Originally Published June 24, 2017
If you're a loyal reader of this little blog of ours (all 10 of you) you've noticed that the postings have been pretty sparse this past week.
I apologize.
I've gotten a ton of rod sock orders, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!!
And, Jacob and I had the privilege of being able to help out with our local Trout Unlimited's camp for kids, Rivercourse.
I heard about Rivercourse a few years ago and like most things always meant to help out. But, the years came and went and there was always something that prevented me from showing up. This year, with my new found freedom from corporate life, I was ready to commit.
I can't say enough about it. There were so many excited kids and they were excited about fishing. Even better than that they were excited about conservation.
The truly awesome part of this year's collection of kids was the number of girls, and how they approached camp. Each of the two young ladies I was privileged enough to work with was so interested in the dynamics of fishing, maybe more so than actually catching fish. They constantly questioned me about their casting techniques, the names of flies, what bugs the flies imitated, rolling over rocks, the differences in the species of trout. They were conscientious about wetting their hands before touching the fish, remembering to always de-barb their flies, and proper releasing tactics. I was really impressed!
Which leads me to how great the day in, day out staff was. Their leadership, enthusiasm, and ethics trickled down to most every child who participated.
'm not sure how the final tournament went, but I have high hopes that the winning team had a female on it.
If you've never participated in any program like this, I urge you to. Not only is it important to pass on the art of fly fishing, but it's important to pass on the ethics and conservation.
lus, you may walk away with more from it than the kids do!
What does your local Trout Unlimited chapter do for conservation and youth education?
Tell me about it!