Big Horn Youth Adventure Days - 2009
As a little background on this project we must go
back to the summer of 2008. The observation was made that most of
the fly fishermen we see are older fellows. The discussion then
turned to the fact that someone should be doing something to bring
younger people to the sport. Therein was the resolve of the Big Horn
River Alliance to do something to introduce some youngsters to the
Big Horn River, to ‘big time fly fishing’, and hopefully send them
home with the motivation to share their experience and bring others
into the world of fly fishing.
We ran our idea past Fly Fishers Federation’s CEO/President R.P.
VanGytenbeek and his Education Specialist Matt Wilhelm and they both
thought our idea was a good one. A press release (description of the
project) was produced as well as an application form. The press
release was circulated to Federation Clubs and Councils using the
ClubWire Newsletter.
Applications were received from kids across America and we had the
sad job of selecting only twelve to come to the Big Horn River for
four days of guided fishing, fly tying, angling instruction,
sightseeing, and lots of food and fellowship.
It was our intention to have kids from ages fourteen to eighteen who
“kind of know how” to fly fish and “kind of know how” to tie flies.
When the final selections were made we had six kids 14 years old, 1
eighteen years old and the rest in the middle. We had ten boys and
two girls. They came to us from New York, Washington D.C.,
Pennsylvania, Michigan, Minnesota, Tennessee, Texas, Kansas,
California, Washington and Illinois.
One June 24, 2009 twelve kids arrived at Fort Smith and were
welcomed at a Community picnic.
At the picnic we had a casting area set up and the youth were given
the opportunity to tune up their casting skills. That’s when we met
Matt Stout, an eighteen-year-old certified casting instructor from
Flower Mound, Texas. Matt was more than willing to help out in any
way he could. Between Matt and several of the guides we ended the
evening with twelve kids casting like champs.
By the end of the evening the young people were all friends and
friends of ours as well. As it turned out the general consensus
among those of us most closely involved we could have never gathered
together a better bunch of youngsters. That feeling prevailed
throughout the entire Youth Adventure. That evening we learned that
dealing with the group was like herding cats. You can’t make them do
what you want, but if you leave them alone they do just the right
thing.
Along with the youngsters came two dads: Kevin Highway and Joe
Garza. Although they arrived from different parts of the country
they quickly became friends. (Isn’t it interesting how fly fishing
does that to people?) It was our concern that the dads would meddle
with the program and just generally be in the way as over-protective
parents. Boy, were we wrong. These guys were put to work on the
first day of the trip as photographers, taxi drivers, lunch haulers,
furniture arrangers, slide show producers and general go-to guys. A
big thank you goes to both of them from the Alliance.
Each day of the Youth Adventure was started at 7:00am at the Big
Horn Trout Shop for a quick breakfast and a two hour fly tying
session. The fly tying sessions were intended as a time to learn and
tie the flies the kids would be fishing with each day. We did that
and more. The talent level in the room was impressive. The kids
worked together and helped one another so we rapidly moved from one
pattern to another. These kids cared about what they were doing and
really wanted to have the right things for the Big Horn trout. Over
the course of the four days of tying and fishing these young people
all caught fish on flies they tied themselves, and most of them
caught many fish on their own flies.
During each tying session one of the youths was given the
opportunity to teach a fly pattern to the group. The patterns were
pre selected with the hope that their patterns would work on the Big
Horn. From Minnesota, Evan Griggs, brought us the Pink Squirrel
Nymph, from Pennsylvania, Stephen Sheetz brought the Czech Nymph;
from Texas Matt Stout brought the Suspended Midge; and from
Tennessee Lee Whitehead brought the Soft Hackle Midge Pupa.
