Fly Fishing in School?

National Fishing in Schools Program is a nationwide, in school program that teaches a positive, lifetime activity to students.

BRDC brought this national program to Grayson County High School boys ninth and tenth grade PE classes in December. Parts of the fly rod, fly reel and fly line; knots used to build leader; aquatic insects: mayflies, stoneflies and caddisflies; fish species, fly casting and fly tying were part of the curriculum for the week.

In addition to basic casting skills and an understanding of aquatic habitat, the students learned stewardship through catching and releasing real "fake" fish. Each day, new skills and information were added in a hands-on fashion to reinforce the lesson. On the final day, all the classes used their knot tying skills to build their own leader. Attached to the tippet end of that leader was a Woolly Bugger, a fly that imitates many aquatic species, that they created. By the end of the week, students had achieved a skill level that allows them to go out to a stream and have confidence in catching a fish using a fly rod.