Northwest Youth Conservation Fly Fishing Academy Volunteer Information and Application Form

Thank you for helping at the academy this year. You’re part of a team consisting of three Co-Directors, an Academy Leader, Ghillies and Instructors. Our mission this week is to help students discover the wonders we experience when fly fishing.

How can you help?

• Share your fishing skill sets that will help students from 12 – 16 years old, understand why we fish with flies.
• Assist students with fly casting, knot tying, fly tying, river or lake fishing.
• You can be the mentor to a young and eager to learn student that doesn’t know anything about wind knots let along how to prevent one.
• You are key in making a student’s time at the academy a great experience.

When can you help?

Below is a list of topics and times where the academy needs assistance from volunteers. Also, you will see duplications of class names. That is because we divide up the academy and also have numerous levels within each class title. Like Casting 1 (Basics with a CI) , Casting 2 (Haul and Double Haul) and Casting 3 (Roll Cast).

Six Volunteer Positions

Fly Tying Mentor

• Assist students with tying flies during class and free time.
• Bring your vise but we have the materials and tools.

Knot Tying Guru

• Assist students with figuring out how to tie a variety of knots during class time and when on the water.

Casting Helper

• Assist students with casting practice. We are teaching the basic overhead, haul, double haul and roll casts. Advanced students might get into curve casts as well as how to mend a line in moving water.
• Bring your 5 wt. with floating line.

Lake Fishing Mentor from Shore or Dock

• Help students gear up and choose good locations to fish. We have four docks around the lake.
• The two docks that are off the lake trail offer good fishing access.
• Be mindful of the student’s safety.
• Be a mentor.
• Wading over the knee is not allowed.

Lake Fishing Mentor from a Watercraft

• Accompany a student and take out a canoe or inflatable boat for lake fishing.
• You can fish while they fish but they are the priority.
• Mentors are great. Assist as necessary.
• If you have a boat that does not need a trailer to launch, bring it and go for a ride/fish with the student.

River Fishing Mentor

• We are pre selecting river fishing locations where we can meet you and you could help students gear up and choose good locations to fish.
• Mentor students on fishing techniques, river etiquette and how to play a fish.
• Wading over the knee is not allowed.

Qualification and Skill Sets

• Vaccinated and boosted is preferred but not a requirement.
• You must be a Fly Fisher (non-negotiable).
• You enjoy being in the company of kids 12-16 years old.
• You can share golden flyfishing tricks you learned ages ago.
• Have a caring personality.

Endure a 10 minute Pre-Academy Briefing

• Introductions
• Learn about any student with unique needs
• Emergency Plan Brief
• The Trout Unlimited Sex Abuse Policy
• Special Areas:
• Swimming Rules
• Boat Fishing Rules
• River Fishing Rules