At 10:00am each morning six PROFESSIONAL BIG HORN RIVER GUIDES were
ready to each take two kids for what we hoped would be the fly
fishing highlight of their lives. These guides were so good and had
so much fun with these youngsters. Most of them have since said:
“Sign me up for this again next year”. Without exception, these kids
could fish – some were downright ‘fishy’. Every evening they all
came in with great grins on their faces. After all, how can anyone
come to the Big Horn River when the fishing is at its best and not
come in with a grin. The skills and enthusiasm of these guides who
volunteered their time was what made the Youth Adventure - 2009 the
great success it was. All of the other stuff we did was secondary.
These kids went fishing – big time. We were able to show them what a
wonderful experience it can be to fish the fabulous Big Horn River
with the best guides anywhere and perhaps have the quality fly
angling experience of a lifetime.
On Sunday evening we held a Closing Banquet and
Awards Ceremony. Over fifty people attended including many of the
guides and service providers. Other parents were there as well to
enjoy the festivities. R.P. ‘Pete’ VanGytenbeek drove down from
Livingston to attend, make a short speech and to distribute a
‘Certificate of Excellence in Fly Fishing and Fly Tying’. We could
have given each and every one of the group the award for: ‘Best
Youth Group Participant’.
What a great group of young people! Not one complaint was registered
throughout the entire event. The closest to a complaint was when
some kid said: “Gee, I wish there was more to do.” That was after a
day made up of two hours of tying and a full day on the river.
THE FOLLOWING ARE SOME COMMENTS THE KIDS HAVE SENT US:
Frank,
I experienced several new things on my trip to Montana. The first
things were a canceled flight and lost luggage. But it turned out to
be no problem
because everything I needed was waiting for me in Ft. Smith!!! The
Big Horn was definitely worth the wait but it wasn’t like any camp
I’d ever been to before. It was more like the greatest fishing trip
of my life! The people
back home think I’m the luckiest kid in Tennessee to have been
guided by the Big Horn guides and so do I. Some new things I learned
was how to row a drift boat and how to fish in high water with heavy
weights. I also gained a lot more experience with casting and tying
with experts. Everyone was so generous to give us presents and fly
tying materials to bring home. Other
things I enjoyed were going out to the lake and seeing the Montana
landscape that is so different than Tennessee. The sky at night was
awesome with all
the stars! All the meals were great but my favorite meal was the
banquet on our last night. I also liked the guides house that we
stayed in and it was very nice of him to let us use his house. I
especially liked the bass pond out front. I made several friends of
all ages and hope to keep in touch with them. The only thing I would
improve is to make it last longer. The time went by too fast. I was
glad that that camp focused on what we were there for which was
fishing, tying and more fishing. I am making a Powerpoint slide show
from my pictures and look forward to showing it to my TU and FFF
chapters soon. Thanks again for making my summer the best!
Lee
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Hey Frank, here is my list of things on the trip!
Good
1. Food- Food was amazing! I think I ate too much, but that's a
problem I can deal with.
2. Freedom- It wasn't like the usual camp. There was free time back
at the lodge. I used most of that free time to take advantage of the
bass pond.
3. Guides- All of the guides were fun. I learned from them and they
helped get me out of messes.
4. Tying- I thought the increasing difficulty each day was nice. I
think it was a good way to learn.
5. Fun- Everyday I had fun. Nothing ever disappointed me!
Bad
I really can't say much of it was bad. I can say that more group
activities after dinner would have been fun. Maybe even casting
competitions.
Learned
1. Handle my line better
2. Row a drift boat. It’s a lot different than a rowing shell.
3. Tying new patterns etc.
4. There are 12 great people that I can go fishing with!
In short I can't really thank you enough. I had a blast with all of
the people there. If there is anything else you need just let me
know.
Thanks
Jackson Anderson
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Hey Frank
I just wanted to say thanks for everything. Everything went fine and
I got home ok. I might have started a cleanup program for one of our
creeks around here. You guys inspired me to do so. I hope to be back
soon. Thank you and have fun fishing. Ben
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Frank,
You already know this but I had the trip of a lifetime. I learned a
lot and met a lot of great people. Thanks again, let me know if
there is anything else I can do, I'm working on writing about the
trip. I'll definitely stay in touch.
