In Charleston, the water has a way of finding its people. And Emily Roudebush — marketing professional, fly fisher, and someone who grew up with a rod in her hand long before she ever thought to put it down — is no exception.
She fishes all over. But wherever she goes, she's chasing the same thing.
"It's the only thing that actually gets my brain to stop thinking."
Before She Could Name It
Emily didn't have a "first fish" the way most people do. She grew up fishing with her grandfather — it wasn't an event, it was just life. The water was always there. The rod was always there.
Fly fishing came later, in college. And with it, the fish that changes everyone who chases it.
Her first redfish on the fly didn't come easy. She spent an entire summer on it — after work, before work, weekends, the whole run. On the last trip before she had to go back to school, she stuck one.
"I guess you could say I've been hooked ever since."
500 Bonefish and No Camera
Ask Emily for her favorite fishing memory and she'll take you to the Bahamas, 2021, on a stormy morning that had no business being as good as it was.
She and her dad booked a week through Yellowdog — their first father-daughter trip. When the weather turned ugly one afternoon, their guide sent the boat around the island to chase cleaner skies. They got a little wet. Nobody cared.
They waded a flat. The guide worked with her dad while Emily got the green light to walk on her own. At the end of the flat, right before it dropped into the channel, she found a school of bonefish. Five hundred of them, at least.
"I almost didn't want to start casting because it was so unreal."
That feeling didn't last long. She started casting, and the school didn't budge. Fish after fish. She lost count around 20. They fished through lunch, past two o'clock, until the tide switched and reef sharks came up to claim the flat.
Their gear was a mile away on the boat. There are no pictures from that morning. It doesn't matter.
The Chase, Then the People
When asked what drives her — the catch, the chase, the process, or the people — Emily doesn't hesitate.
“The chase. Always the chase.”
But it's the people, she'll tell you, that leave the real mark.
That tension — between the hunt and the human side of it — is probably what makes her such a natural ambassador for what fishing can be at its best. Not a solo pursuit. Not a performance. A connection.
"It's more than a sport or a hobby. It's a community and a lifestyle."
What the Water Teaches
Patience. Persistence. The ability to connect with people you might never have met otherwise.
"The experience and the journey is just as important as the goal and destination."
On conservation, her answer is just as clear. She's not interested in gatekeeping the fishery — she wants to open the door wider.
"Teach people. This is not an exclusive sport. There is room for everyone. And we should steward others just as we steward the fishery."
What's Left
The bucket list fish was a roosterfish on fly. Was — because she's since crossed it off, thanks to our friends at 4 Corners Costa Rica.
If she could be anywhere tomorrow? She already knows the answer.
Until then, she'll be somewhere on the water — before work, after work, on weekends — guided by the same line she carries with her:
"Whatever we lose, like a you or a me, it's always ourselves we find in the sea." — E.E. Cummings
We're proud to count Emily as part of this community and thrilled to have her in After Work Featured.
Sean Nguyen (@vin_nguyen)