MY ANGLE
Tommy Austin, age 17
TFS Trout School Counselor
There is no greater truth in fly fishing than that the best way to learn is to teach and to listen. This was one of many valuable lessons that I learned while working at The Fly Shop’s FishCamp this summer. I have been a part of the FishCamp family for three years now, first as a camper, and now as a counselor. Through this experience I have become a better fisherman, a better teacher, and have expanded my understanding and passion for fly fishing.
For those who did not read last Winter’s issue of The Current, I wrote a piece which discussed the importance of introducing young people to fly fishing. I strongly believe that young anglers are vital in our quest to protect California’s coldwater fisheries and my time at FishCamp this summer was a great example of the rewards that come with helping young anglers discover a passion for fishing and for the outdoors.
One of my favorite moments of the summer happened when I was fishing a large streamer with a camper at one of the trophy trout lakes at Antelope Creek Ranch. Trout kept chasing down the camper’s fly, but he would pull it out of their mouth when they tried to eat it. He started to get a bit frustrated, so I decided to help him out. I told him that on his next cast, I wanted him to close his eyes when he started his retrieve and not open them until he felt a fish eat his fly.
Tommy Austin