Academy Volunteers

Thank you for wanting to help  at the academy. You’re part of a volunteer team consisting of four Co-Directors, an Academy Leader, Ghillies, Instructors and Assistants. Our mission 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 and 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.

Volunteer Positions

Fly Tying Instructors – Positions filled for 2024

• Teach groups of students how to tie a specific fly.

Fly Tying Assistant

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

Knot Tying Assistants

• Help teach students how to tie a Uni Knot, an Improved Clinch Knot and a Surgeons Knot..

Casting Instructor – Position filled for 2024

• If your a Certified Casting Instructor or a Master Casting Instructor you could lead our beginner or intermediate students to becoming more proficient casters.

Casting Assistants

• Assist the Casting Instructor 
• Help teach  the basic overhead, haul, double haul and roll casts to beginners.
• Intermediate students will  get into curve casts , pile casts and mending.
• Bring your 5 wt. with floating line.

Lake Fishing Mentors  

• Help students gear up and choose good locations to fish. 
• Be a mentor on the water to assist students with fly selections, casting methods and techniques .

• If you have a boat that does not need a trailer to launch, bring it and then fish along side students from your boat while they fish from their Panhandle canoes.
• When your off duty feel free to fish our stocked private lake.

Stream Fishing Mentors

• We travel  25 minutes from camp to pre selected creek/river fishing locations where  you could help students gear up and choose good locations to fish.
• Mentor students on fishing techniques, river etiquette, how to set a hook, play a fish, land it and release it unharmed.
• You will be wade fishing in shallow locations  and know that the students are restricted to wading only up to their knees.

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.
• Your willing to share fly fishing tricks you learned ages ago.
• Have a caring personality.

Endure a 10 minute Pre-Academy Briefing

• Learn about student with unique needs that may be in your group.
• Review the Emergency Plan  in case bad things happen.
• Review the key components of our Sex Abuse Policy
• Personal Flotation Device ( Life Vests) Rules
• Boat Fishing Rules
• Wade Fishing Rules

 T.U. National Background Check required for all overnighters.

• A short, free online form.
• Information available from any Co-Director