The Next Generation
How do you Catch a Fish?
Today, I had the opportunity to teach students at Sandpoint's Home School Academy the basics of conventional fishing, and fly fishing. The morning started off with general knowledge of how to catch fish, what lure/flies are meant to imitate, and what species we have in Lake Pend Oreille. After finishing up with the importance of catch and release and invasive species, it was time for a little Q and A. I received questions varying from "Are perch afraid of humans?" to "If you're swimming next to a whale in the ocean, will it hurt you with its tail?" Talk about keeping your head on a swivel. I answered all of the questions to the best of my knowledge, although I have never swam with whales.
Complete Naturals
Once all of the questions were answered, it was time to load up in the bus, and head to Lakeview Park for a casting lesson. Many of the kids were interested in casting the "long" 9 ft. fly rod. A couple kids seemed to be complete naturals, while others could definitely use a few more lessons. Regardless, all were excited they had the chance to cast a fly rod for the first time.
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Definitely a veteran move not putting a fly on the end of the leader. After all of the kids had the chance to cast a rod once or twice, the interest shifted from me to the nearby playground. The kids gave me warm thank you, and I was happily on my way.
Passing it On
I am always happy to pass on important fishing information to the younger generation, so we can continue to improve the fisheries we have today.
If you are in the Sandpoint area and would like a guest speaker to talk about fly fishing, stop by Ponderay's North 40 Fly Shop and ask for Dillon. I will do my best to try and schedule in your event!