The Yellow Dog Fly Fishing Workshop

A couple weeks ago I had the opportunity to photograph a fly fishing workshop hosted by Fred Waara Trout Unlimited Chapter and the Yellow Dog Watershed Preserve. Going into it, I had three goals: photography, videography, and short film. I wanted to show the story of how complete beginners got hooked on fly fishing. Learning how to cast, safely wade, fly choice, knots, the whole shebang, all the way to people catching their first fish on the fly.

The first day was an hour drive from my dorm to the Yellow Dog River. Then a four-mile drive down a sketchy two-track in the ole Honda Pilot. I eventually arrived at the camp and got to work. Capturing the participants setting up camp, introductions, and conversation. Soon, the workshop began. Day one was dedicated to teaching. There were three stations, each with an hour and a half time block. I wanted to capture each participant equally so everyone could relive the moments. Station one was dedicated to learning the river and how to wade it, with a little bit of fishing at the end. Station two was a combination of a bug’s life cycle, choosing the right fly, and basic essential knots. The third station was learning how to cast and the difference between rods. It was cool seeing the “aha” moments when things clicked for people. At the end of the day, dinner was served and entertainment arrived. Fajitas with a mini concert were an excellent way to end the day.

Day two was what I was excited for, a long day of fishing. Except I was not doing any fishing, I was capturing people fishing, which, in my opinion, is almost as good. The weather was not ideal, but also not terrible. On and off showers all day with overcast and a high of 60 degrees. The weather definitely did not scare the fish, however. I was able to capture two anglers’ first fish on the fly! With some of the guides also catching fish, the day was filled with brook trout. To end the day, I was also fortunate enough to catch a small brook right before I left to go back to the dorms.

As the social media/content creator for the Fred Waara Trout Unlimited Chapter, there will definitely be more events captured for them. Over that weekend, I learned a lot about fly fishing, trout, capturing an event like it, met a ton of cool people, and even caught a fish. To me, it was a perfect way to launch into the school year.

I wanted to thank all the other volunteers who gave up their time to teach new anglers how to fly fish and the chefs who prepared and cooked delicious meals. A huge thank you to Fred Waara TU for helping plan and organize the event, and to the Yellow Dog River Watershed Preserve, which hosted the event and also helped plan and organize. I highly recommend checking out both of their websites and donating to their causes, or if you’re in the area, donating some of your time to help preserve the waters that are home to native trout here in the Upper Peninsula. To see my favorite shots of the weekend you can go to the photography page and under branded work.