Wednesday evenings for the past six weeks have been all about fly fishing for seven young area enthusiasts.
The First Cast Fly Fishing class has become an annual tradition at the Great Lakes Children's Museum with a goal of getting kids up to speed about this popular sport. The students followed a curriculum from Trout Unlimited, with equipment loaned for the class from the local Adams Chapter of the organization.
Students wound up the class last Wednesday by tying flies, practicing their roll casting technique and mining instructor Tim Young's wealth of knowledge gained on the river.
One trick Young doled out while leading participants through the intricacies of making a trilene, clinch or king knot was how a strategic application of a little saliva could go a long way.
"When you pull a knot tight, you always lubricate it first,” said Young, an area attorney who is passionate about all things fly fishing. "Friction creates heat and heat on monofilament weakens it — you can take a pound down to a half a pound.
Young also talked about keeping ready on the river to handle line breaks or any other situation that comes up midstream. Planning and preparation will keep a fishing session flowing smoothly.
"I carry all my tools around my neck,” he said of keeping equipment quickly and easily accessible.
Attendees ranged in age from 11 to 14 and brought a mix of experience to the class. Dustin Tucker, 12, has an uncle, Jeff "Bear” Andrews of Grand Ledge, who is famous in the sport nationally and in the state. So Tucker joined the group already familiar with fly fishing but eager to learn more.
"My uncle set me up with this,” said Tucker of the class. "Catching fish is fun. With fly rods, you usually catch trout and salmon, in some rivers there's bass.”
Smith's daughter, Caroline, 12, also attended the class, pitching in to help while also refining her techniques. She has been fly fishing since she was two and her father put her in a backpack and took her on the river. Countless hours since then on rippling streams where civilization is a distant glimmer have given her a deep love of the outdoors.
"To be out in nature is lots of fun and just being with people to do that is lots of fun,” she said.
Tim Young worked with students for five consecutive weekly sessions at the museum. Anchoring the course in conservation and stewardship, key aspects of fly fishing, Young also provided a wealth of information about nature, ecology, entomology and life cycles of insects.
"We learned a lot about bugs and stuff,” noted Tucker.
Students also went out on field trips, including a river walk and a trip to the Orvis Streamside shop downtown.
The popular course is offered year after year because it dovetails with the overall vision of the Great Lakes Children's Museum, noted Mary Manner, director of education at the Great Lakes Children's Museum.
"It's definitely water-related and it's definitely hands on and it definitely is informal science education and it's definitely a family activity, so it's exactly the type of programming that fits our mission,” she noted.
For more information about the Great Lakes Children's Museum, see their web site at www.glcm.org or phone them at 932-4526.