Sticks and Stones Fly Fishing Camp (06/30/2016)

Day Two (6/30/2016):

The brisk air lifted off the water as we began day two of fly fishing camp.  The anglers quickly assembled their fly rods and reels and quickly asked for a fly so they could begin fishing.  After the initial getting used to the cooler thermal temperatures of the water, the fisherman were soaking up the beauty of wildlife around them.  All of this, while they patiently waited for a potential trout to engulf the fly imitations that we used throughout the morning.

With the low water levels and increasing vegetation growth, the importance is placed on the stealthy wading and drag-free presentation in each cast.  Keeping those two elements in mind, the boys had a challenging task in fooling a trout throughout the morning session.  

Watching the relatively new anglers cast, one could tell that they were improving as the frequency of knots and tangles were decreasing in comparison to Tuesday morning.  They were focused in casting their flies to where they thought offered the best chance hooking into a fish. All in all, they did an outstanding job throughout the entire morning, whether it was swimming, looking at wildlife or carrying a crayfish.  By the looks of the smile in the photo at the bottom, I'd say the boys had a great time learning a little bit of what fly fishing has to offer!

Enjoy! 

Bob and Kirk      

Sticks and Stones Allegrippis Trails (6/29/2016)

Allegrippis Trails (6/29/2016):

Built by the International Mountain Bicycling Association in 2009, the Allegrippis Trails at Raystown Lake has 24 biking options varying from "easiest", to "moderate" and then to the "most difficult."  See below for a detailed map of some of the endless routes that our riders had the opportunity to ride on today!

It was an outstanding day to be mountain biking, plain and simple.  The trails were empty, the weather was cool and the riders were ready to experience some new territory! We split into two groups for free rides. One was 9 miles and the other 15.25 miles, either way both groups got their legs burning and their adrenaline pumping.  We did not take as many photos as normal because we were so busy exploring the insane amount of trail variety that the Allegrippis has to offer a mountain biker.  The end of the day was capped off with a restful ride home and a special stop to the Whipple Dam Store for some much deserved ice cream! 

Shout out to Scott H. for coming along on the ride today and capturing some of the photos from below.  Enjoy!     

Sticks and Stones Fly Fishing Camp (06/28/2016)

Day One (6/28/2016): 

The morning fog lifted off the stream as the campers started rigging up their fly rods.  This was a special morning in that all five fisherman were newcomers to the sport of fly fishing.  It's always important to make a great first impression for the new anglers, to make it a memorable experience that they want to come back and do again. 

                               

We spoke about the types of fly choices that can be made, how to assemble a fly rod, reel and a basic knot to connect the fly to the tippet.  Once all of the fly rods were ready to use, I had them use a Temple Fork Outfitters office caster to get used to the basic false and roll casts --  the two types of casts that we would most likely use throughout the day.

I'd also like to take this chance to recognize that all of our fly rods have been graciously donated by the Temple Fork Outfitters Company.  We really enjoyed using the NXT Series Rods and Reels, they are a great product from an outstanding fly fishing company!  If you are looking to buy a rod and reel combination, no one offers a better product for the price.

As the instruction progressed and the anglers understood more about the concepts of fly casting and safety, we had the boys go out in the water and experience the real thing! Before they left the parking lot we tried to instill in them that it isn't all about catching trout, it's about the whole experience.  We wanted the boys to take it all in, the environment, wildlife, relax and step away from other issues that are going on outside of fly fishing.

Wouldn't you know it, ten minutes later we hear one of the boys yell out, "FISH ON!"  He played the fish like he had done it before.  Although the fish came off as it got to his feet, we told him that it absolutely counted!  All of the fisherman were super excited for their friend to experience the thrill of catching a trout on a fly.  As the day went on the boys were getting more and more used to casting with the occasional snag, but we would quickly untangle it and let them know that it happens to everyone.

A bit later into the session another boy (pictured below) caught another nice brown trout which was a great way to end the first session of our fly fishing camp.  We look forward to fishing again on Thursday and having another great day on the stream!  Awesome work today!

Sticks and Stones Camp (6/24/2016)

Day Three (10 - 12 year old camp): 

The morning session brought forth another perfect day of mountain biking for our last day of camp with the 10 - 12 year old group.  All of the riders did such an awesome job throughout the entire week. Bob and I mentioned multiple times how time was flying by because all of the bikers were such good kids and such confident mountain bike riders.  

Today's special shout out goes to Diamonds & Lace! They hooked us up with a huge assortment of snacks and drinks and their two sons who rocked it on their bikes this week.  The snacks and drinks were a huge hit and helped keep the riders hydrated and energized throughout each mountain biking session.   

The ride today was a lot of free riding along several single track trails with a bunch of challenging obstacles and mud puddles until we got to the lake loop.  The lake loop was a big hit and it was fun to hear all of the bikers talking and ripping around each lap.  It was great to see how they progressively got faster and faster each time they completed each circuit.  After the mountain bikers finished up the loops, we headed back to the tent for a quick break before we finished our with the two person team ride to conclude the session.  We can't say enough how awesome the riders did this week and want to stress how much fun we had leading this group!

Thank you again for allowing your child to take part in this week's camp! Enjoy the rest of the photos taken during today's session and take a look at our schedule for the remaining camps we offer this summer!

Bob and Kirk     

Sticks and Stones Camp (6/23/2016)

Day Two (6 - 8 year old camp): 

Nine riders attacked the trails today with great attitudes and equally as good handling of their bikes. We started out by going for a nice loop to stretch out everyone's legs and get a good sweat going.  As a result of the much needed morning precipitation, a majority of the mountain bikers were going full tilt into all of the mud puddles!  At every stopping point each of the riders would look around and comment on the new mud splatter that each rider acquired from the last checkpoint.  It was quite humorous to see and hear them evaluate one another as if it was their own art project.

Once we finished up the free ride we went towards a hill for our bikers to focus on following a line and work on continuing to understand how to use different gears in certain situations.  They really did a nice job with this and it was great to see how focused each of the riders with their attempts.  

Following that, we headed back to the tent and took a brief break to regroup and get a snack and drink before our last adventure of the week.  We finished off the day by going down the path to find one of our favorite Geocache locations.  We emphasize to the riders that Geocaching is a unique way to explore different scenery while getting exercise AND going on a treasure hunt.  What else does a kid need to get them amped up?  As our group rode closer and closer, we had them pass along the message of how close we were to our secret treasure.  Eventually we got to the location, hopped off the bikes and climbed deep into a forest.  Treasure located, the riders were happy and we headed back to the tent one last time to present two prizes, to the muddiest rider and the best attitude of the day. Each rider was given a pair of mountain bike socks from Stan's No Tubes along with a bike sticker! Thank you Stan's No Tubes for the super awesome gifts, the riders loved them! 

Great job this week and we look forward to seeing everyone again in future camps! Our schedule is listed on the site, please let us know if you are interested in enrolling in future camps.

Enjoy the photos below from our ride today!