Matt
Here ya go Frank
The Bighorn River Youth Adventure Week was truly an eye
opening-experience for me, and in many more ways than one. As I
learned the last night, the town of Fort Smith came together for
this event, and everyone’s kindness was touching. I met some
honestly amazing people, both those in Fort Smith and also those on
the trip alongside me. It only proves that good people are still out
there in the world, but the majority are located in Fort Smith.
While the trout were fat, hard fighting, and beautiful, without
great people there to exchange stories, the trip would not nearly
have been the same. And that is why the week was so great and such a
worthwhile endeavor. It brought, and is still bringing, people
together for a cause that is honestly the best in the world: fly
fishing. Fly fishing can be expanded to so many areas, whether it be
fun, friendship, challenge, conservation, or healing. The Adventure
Week drastically helped to put fly fishing a lot closer to 12
youths’ hearts, and in the long run it will make an even bigger
difference in the world. I cannot speak for anyone else, but
individually I grew in many ways. Before the trip I fly fished all
the time, but I had never had the chance to dedicate four straight
days to nothing but fly fishing and tieing. Along with learning some
new fly fishing technique, I discovered that after four days I was
still not even close to tired of the life I was immersed in and
actually craved to be on the river even more on my flight home. That
week was when I realized that I should be a fly fishing guide, not
meaning I could be a guide, because anybody can, but I should. That
being a fly fishing guide is my calling in life. I realized I love
helping others catch fish as much as I love catching fish myself.
Talking to every guide I had, Bill, Dennis, Bob, and Clint, they all
seemed so happy and content with their lives. That happiness is
something I want in my life, and I won’t settle for anything less. I
learned all of this in one week.
Matt
RIVER JOURNAL by Ben Bonarski
The Big Horn River Alliance and the FFF sponsored a four day fishing
adventure for twelve youngsters in June of 2009 on the Big Horn
river, Montana. Two members of the Grand River Fly Tyers were
fortunate to experience this wonderful trip. Here is the river
journal of Ben Bonarski.
Day 1:
I just got on the plane from Grand Rapids to Minneapolis. It was
scary since this was my first flight ever. I enjoyed having a window
seat, so much to look at.
I got off at Minneapolis and was frustrated since I had a 2 hour
layover before seeing the beauty of Montana. Lucky me, I got another
window seat. If I would have known how much fun flying is, I would
have started a long time ago.
Finally I am here. This is my dream coming to Montana. I could not
have imagined how beautiful it is. The mountains are awesome and I
have never experienced something like that since I never left
Michigan, totally like a different world.
We left Billings airport to drive to Fort Smith where I met
everybody, all seem to be real cool. Before we left the airport we
had a little picnic with everybody. I was not hungry though, flying
got to me. I got to the cabin where I will stay for 5 days. Since I
am the first one to arrive I cannot wait to go fishing since there
is the most beautiful Bass pond in the “BACKYARD”! I am going
fishing, talk later!
I caught 5 Bass and a huge largemouth Bass, the biggest one I ever
caught. Nothing compared to what kind of fish we are going to catch
later. I am taking tons of pictures of the lodge, pond and
landscape. I got this place from all angles.
I used a yellow Marabou fly with grizzly feathers as the tail and
lead eyes for weight. The outfit I am sticking with is a 6wt Temple
Fork rod that will “kill” them.
I just got back from an awesome picnic with everyone. We practiced
casting nymph rigs. It is easy, just use your wrist a little more to
create bigger loops. Tight loops will tangle because of the split
shot. Ready for fishing tomorrow: Bighorn! 6:00 a. m.
Hitting the sack for the day.
