Throughout 2024, Whetstone Academy has had the privilege of having the Chattooga River Fly Shop come to our campus on a volunteer basis to teach our youth lessons in fly fishing. They have taken our students through lesson plans in fly fishing basics, casting, knot tying, aquatic entomology, and a sponsored trip to the Walhalla State Fish Hatchery. After one of the lessons, as the owner and I were packing up, we sparked a meaningful conversation about relationship and how their values and practices as a business more closely parallel our therapeutic efforts than we initially realized. That we show up for people with our full presence and curiosity, and that we provide a transformative experience.

The mountains of SC are at the very southern edge of the trout’s range where they can survive and naturally reproduce. Trout need clean and consistent water temperatures at or below 68 degrees in order for the water to hold enough oxygen for them to thrive. The only native trout to this region is the Brook trout, though this area now holds Brown trout and Rainbow trout as naturalized species.  The hatchery raises and stocks all three species, though they are more selective and careful where they stock Brook trout as they are more sensitive to some of our introduced or invasive aquatic species. The students learned of a specialized Brook trout restoration effort in a local tributary to the Wild and Scenic Chattooga River.

What our students are gaining from fly fishing is more than just lessons in a fishing sport. It is a beautiful intersection of outdoor recreation, mindfulness practice, environmental stewardship, aquatic science, and art-form. It is a perfect modality to introduce to our students since it aligns with our value of integrated and experiential learning.  Fly fishing also provides rhythmic repetitive movement which we know is good for whole body regulation. It provides our students a medium for calm/focused attention, situational awareness, organization, and intentional task management, which helps regulate and strengthen our executive functioning. Our students are amazing and curious learners when their unique learning styles are nurtured and they have access to novel and experiential ways to actualize their abilities. If you haven’t tried fly fishing, we encourage you to be curious and give it a shot. It isn’t just for trout fishing and can be practiced anywhere there are fish. Feel free to follow the link for a really cool article on Mindfulness and Fly Fishing!

https://news.orvis.com/fly-fishing/classic-essay-fly-fishing-mindfulness-art-letting-go