms.

Mia’s enthusiasm for fishing has lead her to fishing for crab and salmon in the Bering Sea and Bristol Bay in 1998-2001, as well as working for the Forest Service and ODFW as a fisheries technician. She started fly fishing in 1997 for trout on the Deschutes River. On a fishing trip to Alaska in 2001, she caught her first glimpse of Marty Sheppard spey casting a double handed rod; she admits that this is what won her heart, with her (soon to be) husband, the dance of spey casting, and connecting with steelhead. Since then, Mia has become a proficient angler, teacher of spey casting, and advocate for women in the sport of fly-fishing.

She now resides in Oregon with her husband Marty, daughter Tegan, and her versatile bird hunting dog Cedar.  Together they own and operate Little Creek Outfitters a year around guide service for Steelhead and Bass. Mia’s passion for conservation of wild salmon and steelhead has lead her to a position as a John Day River Steward for the Native Fish Society,  a board member for Waterwatch of Oregon, and volunteering for an educational program called Salmonwatch.