Day 2:
Just got up, ready to go fishing. Lee and I go to the fly shop in
Fort Smith. We had breakfast and tied some flies, worm patterns and
soft hackle sow bugs. Evan (one of the kids) showed us how to tie a
genius nymph pattern. Our guides were assigned to us. I got “Hale”
and my boat partner was Steven a real down to earth kid.
The boat launch was busy with everybody getting their boats into the
water. Fishing was supposed to be good according to the guides. The
water level is high. Dry flies were not recommended however nymphs
were on the menu. We used double fly rigs, two # 16 sow bugs with
the “Thingamabobber”, a strike indicator that works great, the best
I have ever used. The first 100 yards I only caught 2 Whitefish but
then stuff started to spice up and I caught several Browns in the
16” range. My partner also got into fish. Anyone on the river had a
fish on. Farther down everyone was getting into fish, 17, 18 and 19”
were average. Rainbows started hitting as well. I was in the zone
with every two casts having a fish on. My arms started to hurt. We
lost both of our rigs. Hail got his secret weapon out, cannot tell,
guides secret! We both landed several Browns and Bows.
We stopped in a shallow spot. I was already chasing this huge Bow
downstream. It took me approx. 20 minutes to land it. It must have
been a good 20” or more, however we forgot to measure it. More
Browns and Bows were hooked and landed. I was tired from catching
all these fish and slept on the way to Fort Smith. I waited at the
shop for 2 hours and chilled with the girls.
8:00 p.m. was dinner, ribs, salad and desert. After that we played
cards and guess what we bet with flies. Pretty creative if you ask
me!
Well, it is after midnight I need to hit the sack. 6:00 a.m. another
day on the Big Horn!
What a day the first day on the Big Horn was.
R.I.P. Michael Jackson 1958-2009
Day 3:
Getting ready to head over to the trout shop in Fort Smith. This
small town is so cool because it literally runs on fly fishing, only
one road going in and out. It has 3 Fly Shops, a small trailer park
and a small grocery store, the best town I have ever stayed in with
such nice friendly people. We tied all kinds of flies again. We also
got a bunch of free stuff from Frank. God bless that man for giving
us free capes, hats, T-shirts, Deer hair, fly line, leaders etc.
etc. Frank is awesome. I bought a pair of fly earrings for momma and
a magnet as a souvenir and a guide shirt. I am happy!
My guide today is Bill Peterson, a great guy. Every one of the
guides are good people. Today the fish were hitting on worms all
day. The weather was much cooler than yesterday with some rain. My
partner Izzie is cool and real nice. We both hooked Bows at the same
time and landed them in the same net. I made lots of pictures of
this rare happening. Izzie caught at least 20 fish all together, a
pretty good day of fishing!
We got back from fishing at 4:30 p.m. dinner at 8:00 p.m. After
dinner Karl Burns showed me some techniques for spinning deer hair.
He continued by showing us several amazing magic tricks. Back in the
room we were watching TV, calling the family and hitting the hay and
looking forward fishing with Ken Hoines tomorrow, one of the coolest
guys in my opinion.
Day 4:
We made flies again at the Fly Shop, flies for all kind of purposes.
My partner is Evan, my best buddy on the trip so far. Ken is a real
character. I felt a lot more comfortable having a conversation with
Ken than with the other guides. He hooked us up a little different.
We had split shot instead of the tungsten putty. He placed a swivel
right above the split shot. I have never seen a swivel on a fly rod
before. The fly on top was a steel worm and on the bottom was either
a pinky soft hackle or a Ray Charles.
The wind was howling, however the fishing was great, we even got two
doubles. After we were done with fishing we went to the top of the
hills in the crow Indian reservation. It was so cool in my mind.
Later we took a couple of Pontoon boats for a tour of the Big Horn
lake. This was great.
Dinner was spaghetti, garlic bread and salad. After getting back
late from the lake we had to get ready for our trip back home and
start packing some of our stuff. Hit the hay and see you tomorrow.
