Intro to Fly-Fishing

Gierach's quote is admirably put into practice by Garden County High School science and biology instructor Jerry Sutton. For the second school year in a row, Sutton's class, "Freshwater Ecology - From the Fly-Fisherman's Perspective," is attracting the interest of students, parents, volunteer instructors and a host of statewide

Elisa Jensen's collection of flies tied during last year's class.

observers, including fisheries biologists and educators looking at Sutton's innovative educational and motivating curriculum. These high school students are staying after class and using their fly-tying equipment and materials during every lull in their daily activities. They discuss offbeat, simple-to-tie patterns that match the larval stage of dragonflies and other insects, and debate the benefits of high-modulus carbon versus graphite blanks for fly rods while also tossing in observances concerning the trout's preferred range of water alkalinity.

The class has grown both in size and scope. Last year's class was held during the spring semester, seriously cutting into field opportunities to study water quality on nearby ponds, lakes, streams and rivers that were frozen during the late winter.

Garden County High School's football field provides plenty of room for fly-casting practice.

This year's class covers both the fall and spring semesters, and more than three-fourths of the class outline covers science - biology, chemistry and physics - with an interesting sprinkle of recreation - fly-fishing and fly-tying - blended in throughout the school year.

"The fly-fishing class was always somewhere in the back of my mind over the last four or five years," Sutton enthusiastically explained, "but it took my son to help make it a reality. We were discussing my class schedule before the beginning of last year's second semester. 'Why not teach a fly-fishing class?' was his question - 'you've always wanted to teach a fly-fishing class.'"

The administration at Garden County had asked Sutton to teach an additional class to fill a vacancy before that first semester and conversations were directed toward an advanced biology, ornithology or other life science class when Sutton's son brought up the idea of a fly-fishing class. "It really was a longtime dream to teach fly-fishing," Sutton said. "My teaching endorsements include both biology and recreation and I'm a certified fishing instructor through the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission's outdoor education program. But the class was also from the personal perspective of an addicted fly-fishermen, although probably a somewhat unconventional one by most fly-fishing standards."

Art Engle of Ogallala and the Big Mac Sportsmen's Club demonstrates fly rod construction to Sutton's class.

The immediate administrative response to Sutton's request was "No," but they still listened to Sutton's concept that the fly-fishinseg class could be a vehicle to carry a science-based curriculum studying physical properties of both still and flowing waters, nutritional sources for fish, and aquatic and terrestrial insects and their life cycles. Sutton also planned to work with fish identification keys to identify the variety of fish found in the Oshkosh area. After presenting these ideas to school administration, he ultimately received their blessing and set about finding resource materials and developing a class outline describing the course of study.

Sutton eventually found a wide variety of instructional books, tapes, visual aids and other materials, and in looking through one of them, Dave Whitlock's Guide to Aquatic Trout Foods, Sutton quickly noticed how much the sport of fly-fishing requires its participants to know about water quality and in particular, aquatic insects - including everything from their seasonal life cycles, appearance and habits to matching them to artificial fly patterns. The fly patterns themselves spanned both ends of the spectrum, from the elaborate, difficult-to-tie-yet-accurate imitators to easier patterns that are more suggestive of a particular insect, but often equally productive. Books and aids weren't his only resources, making his class even more memorable for its participants.

Dragonfly larvae collected as part of the ecology studies.

"I had a wonderful response from area fly-fishermen like Gene Harmon, a veteran fly-tier from nearby Holyoke, Colorado, and professional fly-tier Sue Armstrong, with fly-tying material supplier Whiting Company. Sue now ranches near Bushnell, Nebraska and enjoys being a guest instructor during the school year. Darrell Eichner, the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission's district fisheries supervisor, facilitated the contacts with the Big Mac Sportsmen's Club of Ogallala and their experienced crew of fly-fishermen and fly-tiers.

