Silver Lake Fly Fishing Academy gears up
There’s a new sheriff in town. Actually, Marty Thompson has been with the Mono County Sheriff Department now for a few months, so, technically, he’s not that “new” anymore. And, come to think of it, this article really isn’t about the law enforcement officers of Mono County. I like Marty, but have yet to include him in a fish report, since he hasn’t cast a fly rod in his life. He told me he wants to, but has yet to pull that trigger. One of these days, I’m gonna grab Marty Thompson and MLPD Officer Andy Lear, and take them both fly fishing. That said, this article is really about Marty’s two boys Carson and Martin Jr. and 10 of their newest fly fishing friends. The coverage is thanks to Coach Marty’s MHS assistant football coach and fellow alum: Silver Lake Resort owner Andrew Jones.
Marty and Andrew stepped into my classroom about a month-and-a half-ago. Marty Sr. was thrilled that I was taking his eldest son fly fishing after school, and he told me of a fantastic opportunity that was in the works and came to life just last week: The Silver Lake Fly Fishing Academy. Andrew is the head officer of the newly-founded 501c3: Silver Lake Foundation. And, as the two of them shared with me that day, we all have a common goal, to introduce youth into the world of fly fishing.
Last November, Jones was approached by Jack Perrin. Jack has a second home on Silver Lake, and has spent most of his 97 years fishing there when in the Eastern Sierra away from his permanent home in Southern California. Just seven months back, Jack informed Andrew that he wanted to start a non-profit organization focused on getting youth introduced to fly fishing and fly tying. Andrew was all in from the start. Only problem was, Jones doesn’t know how to fly fish. Yet. Hence, when he asked around for who could help him out, Donnie Meier pegged Pat Jaeger as the perfect pick for heading up the instruction for the kids. The group of anglers in the augural run ranged from ages 7 – 17. There were 12 of them present for two days of classes. Seven of those kids were local residents while the other five participants got word of Andrew’s opportunity via his weekly Silver Lake Resort email blasts.
So, last Sunday, Pat Jaeger was joined by fellow guides Eric “Otis” Hein and Beryl Rea, as the kids met at Silver Lake Resort at 0630 hours sharp for three-and-a-half hours of an introduction to fly fishing instruction. Pat and Otis instructed the students on proper casting, as Beryl turned over rocks in Rush Creek for the kids, to show them the entomology of fly fishing. The truth of fly fishing is that a real fly angler is an entomologist first, and an ichthyologist second. You can’t catch trout, if you don’t feed them the right bugs.
Beryl showed the enthusiastic clan everything from mayflies to leeches. My good friend Joe Lemire was present for the experience, and said it was so cool to see these kids learning about fly fishing, right in the heart and soul of it all with the bugs in a river.
The next day, Monday, I joined the gang at Conway Ranch, along with guide John Carlton. This is when the new set of skills acquired the day before could be put to practical use. Conway Ranch, located at the bottom of Conway Summit, is home to a seemingly infinite number of very, very large Alpers trout. To no surprise, under the supervision of all the deck hands, 12 young anglers got into quite a few bent rods. The largest one landed that morning weighed in at six or seven pounds. It was really cool to be a part of that program, and see such action on the water. Later that evening, I found a comment posted on my Facebook wall from none other than Tim Alpers who stated, “Glad you enjoyed the ranch. Makes me proud!” Tim, we all thank you, sir.
Andrew and Pat both admitted that they didn’t know how the program would go for the inaugural run. But to the shock of no one, it was nothing short of perfect. Everyone had fun, and learned a great amount about fly fishing. The best news of all is that this program is up and running, and it is only set to grow from here on out. Next year, Andrew wishes to have two “academies.” He wants to bring in another beginner group, and move this now experienced group onto more challenging moving waters found around The Loop. Andrew and I are also talking about how we can work together to strengthen the MHS Fly Fishing Association, which I have administered for seven years. I asked Andrew about bringing inner-city youth up for a week of fly fishing and hiking. The thought had already crossed his mind, and it is bound to happen. This academy is going to grow.
I’m so glad that Andrew Jones, Marty Thompson, and Pat Jaeger included me in this opportunity. It was great fun, even more so for the young anglers who were introduced to fly fishing for the first time. At this point, I don’t know if I need to be the one to take the sheriff to the river to teach him how to fly fish. Though the invitation is open, of course, I know two youngsters who can accomplish this job already, his two sons Carson and Martin Jr. I bet they outfish their pop.
For more information on upcoming Silver Lake Fly Fishing Academies, check in with Andrew Jones at The Silver Lake Resort, or tune into his website at www.silverlakeresort.net
A more detailed report can be found at http://kittredgesports.com/fishing_report.php. Leonard guides for Kittredge Sports. Call 760.934.7566.
(Photo: Leonard)