Day 5:
Bummer, I woke up real late as did all the others. Tying again at
the pro shop. After the tying we hit the river. Our guide today was
Dave Palmer. He seems to be a little more rugged. I liked him a lot.
He is not afraid speaking his mind. My partner was Lee Whitehead.
Probably my best friend out here, we just “clicked”!
The weather was hot and the wind was blowing a little, however not
as hard as yesterday. We started out by using a worm and a pinky and
after a little bit they just started to take the worms an we
switched to two worms instead of one. We did land several 19 and 20”
fish. We also had 3 doubles. Real nice!
Off the river around 4:30 p.m. and then off to the lodge to get
ready for the 7:30 banquet.
We fished the pond for bass in the meantime.
Than banquet was amazing. The CEO of the FFF was there. This was
big! A once in a lifetime chance to meet this guy. Everyone was
there who helped organize this trip in the first place. I am not
going to lie, but I was moved to tears experiencing how this small
town treated us youngsters to such an unforgettable event. The
people here were like family and it will be hard for me to leave.
I want to tell you, that this has been the best 5 days of my life
and I want to give thanks to all the individual who made this
possible for me. I hope to be back soon.
Ben
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A RIVER JOURNAL by Cory Highway
The Big Horn River Alliance and the FFF sponsored a four day fishing
adventure for twelve youngsters in June of 2009 on the Big Horn
river, Montana. Two members of the Grand River Fly Tyers were
fortunate to experience this wonderful trip. Here is the river
journal of one of the participants: Cory Highway:
Today was the first day of fishing on the Bighorn River in Fort
Smith, Montana. My dad and I will be fishing together for the first
two days of the week.
After those first two days I will start fishing with the other kids
during the Bighorn Youth Adventure. The Bighorn Youth Adventure
consists of 12 youth who were hand picked from over 100 applicants
and I am one of those 12. We will wake up every morning at 7:00 a.m.
and will be picked up from our cabin to have breakfast at the
Bighorn Trout Shop. After breakfast we meet in a room to tie flies
for two hours. At 10:00 a.m. the guides show up and it will be time
to go fishing. We have lunch on the river and get off the river
around 5:30 p.m. At 8:00 p.m. we will be picked up to go eat dinner.
After dinner we will go back to our cabins to sleep.
Today, my dad and I fished at the three mile access point. This is
the last public access area until the thirteen mile access point.
The thirteen mile access is where the drift boats take out. I will
be in a drift boat Thursday – Sunday. Today dad caught the first
fish, it was a 16” Rainbow Trout. This river has Rainbow, Brown and
Cut-Bow Trout. The river is also home to Suckers, Carp and
Whitefish, however the Trout are the most popular. After catching
that first Trout we really didn’t catch anymore fish, so we headed
back to the car to eat lunch. We also met Frank today. Frank Johnson
is the guy who set this whole Youth Adventure up. Frank is also
going to be taking us out in his drift boat tomorrow (he is a
guide). I expect catching more fish tomorrow than we did today. To
end the day we went fishing again and caught a few more fish. I
caught a nice 15” Rainbow that fought like crazy. I also had another
good sized fish on, but it spit the hook.
My dad on the other hand caught a nice 20” Brown. The fishing has
been tough from the banks because the water has been so high. The
flows are usually at 3,500 C.F.S. Since the water is coming from a
reservoir the flow is regulated by the rangers.
The melting snow is overflowing the reservoir and they need to let
water out as fast as they can. The flow of the water is at 12,100
C.F.S. The fishing from a boat has been phenomenal though. The high
water has made the fish start focusing on worms which get washed
down the river. The fish have also been eating pink Soft Hackles,
probably because the Suckers are spawning and their eggs are pink.
In my mind the trip can only get better.
Today is Tuesday, the 23nd and the river has been raised another
5,000 C.F.S. Today Frank is taking dad and me fishing in his drift
boat. The fishing from the boat is fantastic!
