A big help

Dear Editor:

I am writing this letter to show our deepest gratitude to the gentlemen at Taylor Creek Fly Shop in Basalt. I’m a teacher at Aspen High School, and was the course leader for the Fly Fishing in the Valley Experiential Education course. The course was designed to provide a low-cost, stay-at-home option for students interested in learning to fly fish our local gold medal waters. After several meetings over the past few months, the course wrapped up with a week on the Frying Pan River.

I and the group of five boys who participated in the fly fishing ex-ed course would like to publicly thank Will, Kirk, Cam, and Brandon from Taylor Creek. Upon hearing about the course, Will arranged for our group to borrow waders, boots, and fly rods for the week ” all free of charge. The guides volunteered their services, including coming in on their days off to work with the students. They instructed the boys in proper casting, tying knots, and entomology. Once we hit the river, they worked with each student on the overall skills needed to read the water, cross rivers at appropriate places, and safely catch, handle, and release the fish. We had a fantastic week. Everyone caught and released multiple fish each day, a great testament to the skills of the guides.

Again, we truly appreciate everything that the gentlemen at Taylor Creek did to help us. In the words of one of the students, “you guys rock!”

Sue Wasienko

Fly Fishing in the Valley Experiential Education course leader, Aspen High School