Growing up on a farm in Alabama, McCoy loved animals of all kinds, but she felt an early and particular fascination with fish. By her teenage years, she had more than a dozen aquariums in her bedroom. “I just have always loved fish,” McCoy said. That passion led her to study aquaculture at Mississippi State University, where classmates nicknamed her “River Girl” because of her tireless dedication to fieldwork. “I was always the undergrad that would throw my hand up to go out and do these overnight missions and set nets and camp out in the woods and get eaten by mosquitoes,” she says. 

After graduation, McCoy accepted a position with Florida Fish and Wildlife, conducting marine biology research on fisheries populations. But a visit to the North Carolina mountains changed the course of her life. “I floated the [New River] and I was just in love,” she said. “I didn’t want to go back to Florida.” Within two years, she and her partner sold everything and relocated to Todd.

With limited local opportunities in marine biology, McCoy began envisioning her own future. She knew she didn’t want her office to have four walls. “I wanted my office to be the river,” she said. In 2006, she opened RiverGirl Fishing Company with a 200-gallon fish tank, a fly-tying desk, and a vision. The business quickly outgrew its beginnings and moved into Todd’s historic train depot, which McCoy eventually purchased along with the adjacent post office.

RiverGirl has since expanded into kayaking, tubing, biking, and eco-tours, while maintaining a strong educational mission. Families return to RiverGirl Fishing year after year to visit the menagerie that has become part of the experience, from Pepper the pig to Stevie Wonder the blind goat and Tater Todd the bulldog.

“I really think it’s the relationships that we build with people,” McCoy said. “We’re not just loading them up in the vans and throwing them on the river. We want them to have a good time. We want to educate them.”

McCoy guides NC First Lady Anna Stein on a river float. Photo by Moss Brennan/Watauga Democrat. 

 The legacy of RiverGirl Fishing Company is deeply tied to stewardship for McCoy. “I would just really like to be known as a business that tried to work with the Earth, work with the river, and give back to the river because the river has been giving to us,” she said.

As a woman in a traditionally male-dominated industry, McCoy recognizes the unique qualities she brings to her role. Many families and even grown men seek her out specifically because she is a woman teaching fly fishing. “They think a woman won’t be as overbearing,” McCoy said. 

Her leadership style blends patience, adaptability, and a nurturing approach to both her staff and her clients. “You have to adapt to everything,” McCoy said. “If you would just be like the river—because we’re all going to get bumped and bruised and run into things that slow us down. But the water always gets through.”

Learn more at RiverGirlFishing.com.