2nd Boy Scout Merit Badge @ NCWRC Pechmann Center 3-26-11

Up until this point Mother Nature has been kind to us but today we paid our dues. The 6th fly fishing clinic , a Boy Scout Merit Badge event, the skies opened up and we all got a good drenching. Rain had been in the forecast and being Boy Scouts they, for the most part, were prepared and no one suffered too much. Thankfully the rain held off until the afternoon when we were actually fishing - no telling what it would have done to morale if it had been raining while we were rotating through the instructional stations.



We had a full house today. Close to 50 scouts accompanied by several adult leaders. These folks were attentive, enthusiastic and very well mannered. Makes me think perhaps the world is not as bad off as many of us older adults imagine.



Many of the scouts came on Friday, spent the night and will not leave until midday on Sunday. One group told me they drove over 3 hours. Others came just for the day. In addition to the tenting area shown in the photo, the Pechmann Center has several improved tent pads in the woods to the rear.



We always start with an overview and discussion in the classroom.



After the overview participants are divided into smaller groups for rotation through various "hand's on" stations where they learn various things such as essential knots.



Casting looks so easy when demonstrated by one of our experienced volunteers



But it is not as easy as it looks. We give 20 minutes of hand's on instruction under the watchful eye of an experienced volunteer. Most participants can lay out an overhead cast by the end of the session. Will they remember how to do it after lunch? We will see...



Our clinics consist of classroom and hand's on instruction in the morning. We break for a quick lunch and use the afternoons for fishing. Participants are issued a rod with fly attached and instructed to go to a nearby catfish pond to demonstrate they know how to lay a reasonable amount of line out before proceeding to one of our two trout ponds. This young fellow appears to know what he was doing because he quickly caught one of the few bream which have made their way to the catfish ponds via underground pipes.



Wouldn't ya know it - the rest of the day is going to be spent outside and the rain starts in earnest. Give the kids credit, most of them just pulled on rain gear and continued to fish. The fishing was not great but it was good enough to hold most participant's interest even in the rain.


"I got one!" - "Hold it up and we will put you on U-tube"



One of the requirements for the Boy Scout Fly Fishing Badge is to catch, keep, clean and eat your catch. This young man is well on his way to that highly coveted merit badge.


The cleaning station is a crowded place toward the end of the day. Scouts clean their catch under the watchful eye of one of the Pechmann Center's fishery technicians.


"Hey, this fish tastes pretty good."



On Friday evening half of the scouts were given fly tying instruction by one of the NCWRC technicians. The other half took their turn at the fly tying vises at the conclusion of fishing on Saturday. I watched them wind thread and turn feathers and think we may have sparked in interest which will see some of them thumbing through catalogs and following through with this aspect of the sport.

And so ends a rainy day, but nonetheless, a good day at the NCWRC Pechmann Fishing Education Center. I think we touched some lives today. Not sure if they will all become fly fishermen but at least they were exposed to the sport. For sure they all had a good time and made some memories. Our volunteers will take a well deserved break in our regular fly fishing clinic schedule until June 11, 2011 when we host a Warm Water Clinic. This might be a good time to for me to say a heartfelt thank you to all of our volunteers. They put in many hours of their free time to make these clinics possible. When I say "free", that is exactly what it is. They receive no payment other then the occasional smile and "thank you". They let me think I am in charge but I am smart enough to know I am totally dependent on them. Thank you guys and Jeanette - I can assure you the NCWRC recognizes all the good you do.


If you would like to sign up for the Warm Water Clinic, registration is through Lake Rim Park (424-6134). The cost is $5. Pre-registration is required. These clinics fill very fast so pass this information along to all of your friends. The NCWRC Pechmann Fishing Education Center also hosts Wounded Warriors, NC Handicapped Sportsmen and any military and their families on the 2nd Wednesday of each month from 1-5pm - (That's April 13th next month). We offer fly tying and basic fly fishing instruction. At least half of the afternoon will be spent fishing