Fly Fishing Camp

Seven young lads joined BRDC for a week of fly fishing in southwest Virginia. They set out to experience all the habitats and environs of the prominent fish species of the area and that they did! Who knows how many fish they actually caught but I know they caught at least 8 species of fish.

We began teaching them the basics of fly casting in a field and quickly let them test the waters of a local pond. They wasted no time catching three of the species: Bream, Crappie, and Largemouth Bass. Even at night, they had it down using no lights and nothing but the sound of their flies "popping" across the dark water.

Each day they practiced and perfected their cast and learned new techniques such as shooting line, roll casting, and hauling; even Tenkara style fly fishing. They made flies by night and cast them to potential fish by day. It was "FISH ON" for the rest of the week as they traveled to stocked trout streams, tailwaters, high elevation streams and the New River. They caught all three species of trout as well as smallmouth bass and sunfish.

They experienced fly fishing to the fullest extent possible in a little less than a weeks time. They ate good food, played games and roasted marshmallows for S'more's...how much better could it get?

Fly Fishing during Galax Intersession

Nine eager young fellas joined BRDC for the week to learn all about fly fishing. For several hours each afternoon, we dove full force into the art of fly fishing. First thing was knowing the parts of the fly rod and reel. The students drew pictures and labeled them. We moved on to the three parts of the line and how to build a leader. Using paracord and a ring, they learned essential knots needed to build said leader and how to tie on a fly.

We moved on to aquatic insects and played relay games that enhanced this information. Using velcro cards and a "Castarget" replica of the water column, the guys were able to identify and match the life cycles of the three primary aquatic insects of the fly fishers world; mayfly, stonefly, and caddisfly.

A full afternoon was spent perfecting the cast readying for our fishing day but first, they spent an afternoon in the creek. Using seines and nets, they tossed and turned over rocks to reveal what lurked underneath. They found live versions of the insects studied on the cards; mayflies, caddisflies, helgramites and water pennies and did their best to catch the few little minnows they spooked with their splashes!

Fly imitation is a large part of fly fishing, so this was incorporated into a day. All made their own Griffith's gnat dry fly and then set out to catch a lunker trout in Chestnut Creek. For this, the boys used the Japanese style, Tenkara Rod. Its ease and simplicity is a great option for the beginning fly fisher.

On the last day, these guys built their own leaders demonstrating their skills with the knots learned earlier in the week. This day was pond fishing using an Orvis 5 weight fly rod. They all did an excellent job of casting with few flies lost. ONE young man, hooked into a mighty trout that fought hard, jumped high and gave us all a thrill! 

Explorers Adventure Day Camp I

BRDC's first week of Explorers Adventure Day Camp offered a variety of opportunities for kids to investigate mud and weeds, ponds, woodlands, creeks and river- five days of nature exploration and wonder.

The week began with a walk to the New River’s edge for birding. The campers were encouraged to listen for songs and calls before using sight and binoculars, and were rewarded with Baltimore Orioles, Indigo Buntings, Rough-winged Swallows, Eastern Kingbirds, Song Sparrows, and a huge family of Canada Geese with many goslings.

An orienteering program gave the campers a quick study of compass skills. as the kids constructed large scale models of compasses on the ground to emphasize north, east, south and west. Later in the week, the campers expanded on this lesson with a compass directed walk in the woods where they discovered a 24 year old box turtle, and hunted for salamanders.

The kids learned Tenkara, the traditional Japanese method of fly-fishing, ideal for mountain streams and similar to the simple cane pole. Campers were given instructions on how to cast, then headed to a nearby pond. Using artificial flies, the kids were all given a chance to fish, and all were successful in bringing in at least two blue-gills each. Groups rotated between fishing and an insect/butterfly hunt in the fields around the pond. White-spotted Skipper, Great-spangled Fritillary, Sulfers, and Pearl Crescent were some of their discoveries.

A chilly morning didn't stop the campers from getting into the Saddle Creek to look for aquatic invertebrates.  The critters were keyed out in field guides, and listed in the campers' journals. Stone flies, caddis flies, mayflies, and damsel flies were identified along with our usual catch of crayfish.

Mid-week, the campers learned knots and lashing skills and put them into practice by constructing a version of Leonardo Da Vinci’s self supporting bridge out of sweet birch trunks and branches.

The campers studied different species of mushrooms, hiked to a rock shelter cave,  constructed and tested creek rafts, explored owl pellets, learned about the art of fire-building, practiced primitive skills such as flint knapping with a deer antler and basket making, conducted hands-on experiments in geology, learned to identify wildflowers, and explored the creek fresh water snorkeling.

Recognizing the huge interest in salamanders, the campers rounded out the week with a salamander hunt. Aaron Floyd, BRDC’s executive director, joined in the hunt and helped the kids identify their catch, which included Blue Ridge Two Lined, Black Bellied, and Dusky salamanders. 

Special thanks to Lisa Benish, Heidi Breedlove, Carol Broderson, Rick Cavey, Ken Crouse, Roald and Ellie Kirby, Fred Newcomb, Joe Flowers, Scott Jackson-Ricketts and all of the BRDC staff and volunteers who helped to make our first week of camp a great success!