"The Big Mac Club's Art Engle was also a great resource for the class, and they taught several classes throughout last semester on fly rod building. The club also helped us acquire fly-tying kits available through the Game and Parks Commission's tackle-loaner program. The students enjoy the different perspectives presented by the guest speakers and instructors, to the point of asking when Gene, Art or Sue would be coming back."

Sutton found the immediate response from students was wide-ranging when the class's subject material and scheduling was announced.

Elisa Jensen, 17, finishes a streamer, one of her favorite fly patterns.

"Admittedly, there were several students that committed to the class to fill their schedule and others that questioned the benefit of learning fly-fishing. I described my own interest in the sport and how it naturally led to interest in trout and other species' habitat requirements, their food habits and the pristine quality of water needed to support a fragile, indicator species such as trout," said Sutton, who also told of his own experiences wading shallow streams, deciphering current patterns, the effect lighting conditions would have on trout hiding spots, and looking for clues as to where big trout might live.

As the school year got underway, students in the class would see a lesson devoted to water ecology followed by an outdoor fly-casting class on the school's football field, a nearby pond or the North Platte River.

"The few that thought there might be nothing in the class that would interest them quickly developed into insect collecting and identification experts, and some of the students quickly became expert fly-tiers, even to the point of trying to learn more about job opportunities in the outdoor recreation field," Sutton said.

"I love it," 17-year-old Elisa Jensen of Lewellen said while setting up her fly-tying vise on the edge of one of the all-purpose, four-person tables in the biology classroom. "I can go outside and find natural materials to tie with. I never thought I'd be excited to find a dead bird like a pheasant along the road, even though Mom is always reminding me to be careful and wash my hands after collecting feathers."

Next to the vise was Elisa's fly box with a colorful collection of fly patterns in a variety of sizes. "My favorites are the Thunder Creek streamers," she said as she tightened the vise jaws on a long, mid-sized hook that already

Jensen (left), Danielle Sands and Troy Patterson collect aquatic insects during a class field day.

had some bright blue and white feathers tied along its shank. Elisa guessed she had perhaps tied one hundred different fly patterns during last semester's class. Her growing reputation as a fly-tier even took her to Sidney as a presenter during one of Cabela's popular annual demonstration and sales events the past year.

"I really enjoyed showing fly-tying there," Elisa said. "Women stopped by and watched the activity and they were interested in how tying is accomplished. My father is a fly-fishermen, but I'd never really got involved with Dad on his fishing trips. That's all changed now, and I've gone fly-fishing quite a few times this summer, using patterns tied during last winter's class. When I fish, it is great to walk along the shoreline, watch the things that are going on all around, and just enjoy the moment. I can watch the insects and it is fun to be aware of the surroundings and the little things that are happening."

Sutton smiled as he recalled the reaction Elisa's parents had to her interest in fly-tying and fishing. "Elisa's mom was clued in right away that something was different after last year's class started. I got a call and she asked 'What do you think you're doing to my daughter? We'd usually go shopping for new clothes, and this year we had to buy a fly-tying kit and waders.'

"I think that initially there were parents that were wondering what in the world we were teaching a fly-fishing class for," he said, but after the class's first successful year was finished, the line of questioning has changed: "I'm teaching the sons and daughters of former students and the question I hear most now is 'Why didn't we have a course like this available when I was in your class?'"

David Miller identifies aquatic insects back in the classroom.

"One of the things I saw in class last year was that everyone could be involved," Elisa said. "It wasn't something that either the boys or girls were better at, and we had all kinds of people in the class. It really wasn't like some situations where it becomes a popularity contest - we came together as a group, and now I know everyone and we really enjoy fishing together. This is something we can do after we leave school and wherever we go."

"We try to teach a respect for the environment throughout the class," Sutton said. "Now hopefully the students will know more about water quality, and that information will help them make better decisions about issues like protecting dwindling water supplies. They can understand now that something as simple and seemingly insignificant as a trout, with its need for clear, cold water, is one of the first species to disappear when the water resources are polluted or otherwise degraded. It is interesting just how effectively something like fly-fishing can bring in the large and small issues that will continue to challenge these young people into the future."