High Country Fly Fishers hopes two beginning fly fishing classes will lure in anyone interested in the craft.
The first session will run April 25-27, and the second is scheduled for May 16-18, said Tom White, High Country Fly Fishers vice president.
“The first night will go over equipment and fishing knowledge in general, and the second day will consist of casting at the Deer Valley Ponds,” he said. “On the third day, students will put everything together that they’ve learned and they’ll go fishing with club members as mentors.”
Registration for the classes is now open at hcff.net, according to White.
“Classes are open to everyone including families with kids ages 14 and older,” he said. “We’ll take 20 students for each session, and the deadline is when the classes are filled.”.
The biggest goal of these classes is to introduce people to fly fishing, White said.
“Sometimes fly fishing can be intimidating, so we want to make it more accessible,” he said. “These classes are very beginner-oriented and are designed to take away some of the mystique and answer questions. It doesn’t get too deep in terminology, equipment, tackle and technique.”
The classes also give people the opportunity to decide whether or not they would like to take up fly fishing as a hobby, White said.
“We have some beautiful fishing locations around Park City and Heber Valley,” he said.
“I love the places fly fishing takes me. You get to hike, and see animals and enjoy nature along the way. It’s all serene and peaceful. And that’s what attracts me.”
Another goal of the fishing clinics is to attract new High Country Fly Fishing members, White said.
“If people enjoy the fishing and socializing, they can join the club,” he said.
High Country Fly Fishing is the Park City Branch of Trout Unlimited, a nonprofit that works to preserve cold-water fisheries and wildlife habitats in and around them, according to Kevin Parsons, High Country Fly Fishers president.
“We teach about and conserve our natural resources,” he said.
The club does this through various programs that include willow planting with the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources around Strawberry Reservoir to help secure river banks and helping restore a delta on Provo River, White said.
“One of our members has also taken up maintaining boot-cleaning stations at access points around the Provo,” he said.
The cleaning station helps stop the spread of invasive species such as the quagga mussels and zebra mussels that can clog water intake pipes and screens, White said.
“We also have a member who has coordinated with the DWR and installed temperature monitoring devices along the middle Provo River,” he said. “He’s using Wasatch High School volunteers to download the data that will help people who are preserving and protecting the fishery.”
Another High Country Fly Fishing educational program is called Trout in the Classroom.
“We deliver trout eggs to local schools in January and they are put in aquariums until they hatch in May,” White said. “The kids take care of these eggs and learn about the life cycles of the fish. They also learn about the importance of clean water. And when they are hatched, we release them into the rivers.”
While the list of participating schools varies from year to year, this year’s schools include Parley’s Park Elementary School, Park City Day School and Park City High School, as well as Old Mill Elementary School and Wasatch High School in Heber City.
“We also are working with the Round Valley Learning Academy in Wallsburg,” White said.
Becoming a High Country Fly Fishers member is easy, and can be done by visiting hcff.net.
“There is an annual $35 fee, and the first year’s fee enrolls you in Trout Unlimited,” White said.
Members have the opportunity to participate in once-a-month fish-outs, or fishing trips that last three to five days at a time throughout the spring, summer and fall.
“We also host a monthly meeting at St. Mary’s Catholic Church, and there are plenty of opportunities for us to volunteer,” White said. “We started a mentorship program where our more experienced club members will take out club members who are just starting out fly fishing for half a day of education.”
While White has been fishing since he was a child, he got into fly fishing when he was in his mid 20s.
“I picked up a rod and reel with a line on it and a box of flies at a garage sale,” he said. “I went to a pond near my house and flailed around while teaching myself how to cast.”
White later met a fellow fisher who was into the entomology of fly fishing.
“He was into the different bugs that are featured in fly fishing, and that was the key that unlocked everything for me,” he said.