The drop of a float, the splash of a rise or the tug of a streamer makes a fisherman’s heart skip a beat. The other end of one’s line could hold endless possibilities. It could be a trout the size of a pinky finger or a three-foot-long brown trout large enough to eat mice.
Summit is now home to its very own fly fishing club full of students, experiences and stories. The fly fishing club, like many other clubs at Summit, provides a place for like-minded students to collaborate and teach each other about a specific topic. But this club isn’t just for those who have experience fly fishing. This club is also the perfect outlet to come and learn everything one needs to know to get started.
Sophomore student Wilhelm Jaimeson, a new member of the club, told me, “It’s gonna be fun teaching other kids how to fly fish and that kind of stuff.” Jaimeson is an experienced trout fly fisherman here at Summit, and is more than happy to share his knowledge and passion of fly fishing with others. He says students can sign up for this club on Thursdays during advisory.
The pursuit of catching fish with miniature flies can be extremely tricky and complex. But with time and patience one starts to understand how the fish think, see and eat. This knowledge can take years to come across alone, but with the help of others one can learn to chase fish with ease. And where else is better to converse about this passion than in a room full of fishers?
As a dedicated fly fisher myself, I loved the opportunity to interview fly fishers from our school. A big part of the mental side of fly fishing is actually quite misunderstood by most who have never gone before. The question that I asked was “What makes you choose to go out fishing on any given day,” and “How do you feel while you’re out there?” This is when students started to talk more about the stress and anxiety that fly fishing relieved.
“Every problem that I have, every anxiety I have, just goes away,” explained Jaimeson. Fly fishing is more than just the pursuit of fish. It’s a perfect escape from the regular day.
Students joining the fly club this year were especially excited to get the chance to be in a club centered around something they truly love. Many started going for small trout on a local river, but Jaimeson first started fly fishing with his grandfather chasing bonita, a strong fighting saltwater fish.
Either way, all fly fishermen’s journeys start somewhere. Normally with a lot of tangles, lost flies, and terrible casts. But with time and passion one can continue to improve forever.
“A trout is a moment of beauty known only to those who seek it,” said Arnold Gingrich, a professional writer and avid fly fisherman. CNN reported in 2024 that our world has nearly 3 million miles of river. So truly, fly fishing is almost endless.
