Almost thirty students showed up to participate in the 1st JEPFEC Fly Fishing Clinic on January 13, 2007 at the JEPFEC. Some drove from as far away as New Bern and Wilmington NC. Many also came from the Raleigh - Durham area. All came to learn a little about fly fishing and to have some fun. As usual our volunteers gave unselfishly of their time and expertise to make the clinic come off without a hitch.
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This is either the 5th or 6th year that the NCWRC has offered fly fishing clinics at the Fayetteville Fish Hatchery, which was recently renamed the John E. Pechman Fishing Education Center. Each year the NC Wildlife Commission brings in 1000 trout from one of the mountain hatcheries and puts them into two ponds so participants can fish for trout once they have rotated through a series of instructional stations where they are familiarized with the basics of fly fishing. These stations include a general overview followed by sessions on casting, knot tying & rod assembly, environment and fishing ethics, and rules and regulations pertaining to trout.
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The clinics have been a smashing success with the public and are usually filled soon after the dates are announced.
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Today's clinic included at least three grandfathers who used the occasion to spend some quality time with their young grandsons or granddaughters. We don't usually allow children under the age of 12 to participate but in this case the grandfathers all took personal charge of their grandchildren and it worked out just fine.
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My guess is that both grandfathers and grandchildren will cherish the memory of today's outing for the remainder of their lives.
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Everyone caught fish. Some caught more them others, but everyone caught fish.
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Nothing puts a smile on the face of one of our volunteer instructors like a beaming student who has just caught her first fish.
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I can't say enough good things about our group of dedicated volunteers. The Director of the JEPFEC has overall responsibility for the program. He has allowed me to pretty well use my own discretion in setting it up. I have the reputation of running a pretty tight ship, (some would say, "He's a benevolent dictator"). We have tweaked the program over time and it is still a "work in progress". Many of the suggested changes come directly from the volunteers. They make me look good. For that I am grateful and can say without reservation that without a dedicated group of volunteers these clinics would not be possible.
Quote from: trout-r-us on January 13, 2007, 21:53:20 PM
Is that young boy wearing safety glasses? If so, great idea.
Yes, those are safety glasses.
A couple years back we made wearing a hat and glasses of some sort one of the requirements. We hope they all bring their own, but if they don't we have some "loaner" glasses available.
great idea making that a requirement AL .. they were talking about the work you do down there every year. at the CFFC the other night. sounds like great thing for the future of the sport :)
Great job, and lots of fun, can't complain about the weather... are you sure it's Winter?
It was a great day. To spend the whole day out doors, to teach flyfishing, to even get to catch a few myself on a new rod ... it just don't get no better! 8)
I did notice, though, when I got to fish a bit, that the fish weren't very aggressive. I didn't have a thermometer with me, but the water did seem a bit cold, but whether it was that or the barometric pressure, the takes were subtle. Woolybuggers were the most productive fly, but I think mostly because you are usually moving it when the fish picks it up.
After watching everybody else fish for 4 hours, with varying degrees of success, I decided to try a white grub, size 14, with no flash, no weight and no strike indicator. I tried a couple of different retrieves, but settled on a slow drift, bringing the fly in just fast enough to keep the slack out of my line. I had to keep a sharp eye on the end of my line, because a slight twitch was the only indication of a strike. I probably missed several, but in the one hour I fished, I caught about 8, and had a grand slam to boot.
I only took one picture, Sat. This young lady was helping everyone land and release their fish, so when she pulled this one up for me, I asked her to hold it up for the photo. If you look closely, you can see the white grub in the upper lip....
I was privileged to be a part of this group. As a first timer, I was impressed by the organization of Al and all those who have spent time putting this event together. Everything was quite fascinating. I was amazed at the cross section of those who attended this event. All those who came as learners were all very eager to put to use what had been taught that morning. You could see the excitement in each of their eyes. The grand dads, the sons, the daughters, the grand kids, husband & wives; some learning something new for retirement, others needing a respite from life's difficulties. This event taught them all the same thing but each one learned it for an entirely different reason. Some lived close by and others drove a while to get there. Some worked hard to get the basics while others picked everything up fairly quick. They all learned and were excited about the new experience they had that day. Several came by as they were leaving and personally shared a work of thanks for what they had learned. I felt very gratified for having shared a passion of mine with some new friends. This was a successful day on the water and I didn't have to catch a fish to prove it.
Barry
more fun that a barrel of monkeys!
good job guys!
The future of our sporting heritage would appear dim if it weren't for volunteers that put on programs like this. I know there's alot of so called experts around the world that charge a premium for their services, but true sportsmen put the heritage above the dollar. Programs like this ignite the spark that makes sure there is an actual outdoors to enjoy in the future.
looks like everyone had lots of fun!!!