Forestville, WI) – At first blush, flyfishing might seem too complicated for a kid. Cane pole, to spincast, to spinning, to baitcasting…and then perhaps fly casting? Reasonable progression? Not necessarily. The truth is the absorptive minds of our youth are better suited for learning than our stubborn old grey matter.

With a patient steward and experienced fly angler, teaching a youngster to flyfish is well inside the realm of possibility.

Why the fly? As you’ll see in this educational video, the physical and mechanical challenges of learning to flyfish render great rewards. Articulating the cast. Navigating line and fly through tight and hazardous quarters. Sounds a bit like the sophisticated first-person games they learn to master with relative ease.

And that’s only the beginning. There are virtues like family values, trust, and artistry that are also woven into the fabric of flyfishing.

The video is part of a peer-driven lesson where students will learn how to research and evaluate where to find flyfishing opportunities on nearby National Forests. They will also develop a “Challenges versus Benefits” presentation for classroom debate on the challenges and potential rewards of using the technique of “flyfishing”.

Educational partners include the Future Angler Foundation, Trout Unlimited, and the US Forest Service and Department of Agriculture.