As a member of the Tahoe Truckee Fly Fishers I was excited again to participate and donate my time to the Cliff Frazier Memorial Kid's Trout Camp. This year's event was held on June 20th through the 22nd. We had 12 kids, all boys, and some with quite a bit of experience fly fishing. Once again San Francisco Fly Casting Club graciously allowed us to use their riverside facility, and let the kids fish on their private stretch of the Truckee River. As a club we cannot thank them enough, it really makes the experience so much more special for all those attending and volunteering.
Who was Cliff Frazier? Current TTFF President Dick Gander said it best. "Cliff was a long time member of Tahoe Truckee Fly Fishers and an all around wonderful fellow. He loved to share his experience with everyone on the stream. Upon his passing, his wife donated to the club to continue his spirit of giving back to young anglers, and we continue with that tradition to this day."
Day one was held at the Tahoe Donner club house, students learned the dynamics of casting, rigging, and knots. More than a introduction, day one sets the tone and gets the kids amped up for the following two days chasing trout on the water.
Day two started off with a Powerpoint program on entomology created by fellow club member Mike Brugh. I lead the class explaining in the most simple terms the life cycles of the four main aquatic insects, and the role they play in supplying trout with the necessary food to survive. We then walked down to the Truckee River armed with collection tools, and took a sampling of bugs. The most prolific bugs found were October Caddis, Pale Evening Dun mayflies, Green Drake mayflies, free living caddis, midge larva, and other caddis. We then parked ourselves in the shade as Tim Haddon (head fly fishing guide for the SFFCC) and I went over the different flies that imitate aquatic insects from our samplings. The kids go crazy for the bug class! It's so much fun for them, and myself.
Next it was time to wet a line and hook into some fish!
Day Three, and the morning started with a split session with one group learning to tie flies from TTFF club members John Marcacci, and Dick Gander. The tying class is important because it connects the aquatic insect sampling from the day before, and binds the two together. The students learned the importance of matching the hatch for a greater success while fishing.
The other group went out and fished again. Our students were much more comfortable on the third day, and the results showed. One of the kids I was guiding had eyes of an Osprey, He could see into the water and knew exactly where the fish were at. I joked with him and asked he wanted a part time job spotting fishing for my guests. More fish hooked, more smiles, giggles, and hoots of hollar. It was awesome!
The 2016 Cliff Frazier Memorial was one of the best ever. Special thanks to everybody who volunteered, contributed, and made this event the best it could be. This event is easily one of the highlights for my summer season of guiding. You can bet I'll be back next year sharing the knowledge and the passion of Fly Fishing.
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