I caught TONS of fish today. They were mainly Browns that were all
of 15 “. I also caught my biggest stream Rainbow which was around
22”. I caught over 20 fish today and my dad caught around 10.
Tomorrow is the starting of the Adventure and I will also get to
meet my cabin mates which I am sure will be great. The fishing has
been awesome and I can’t wait for the other kids to get here.
Today is Wednesday, the 24th. We only got to fish for about two
hours before the beginning of the Youth Adventure. Right at the boat
ramp I caught a nice Brown which decided to move upstream. Right as
we got up there we started catching fish, but most of them were
Suckers. We caught a few Trout, but it was nothing to keep us
interested. After we were done fishing, we went to my cabin and met
my “cabin mates”.
Their names are Evan Griggs (17), Sam Rees (14) and Chris Hubbard
(16). They are all nice and respectful guys. I also got to meet the
rest of the kids at the picnic earlier and they are all great.
Tomorrow we start fishing.
Today was the first official day of fishing during the Adventure. We
caught a lot of fish on Wire Worms and pink Soft Hackles. The day
started out with us waking up at six in the morning and getting
picked up to go to the trout shop. When we got to the shop we ate
breakfast and tied flies for about two hours. After we were done
tying we had the pleasure of meeting our guides and fishing partners
for the day. My guide was Paul Dubas who was a great guide. I was
partnered up with Dylan who was also a very nice guy. Once we got on
the river we started off by losing our flies on two willow stumps.
After we re-rigged we started “killing” the fish. We caught one
after another with the biggest fish measuring 20”. Paul, our guide
says the fishing is only getting better.
Today was the third day of the Adventure. I was partnered with
Danielle and our guide was R.A. Torbert. As soon as we were on the
river we started catching fish. R.A. seemed to know exactly where
the fish were. I was catching a TON of fish in the beginning, among
them a huge 21” Brown Trout. Although the fishing was great at
first, it started to slow down around the 9 mile mark. After fishing
on the river R.A. tied streamers on and had us fish the Bass Pond at
the Bighorn River Lodge. I caught a 12” Large Mouth Bass, but the
fishing on the river is much better.
Today was the most productive day of fishing that I have had this
week.
It’s Friday, June 26 and the 4th day of this awesome trip. My guide
was Bob Krumm and my fishing partner was Matt. The fishing was
slower than yesterday, but I still had a great time catching many
fish. My partner, Matt, caught no fish at all, even though he is a
phenomenal fisherman. At lunch we were privileged to see an orphaned
bear cub that looked to be only 15 pounds climbing down the cliff on
the other side of the river. Matt took tons of photos of the cub. I
was disappointed that I had forgotten my camera. Over all I had a
great day fishing except for getting a hook stuck in my hand. My
guide Bob, pulled it out with a pair of forceps. After we fished the
river, we were taken to see the Bighorn Canyon Reservoir. After we
got up there we took two rented Pontoon boats out on the reservoir.
The reservoir is in a canyon and reaches depths of 500 feet of
water. Sheer cliffs surround the lake and this is also where the
Bighorn River gets its water. There were many logs in the water
because of the snowmelt this past spring. The scenery was truly
breathtaking. From our boat we were lucky to see a Moose on one of
the canyon cliffs.
Today is Saturday, June 27, the last day of my Youth Adventure week.
I was fishing with Chris Hubbard and my guide was Chase Fisher.
Chase was a great guide. He was born and raised near the river and
knew the Bighorn very well. Although he was a great guide we never
had the chance to get out of the boat. He did get us into a lot of
fish though. Today wasn’t the best day of fishing, but I did catch a
Cut-Bow (a Cut-Bow is a cross between a Cut-Throat Trout and a
Rainbow Trout. Today, being the last day of our trip we had the
closing banquet. The president of the FFF came to speak, as well as
the president of the Bighorn River Alliance. Most of the guides and
other people who contributed to the success of this program were
also in attendance. All twelve of the kids were given a custom made
fly box. The boxes were engraved with our names and a Trout. We also
received a certificate of excellence. Everyone also received a gift.
