Western KS Fly Fishing Clinic With Flatland Fly Fishers

By Sheldon Evans

It was both an honor and a privilege to be able to assist Outdoor Mentors plan and present their Fly-Fishing Clinic held Sunday May 22, 2022 at Jetmore City Lake.  To be able to share about the sport of fly fishing and watching young people begin to understand why it is so captivating.  Golf of the fishing world if you will.

When Brittany French approached me in late 2021 explaining that Outdoor Mentors wanted to introduce more fishing events to the program and needed mentors, I had the perfect subject group for her to approach.  As Program/Activities Director for Flatland Fly Fishers, I gave her the floor at the January 2022 meeting to explain the mission of Outdoor Mentors and how the group could help.  One might think that these “Grumpy Old Men” would only want to teach fly fishing, but the truth is they want to get people fishing and helping kids catch their first fish is one of their biggest goals.  When Bobby Cole discovered there was a fly-fishing group in Kansas at the Big Al Bash for Conservation, he reached out and we started organizing the Fly-Fishing clinic held at Jetmore City Lake. (yes, we held the first fly fishing clinic in SW Kansas) All of these interactions came to fruition in what I believe was a very successful fly-fishing clinic.

Watching a 14-year-old young lady take a fly rod in hand for the very first time and within a few minutes make fishable casts was as exciting for me as it was for her when she realized the fly cast can be poetry in motion.  She was one of 14 young people we had at the clinic and the one I just happened to have one on one instruction time with.  All 7 mentors commented about the quality of the young people they worked with and the progress each one made in a 4-hour time period.  Plans are already in the works to hold another clinic in the future.  It never ceases to amaze me that the mentors have as much fun and learn just as much as the kids.  I hesitate to refer a “partnership” as mentoring is a personal decision and commitment, but there will be a relationship between Flatland Fly Fishers and Pass it On, Outdoor Mentors for years to come.

I have personally been a mentor for Pass it On, Outdoor Mentors since January 2022 when I mentored a young man on a conservation doe hunt.  Having struggled with the decision to be a mentor, I realized I have a responsibility to pass what knowledge I have to the next generation.  To ensure the outdoor traditions I love are carried on.  Now that I am a mentor, I wonder why I didn’t step up years ago.   

I would encourage anyone that loves the outdoors to consider becoming a mentor with Pass it On, Outdoor Mentors.  Hunting and fishing are going to be the focus at the present time, but to quote Bobby Cole, “Hunting, Fishing, Trapping… you name It, if its legal and youth are getting outdoors, we are happy!”. 

I have a personal moniker of “Less Xbox, More Tackle Box” and I do not know of a better organization that is working to make that true.  I am proud to say I am a mentor with Pass it On, Outdoor Mentors.

Sheldon Evans

Evans Outdoor Adventures