In conjunction with the 18th Annual Medbrook Children’s Charity Golf Classic, the very first Curtis’ Kids fly fishing event was held Tuesday afternoon at Pete Dye Golf Club.
There were a few bass caught in the pond between Hole 14 and 15, but more importantly, some local boys and girls landed a new hobby.
Bridgeport High School alum and host of the Outdoor Channel’s “Fly Rod Chronicles” Curtis Fleming said that was the intent. He feels the debut event was a success and likely a start to bigger things.
“It was a good kickoff. We were expecting about 15 kids and had more than 20,” he said. “We got some parents involved and even a few grandparents.”
Fleming said he still treasures time spent fishing at Hinkle and Deegan Lakes when he was a member of the Bridgeport Junior High Outdoors Club.
“I feel like it’s my duty to pass on what Joe Leonette, Al Lanzy, Joe Steffich and all those guys did,” he said. “We just have to keep it going.”
In the spirit of passing it on, Fleming turned an early portion of the fly fishing event over to Joe Messinger Jr., who has taught fly tying, fly fishing and fly casting all over the U.S. and Canada.
Of The Sportsman's Emporium and member of St. Croix, TFO and Regal Vise pro staff, Messinger provided a fly casting demonstration, pointing out the differences between fly casting and spin or bait casting.
“When you spin or bait cast, you have a lure that has weight so when you cast, the lure takes your line with it,” he said. “But when fly fishing, most of the flies we use don’t have any w eight to them so you have to rely on the line to carry the lure. It’s kind of opposite.”
Fly casting isn’t easy, Messinger said.
“I’m not going to kid you. It takes a lot of practice,” he said. “Practice comes with interest. If you have the interest, you’ll want to practice.”
Also providing introductions was West Virginia Department of Natural Resources Director Steve McDaniel.
“At the DNR, we’re all about getting kids introduced to fishing,” said McDaniel, who shared that he and Fleming grew up in Bridgeport together and spent plenty of time fishing the local area.
He told the kids they were fortunate to have some of the state’s most knowledgeable experts on hand and advised them to listen closely to what they had to share. He introduced a staff of DNR officers and fishery biologists, encouraging kids to ask questions about the state’s lakes, streams and other fish habitats, as well as wildlife and fishing regulations and mentoring programs.
Among representatives was DNR Police Officer Ben Riley, also a graduate of BHS.
In addition to those already mentioned, Fleming’s daughters Laken and Autumn and members of his pro staff, Jarod McClure, Rick Heim and Harrison County Sheriff’s Deputy Scott Lattea provided one-on-one instruction Monday afternoon. Also helping were Sheriff Robert Matheny and U.S. Deputy Marshall Dustin Hotsinpiller, among others.
After a few hours of fishing, special guest Nathan Adrian of the West Virginia University basketball team paid a visit and a fly fishing trip to Wyoming was awarded via auction.
"Nathan Adrian was a big hit at the auction and received a standing ovation for all his hard work for the Mountaineers," Fleming said.
The DNR distributed free gifts to the kids. Fleming said he couldn't be happier about how it all turned out.
"Kelly Nelson and his board are absolutely amazing and I am blessed that they let me play in their sandbox," he said.
See more photos in the gallery below and look for a second gallery to run later this week on Connect-Bridgeport.