Energized by young and old

A word from guest blogger, Mike Wier, CalTrout Field Reporter and Videographer

March has been a month of hitting the road and engaging with our members and supporters at various events across the state.

We’ve hosted several screenings of the International Fly Fishing Film Festival around the Bay Area and are energized and encouraged by the support and enthusiasm shown for our work.  It’s a good reminder of why we do what we do. It’s not only for the fish, but also for the people.  Here are a few stories of people who’ve inspired us this last month:

At each screening we hold a raffle at intermission with prizes ranging from a CalTrout hat to a G Loomis rod. At our Menlo Park IF4 show, the winner of the rod was Ron Wiebe who wrote us afterwards, “I am so very grateful and thank you so very much. My wife and I are retired and on a fairly low income. So when I received a call just yesterday morning from my brother to fly fish the White Mountains in AZ, I had no idea how I was going to come up with a 4 weight, which he required that I have. An amazing coincident!” You call it coincidence Ron, we call it serendipity.

At our Larkspur show,  young and old came out to support CalTrout. My 94 year old grandfather, Lyle Senser, was in attendance. He’s the one that taught me how fish on Miller Creek when I was 5 years old.  He was also the winner of, not one, but two raffle prizes, a CalTrout hat and Patagonia sling sack. Not a more deserving attendee in the crowd IMHO.

At least a dozen kids were also at the Larkspur show – great to see youth interested in the sport which is sometimes stereotyped as an ‘old man’s’ passion. Among them was Maxine McCormick, the San Francisco 11 year old that turned the fly-casting world upside down last fall when she finished fourth in the US National Casting Championship for fly casting accuracy. Read about her accomplishment here, inspiring!

I’m off to a screening of the Wild & Scenic Film Festival tonight in South Lake Tahoe where I’m sure I’ll be energized again by our supporters and hear more sentiments like Mr. Wiebe’s,

My fly fishing friends and I thank you for your very needed role and responsibility for making it possible for our lovely trout to continue to thrive in a world that seems so hostile to their existence.”

That’s what makes all of us at CalTrout proud to work for the organization.

Tight Lines,

Mike Wier

p.s. A big thanks to Steve Rathbun at Patagonia Palo Alto and George Revel at Lost Coast Outfitters for partnering with us at these shows and helping to make them a success. Please support their shops.