Fished Wilson Creek Tenkara Style

Tenkara is a traditional type of fly fishing practiced in Japan for hundreds of years. The rod is telescoping and has no reel making it an excellent choice for fishing our mountain trout streams. Amelia Hulth with the Grayson Highland State Park, graciously arranged an eager group to join us for a lesson on Tenkara fly fishing on Wilson Creek Friday, August 21.

Aaron Floyd and myself were joined by two women, a gentleman and three of his sons along Wilson Creek Trail to learn about Tenkara. After some introductory information about Tenkara and fly fishing, fly imitation and reading water for brook trout, we commenced to casting lessons stream side. Everyone picked up the technique quickly and efficiently.

We hiked along the trail in search of accessible pools in which to encounter the elusive brook trout. Separating into small groups, we took turns casting into the pools and runs in the hope of catching this beauty of a trout. The boys climbed rocks and falls (almost as much fun as fishing...almost) in order to reach a great hole. They stalked, in true form, a big brookie from the ledge up above. The fish took but the set was missed. A classic brook trout moment! All the fishers got their flies on target but to our dismay, they landed no fish.  

Our infamous guide and seasoned Tenkara fly fisherman, Aaron saved the day with a catch. Everyone left with new skills: Tenkara fly fishing, knot tying, and how to remove their fly from a tree. But most importantly, how much beauty a mountain stream can hold and how simple it is to enjoy it.

Rainbow Trout

Galax Elementary Enrichment: Fly Fishing

During the week of February 9th, BRDC participated in the Galax Elementary Enrichment Week. This was a fantastic offering by the Galax Public School System where students got to take in-depth courses on particular subjects. One of the programs we offered was all about fly fishing. 32 enthusiastic second and fourth graders signed up for our five day, 15-hour fly fishing course.

We began the program by introducing them to the concept of journalling and diagramming while handing out their personal journals for the week. They split into groups to research the Blue Ridge Mountains and the essence of fly fishing in a Self Organized Learning Environment (S.O.L.E). After they finished their collaborative poster boards they presented their findings to the rest of the class. The students proved to be very resourceful in their research but shy in their presentations. Although some of the students knew each other, most had never met being that they were from different grades. By the end of the day a sense of camaraderie had developed with the students and new friendships were forming.

The second day of the course was dedicated to teaching them all about the equipment and techniques of fly fishing in preparation for a field trip to the creek the next day. The students braved the cold February wind as we taught them a basic fly cast through the National Fishing in the Schools method. They learned how to put their rods together, string them up, and execute the "11 steps to a basic fly cast".  At the end of the day, we finished in a circle, telling rounds of completely honest fish stories!

Wednesday was the only day of the week forecasted for sunshine, so we dedicated that day to the outdoors and went fishing! We were blessed with a wind-free, sunny and 50 degree day in early February! The kids had come prepared for arctic weather but where shedding layers as soon as they stepped off the bus at Dannely Park. They spent the day swapping waders and casting flies into Chestnut Creek with a Tenkara fly rod. The ones who weren't fly fishing were picking through aquatic insects and identifying them under the microscope. Although no fish were caught (we used hookless flies) Volunteer, Lisa Benish was able to spot two sizable rainbow trout in the cold clear water. Of all of the great activities we did this week the one that I reflect on most fondly was watching the kids cast on the creek. Kids this age are a ball of energy and their focus is often measured in seconds, but when they put the waders on, stepped into the creek and began casting, their attention became singular and they each cast for twenty minutes straight without saying much other than "this is awesome".

On the fourth day the subject was bugs. To start the day the young fly fishermen got some energy out in the gym during an "aquatic macro-invertebrate relay" as part of the NFSP curriculum. They learned about the three most important types of trout food: Mayflies, Stoneflies and Caddisflies. The rest of the class was dedicated to patiently tying imitative flies with equipment generously loaned from Ernie Barker of Trout Unlimited. We set up vises and hooks for each student and they used feathers, chenille and thread to tie a "Wolly Bugger" and a "Griffith's Gnat".  This was a major challenge for this age group, but they stepped up and each student completed their flies for take home at the end of the course.

Our final day together was dedicated to competition! We took over the gymnasium and put the fly rods together. In pairs, the students learned to cast with "rod" hand and "line" hand. As their skills increased they casted for "Real Fake Fish" while learning about different sport fish species. We concluded with a casting competition where the students competed in pairs to hit the bull's eye target on ten sequential casts. At the end of the day the kids went home with their journals, chock-full of of the things they learned during the week.

I am amazed at how much these kids soaked up in five days and I hope that it made an impression on them for a lifetime.

Many thanks to Lisa Benish for her dedicated efforts for the program. Her enthusiasm for the sport of fly fishing is surpassed by none! Thanks to Ernie Barker! His loan of the fly tying equipment took the program to another level. Also many thanks to "Mr. Rob" and Mrs. Webb for their tireless efforts to make sure each kid got the most out of the program. A special thanks to Mike Floyd and Roald Kirby for assisting at the creek.