Trendsetter Award 2022

Kastine Coleman is the 2022 Trendsetter Award recipient.

Owner, Tight Loops Tight Lines

Kastine Coleman, owner and operator of Tight Loops Tight Lines, located in Corner Brook, received the Trendsetter Award, sponsored by BDC. This award honours women entrepreneurs who use innovation and original thinking in operational and promotional activities. This entrepreneur’s business sets trends and turns traditional ideas on their heads.

In recent years, more women have taken up fly-fishing, and female anglers are revolutionizing the sport across the globe. Coleman says there’s a strong population of female anglers in Newfoundland and Labrador, and she is proud to be one of them. At ten years old, she learned the ins and outs of salmon fishing on the Humber River alongside her father. It was the beginning of what would one day become a full-time obsession, transforming her career and her life.

A mother of three, Coleman is a licensed Newfoundland and Labrador fishing guide. She is the Canadian ambassador, a board member and certified casting instructor with Fly Fishers International whose lessons focus on introducing women and children to the sport. Recently Coleman launched a school-based program for elementary students to learn the basics of fly-fishing and conservation.

“I come from a business-oriented family, and you need to have the support of your family and friends when starting a business. They’re the people that are going to get you through,” says Coleman. “My sister is a member of NLOWE, and I never thought I had a place there. But it turns out that I do, and it’s become a wonderful resource for learning and growing my business.”

Coleman is also a writer and produces her TV show, Tight Loops Tight Lines, which airs on World Fishing Network and Sportsman Canada, and is currently airing its second season in January 2023. She says being recognized for successfully turning her passion into a viable business has been incredible. Coleman is hopeful that her story will encourage more women to enter male-dominated sports and industries.