Keeping An Eye On The Future (And The Fish!)

With the heat and fast-paced nature of summer taking a back seat to the crisper mornings and more mellow rhythms of fall, it's a good time to introduce some newbies to the beauty and the intricacies of fly fishing. Enter the U.S. Youth Fly Fishing team, the U.S. Angling Confederation , Sun Valley, Idaho-based Project Bigwood , and Cache_Seven ambassador Guy Robins, guide extraordinaire. With the support of those organizations and fueled by the intention to bring more girls and women into the sport of fly fishing, Guy organized a Sun Valley "Reel Girls" in early September. Joined by a flourish of other highly accomplished guides, Guy held a day-long free fly-fishing festival where the girls learned the basics of fly fishing, fly tying, and entomology. They also saw professional fly fishing guides at work, doing what they love—dancing with the water and fish. Fish and water. For all of the organizations involved, the clear calculus is, the more people who love the river ecosystems like the Big Wood River, the more people we have working on behalf of these fragile systems. That's an idea C7 can get behind!

Photographs courtesy of Project Big Wood

Jumping Into Something New!

For Reel Girls, the focus was on FUN, and, by all accounts, participants had an absolute blast! Fifth grader Lexi Kennedy says that her favorite part of the day was when "Guide Amanda Bauman hooked a fish, and we cheered her on as she reeled it in. My friend Grayson gave the fish a kiss before we released it!' Zula Van Der Meulen, a fly fishing first-timer has a hard time choosing what her favorite part of the day was. She says, "Well, there were so many parts of the day that I loved. Learning to cast was definitely a highlight and getting to touch a fish!" When asked if they were looking forward to their next fishing excursion, it was a resounding "Yes!" Here’s to the next generation of anglers!

For Guy Robins, it was all about spreading the love of fishing. "After doing several of the US boys three-day camps here, I told John Ford, the President of US Youth Fly Fishing Team, that if they ever started to develop a girls team, I would love to do a clinic for girls as well. I've been on the receiving end of some amazing mentoring in my life and my favorite part of my job is the mentoring I get to do in return."

It is also about spreading awareness of the stewardship necessary to protect our watersheds and the fish. With retired science teachers/ dedicated fishermen and women on hand, the girls learned a lot about fish, watersheds, and the delicate balance between human activities in nature and the natural environment. Organizations like 5B Anglers were on hand to cast some opportunities to learn and the girls were biting.

Guy's takeaways from the clinic? "It was a fantastic experience watching the girls interact with each other and the guides. Watching them laugh, have fun, and learn new skills. The feedback from the girls and their parents was overwhelmingly positive and encouraging. I am definitely inspired to plan some more adventures for interested girls."

Project Big Wood

The Big Wood River is a tributary of the Snake River that runs through four counties and plays a significant role connecting the southern Idaho landscape. 137 miles in length, the Big Wood is a particularly vital part of life in the Wood River Valley, the area surrounding the famed Sun Valley ski resort. Project Big Wood is a nonprofit that was founded with a mission to revitalize the Big Wood, restoring the heart of the Wood River Valley to a sustainable, ecosystem and a thriving fishery. Project Big Wood focuses on data collection for overall water quality and river health, community education and advocacy, watershed restoration, and activating local pride in the river system. Through the Reel Girls experience, mission accomplished!  

Thank You!

A day like this can't happen without a lot of people and organizations putting in time, talent, and treasure . Thank you to all who contributed to the effort.

Amanda Bauman , Silver Creek Outfitters Guide + Cache_Seven Ambassador
Bret Bishop , Silver Creek Outfitters Guide, member of Fly Fishing Team USA, 2006 Individual National Champion, Gold Medalist at the 2022 World Fly Fishing Championships
Guy Robins , Silver Creek Outfitters, organizer of Reel Girls Sun Valley + Cache_Seven Ambassador
James Carlin , USA Junior team member
Jean Marie Bousquet, Project Big Wood Communications and Program
Rio Pedersen. Project Big Wood Director of operations
Miles Sweek Project Big Wood Restoration Specialist and Biologist
Jill Clark, Found of 5B Anglers
Dan Gralenski, retired science teacher and member of 5B Anglers education team
USA Fly Fishing Team
USA Angling
Cortland Line
Redington
takemefishing.org
@5b.anglers
@silvercreekoutfitters
@simmsfishing
@cortlandline
@cache_seven

Photography contributors: James Conrad + Cooper Morton