The gifts included a fishing belt, a handmade trout net, a Ross
Reel, a Simms Dry Bag plus a pair of Simms Waders. After everyone
received their gifts, names were drawn for a 700 dollar 9’ 5wt fly
rod which was to be given to the winning kid...
This whole week was more than I could have imagined. All of the
people who gave their time and effort wanted to do this and also
wanted to see more kids join this sport. This has been a trip I will
never forget and I am truly grateful to all the people who helped
set this up and made donations. I hope they plan to do this again in
the coming years and I also hope to see more young people join this
awesome sport of FLY FISHING.
THE FOLLOWING ARE SOME COMMENTS SENT BY PARENTS
AND GRANDPARENTS:
Hi Frank
My name is Donna Highway, mom of Cory and wife of Kevin. I just
wanted to send you a note myself to thank you for the once in a
lifetime trip that Cory was a part of. He truly had the time of his
life. Thank you also for taking both Kevin and Cory fishing. I have
heard so many good things about you and all of the hard work that
you put into making the trip happen for all twelve of the kids. Cory
can't stop talking about the trip. From the great fishing to the
things he learned and the wonderful people that he got to meet. This
trip has created such awesome memories for Cory that he will always
cherish.
Thank you so much!
Donna Highway
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Frank,
I have just returned home from two weeks of meetings and a short
stay on the Oregon coast. I wanted to take just a moment to express
my sincere appreciation to you and all the people that made the Big
Horn River Experience a special event for all the youth that
participated. Danielle had a wonderful time and the experience will
live with her for many years to come. She told me that if you called
and said something to the effect of, "Danielle, there has been a
mistake and you have two more days left in your trip, please return
to Montana" she would be there. I will see her this afternoon to
view the pictures and hear more stories. I just wanted to let you
know that from my point of view you and your helpers will have a
special place in the hearts and minds of these kids for a very long
time.
Thanks for all you do.
Greg
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Frank
I just wanted to let you know I picked up Izzy. Flight home was
fine. I just want to say thank you to you and everyone who put this
together. It was terrific. She had a great time, learned a lot and I
think you all really opened her eyes to the joy of fly fishing. Stay
in touch.
John
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Hi Frank,
I wanted to send along a huge "thank you" to you and all of the
people that helped with the Youth Adventure. I met Evan and Lee at
the gate in Minneapolis tonight and we went to get a bite to eat
while waiting for Lee's connection. Those two boys, although
exhausted, talked and smiled non-stop!! That's quite a feat for
teenage boys!! Evan quickly unpacked and shared all of his treasures
with us. Showed me each picture on his camera, and the CD with all
the images. He spoke so fondly of the entire town of Fort Smith!
This event that you created has given him a lifetime of memories,
and I believe some lifelong relationships as well.
Congratulations on a job well done!
Lori Smith
_____________________________________________
As project chairman for the Big Horn River Youth Adventure I would
like to say the event was a success beyond my wildest expectations.
I THINK THE KIDS GOT IT!! I believe we gave them the message about
what a wonderful activity fly fishing is. Now we need to just wait
and see if they bring others to the sport and continue to share
their experience.
Frank Johnson
GREAT NEWS FOR 2010
THE BIG HORN RIVER ALLIANCE WILL BE SPONSORING AND PRODUCING
BIG HORN YOUTH ADVENTURE 2010
The dates for 2010 will be June 24 through 27 with a travel day
before and after. Details and application information will be
available soon. Any clubs with or without youth programs are more
than encouraged to encourage applications from youth from 14 to 18
years of age. Both boys and girls are welcome. For more information
contact: Frank Johnson, 11 Spring Creek Lane, Sheridan, Wyoming
82801. Phone 307-672-5164 or email bghrnhkl@wavecom.net.
