Kid's Day Recap

Kids Day 2023 was back on the books for the first time since Covid, and was as successful as ever! What a joy to see youth alongside their family members enjoying many different aspects of flyfishing culture, new verbiage, and life skills. Joel had hotdogs grilling and organic lemonade, available for everyone in attendance.  The weather was gracious, with a nice welcoming cloud cover. Lots of smiles and kid-friendly prizes were made available for hooking a parking lot plastic fish that had a special number on the back.

For 2023, we had between 30 and 40 youth attend the event and participated in a passport-style checklist; after completing each education station, the instructor signed off, and the student moved on to the next course. A live entomology Clackacraft Drift “Bug Boat” complete with real bugs, generously hosted by Jeff Holloman, provided attendance with an opportunity to look at various life, cycles of aquatic insects and crustaceans. We even had a microscope available for kids to look at little details. Inside the shop, Project Healing Waters/volunteers, Shawn and John, plus our new guy, Spencer, walked kids through the step by step of gathering proper materials prior to tying up their very own woolly bugger. Back outside, the casting challenge was on to learn a basic overhead cast, and roll cast to a flat, colored plastic fish sunbathing in the parking lot. 

Once the passport book was complete, participants could turn in their sheet to be entered in a random drawing for an Echo Gecko Kit, generously donated by friends at Echo Fly Rods. Whatever you do, be sure to mark out some time in early July 2024 for Kids Day that will coincide with the Willamette Old Time Fair; we are even planning on participating in the Saturday morning Willamette Parade to help expand our community audience and help anyone feel welcome to participate in learning more about fly fishing. 

From the Boss...

A special thanks go out to all of our volunteers who made this day possible. Thank you all! Plus, a shout out to our friend Jenn Biel for helping me in the camp kitchen! A hundred hotdogs crossed the grill this year, and I expect we'll need more next year...

I'd also like to thank ODFW instructor, Chris Foster, for dedicating his time to getting kids on the water with a fly rod in their hand. Youth are the future of our sport, and we need young advocates for our natural resources.

Lastly, a big thank you to the staff of Royal Treatment. Josh, Randy, Spencer, and Jennifer all brought their a-game to make sure this event was enjoyed by everyone in attendance. Thank you all!