Our first adventure for this year was a trip to Roessel Pond in Ferndale. We all met at LCHS at 11:30. It was POURING down rain, but we loaded up and ventured out anyway. Thanks to Mrs. Houseman for being one of our drivers. When we arrived at the pond, we were met by Mr. Roessel and Marvin the Duck. Mr. Roessel has a nice cozy cabin that he built himself right on his trout pond. He had a fire going in the old stove in the cabin when we arrived. We all started out by taking attendance, getting to know who was there, collecting dues, making sure everyone had their fishing licenses and we handed out journals and everyone received the own fly box with two "woolie worms". Mrs. Unema went over some fly fishing etiquette and also discussed upcoming adventures.
We then split into two groups. One group started off staying in the cabin and learning how to tie the various knots needed to be a successful fly fisherwoman. The other group ventured outside to set up the practice poles and learn the basic fly fishing techniques. This is an art form folks, and it is beautiful to watch. After about 45 minutes the groups switched stations. We also had hot chocolate, marshmallows and some snacks. Pretty soon everyone was ready to don the fishing vests and get to fishing with the "real" poles and actually tying on their own flies.. Everyone had a partner. By this time the rain had stopped and it was a very nice day to fish. We had a few "fish on" shouts, but the smart little trouts seemed to know how to let go of the fly by the time Mrs. Unema was able to coax them into the nets. This is called an "LDR" or "long distance release". We are catch and release fisherwomen. Our hooks/flies are barbless, so if the fish decides to struggle enough, the hook will come right out.
After fishing, Mr. Roessel had come down and built us an outdoor fire. We sat around the fire and went over the day"s accomplishments. Prizes were awarded to the best cast and to the best knot. Upcoming adventures were again discussed. We all packed up our gear, loaded up the vehicles and headed for home. It was a very fun and successful day! ADVENTURE IS OUT THERE!
