2009 FFC Kids Fly Fishing School - Fernie, BC

2009 FFC Kids Fly Fishing School
by Todd Oishi

On September 26 and 27 2009, the Canadian Fly Fisher Magazine and Fly Fishing Canada (FFC) organized a fly fishing school, which was held in Fernie, British Columbia, in conjunction with the 7th Canadian National Fly Fishing Championships and Conservation Symposium. The free, two-day course was held on the Elk River and Summit Lake, and was attended by kids from across Canada. The students learned the fundamentals of fly fishing and were provided with hands-on instruction and coaching.

The majority of the students that attended the fly fishing school were selected through a written essay contest that was held by The Canadian Fly Fisher Magazine. The contest asked the kids to explain why they would like to attend the fly fishing school, and why fly fishing is so important to them. Several of the contest winners had their expenses covered through donations from the staff and writers of The Canadian Fly Fisher Magazine, Fly Fishing Canada, and several other generous individuals.

The fly fishing school also provided the opportunity for the coaches and members of FFC to assess the potential of those that were interested in applying for a spot on future Youth Fly Fishing Teams that represent Canada at international fly fishing championships and conservation symposiums.

Day One: The students spent the morning in a classroom setting at the Best Western Hotel, where Bob Sheedy (coach of FFC’s Youth Team) and Rebecca Clarke (Elk River Guiding Company) taught them the fundamentals of fly fishing, and gave demonstrations on fly fishing equipment, leaders, knots and fly patterns.

The fly casting lesson was very popular with the kids. A few of them were already quite proficient casters, but still benefited from the personal coaching they received. The Fly Kid Foundation provided fly rods and waders, which were used by some of the students for the casting lesson and during their time spent on the water.

During the afternoon the students fished a stretch of the Elk River that flows right through the heart of Fernie. Several members of FFC’s youth and senior fly fishing teams (Team Canada) were on hand to help mentor and coach the students. The students received instruction and one-on-one coaching from Rebecca Clarke and Team Canada members: John Bransfield; Terence Courtoreille; John Nishi; Todd Oishi; Chris Pfohl; Rob Stroud, and several other volunteers.

From my experience; teaching kids how to fly fish tends to be a much easier task when compared to working with adults, as kids tend to be much more open and receptive to new concepts and instruction, which helps them to learn and progress at a much quicker pace. This was most definitely the case with this fine group of kids!

The students fished with a variety of nymphs, streamers and dry flies. Not all of them hooked a fish right away, but most of them seemed to be just as happy and excited to watch the trout rise with great enthusiasm to inspect their flies. By the end of the afternoon’s lessons, most of the students had managed to hook at least one or two of the remarkably beautiful Westslope Cutthroat Trout that inhabit the river. One of the students managed to hook an impressive Bull Trout within the depths of a pool, but lost it after it ran several times and eventually freed itself of the hook.

The students and participants thoroughly enjoyed their time spent together on the river and walked away with a far greater understanding and passion for fly fishing, as well as a much deeper respect and appreciation of the fish and their fragile environment. My personal belief is that a child’s sense of accomplishment and achievement can easily be measured by the size of the smile on their face - today’s lessons and their time on the river definitely confirmed my theory!

Day Two: The second portion of the fly fishing school was held the following day at Summit Lake, which is situated high in the Rocky Mountain Range right on the British Columbia/Alberta border. Summit provides a very popular fishery that produces some very impressive Rainbow, Westslope Cutthroat, and Brook Trout. For safety reasons, it was decided that the kids would be fishing from shore during their lessons.

The day’s lessons began with a detailed talk on the basics of lake fishing, equipment and leader setups. The students walked the shoreline in search of insects and other food items that are basic staples of the trout’s diet. They were then shown the corresponding fly patterns that imitated these food items, as well as the retrieves that best imitated their natural movements.

The bank setting allowed the students to work on their casting technique, while the volunteers freed any flies that became entangled in the surrounding brush, which occasionally interfered with their back-cast. A few fish were caught, but overall the fishing was generally quite slow, as they were fishing the same area of the lake that had been heavily pressured during the National Fly Fishing Championship. This was however a valuable lesson in patience and perseverance, as it forced the students to focus on their casting, retrieval and overall presentation.

In the end, the Kids Fly Fishing School was a deemed a huge success by all that attended, and exceeded their expectations, as the kids all had a great time and learned a ton about fly fishing, while creating some new friendships and memories that will surely last a lifetime…

The next Youth Fly Fishing School will be held in Russell, Manitoba, on May 22nd & 23rd – preceding the 2010 National Fly Fishing Championships. The fly fishing school will be provided free of charge and is available to kids under the age of eighteen. Members of Team Canada and coaches from Fly Fishing Canada will be on hand to provide instruction and to assess the potential of any participants that might wish to apply for a spot on future Youth Teams.