Youth Adventure – 2014 – All Kid’s Reports
Here is my final report
Bret Holstrom>>>>
I had a great time at the Big Horn river. All of the guides were very nice and new so much. Each
and every guide had a different way of doing things and they all seemed to work. I really liked
the fly tying in the mornings, Frank is a fantastic tying instructor. I am so glad I took the time to
fill out the application for this trip it was well worth it! Bret Holstrom
Bret Holstrom 2014
Big Horn Youth Adventure Report – Frankie Bilotta
Driving into Fort Smith, Montana it does not seem like much. A few houses, some trailers, and a
handful of shops. However, after just spending a few days there I have come to see it as so much more.
As part of the Big Horn River Youth Adventure I learned more about fishing in five days than I
have in the past five years. Not only did I improve my technique, I met friends within the fly fishing
community that I will cherish forever. I learned that the purpose of fishing is not to catch fish (or moss)
but is to develop friendships with the people you meet a long the way.
I had the pleasure of staying at Big Horn River Country Lodge, where we were picked up every
morning and taken to the trout shop for breakfast and fly-tying. After learning to tie flies like the Ray
Charles, the Student, and the Pinky we set out with our guides to float the Big Horn. Though it happened
to be the worst fishing in over thirty years, I can speak for the twelve of us when I say it was perfect. The
guides were always willing to help with anything we needed, the food was great, and overall it was a
great experience. Frankie
Dear Frank,
Holden Dahlerbruch>>>>>
Sorry for such a late report, we just got back from a action packed Denver and Vail trip. Thank you so
much for everything, I have had many fishing trips with my grandfather and none of them came close to
the amount of fun I had in Montana last month!
The trip was so much fun! I landed a total of 16 fish, which is not in any way my best, but I discovered
there is something more to fly fishing than just the sport, there is a giant community that forms. Not
only did I discover that every single guide knew all the others, I discovered a community effort made up
of people around my age that I will always keep in touch with. This adventure increased my passion
dramatically. Where I live there are no rivers to go fishing in, this wonderful trip not only gave me a
chance to river fish for the first time, it also introduced me to wading and lake fishing. I live in a city right
next to the ocean so I usually ocean fly fish with my grandfather, this experience has introduced me to
so many new techniques and friends that I will always treasure.
When you assigned us this report, Frank, you asked us to add any negative events or things we would
want changed for the next time. I have absolutely nothing to add to this section. This trip was so much
fun that I am going to have to try really hard to not breach the time limit for the report I am going to do
next year at school.
Frank, thank you so much for everything. If you would allow it, I would be applying every year until I am
18! There was no way more perfect to enjoy my summer break.
Thanks so much for everything,
Sincerely,
Holden Dahlerbruch
Bighorn River Youth Adventure - Joshua Richmond >>>>>
Hello my name is Joshua Richmond; I am 17 years old and a senior in high school in Salem,
Oregon. I was one of the 12 kids who were chosen to go on this trip in June 2014.
The Lodge
The place I stayed at was the Bighorn Trout Shop in Ft. Smith Montana. The Trout Shop is
owned by Steve Hilbers and Hale Harris. It has a nice fly shop, a dining room, and a
conference room in addition to the 19 guest rooms. Four of us stayed at the Trout Shop,
beside myself there was; Tyler Olrogg, Aaron Dvenport, and Zach Burgoyne.
In the conference room we had a big table set up where we had our tying lessons in the
morning. And where we at the Trout Shop got 24 hour access if we wanted to tie there,
which we often did. The room also had a computer and phone if we wanted to contact
family.
The Tying
After we all ate breakfast we would go into the tying room and tie flies for the day’s fishing.
Frank Johnson is an expert fly tier and was a good teacher; we also had two other
instructors that helped us, Paul Dubas and Dorothy Zinky. The flies we tied were Ray
Charles, Zebra Midge, Pinky, CDC Comparadun, Student, Atomic Worm, another sow bug
patter, and a Golden Ticket.
We also had guest instructors (Kids) that taught individual flies. Tyler Olrogg was one of
the student instructors he taught the Pinky. This was a fly I had never tied before a very
interesting fly. I was the other instructor and taught the Golden Ticket, a fly I had made up
the year before and has proven itself since.
The Fishing
Fishing was tough this year because of a massive algae bloom that happened the week
before. So even though the fish were hungry and looking it was hard with all that algae to
get them to see your fly. Still there is a silver lining in every cloud and what this one had in
store for us was sight fishing. I have always had a love for sight fishing. Whether it’s for
bluegill or spooky trout it has always been a favorite. The first day we didn’t do any sight
fishing we just fished from the drift boat, but from then on we did a lot more sight fishing.
My biggest fish was 22” on the first day though I caught many fish in the 18-20” range and a
lot of fish in the 15-17” range particularly browns.
Evening Events
After we would put in for the day we would do a different thing each evening. The first
evening we put in at around three in the afternoon and went up to Bighorn Lake for
Smallmouth Bass and Carp. We only caught two carp between the twelve of us. I caught
one and Frankie Bilotta caught one. But to make up for the lack of carp we caught a ton of
smallmouth bass on hoppers.
The second evening we went to Karl and Trudy Burns Bighorn Country Lodge for a dinner
of ribs and a evening full of Karl’s magic show, which is the best one I have ever seen.
Next evening we had a friendly casting competition. It got a little rough as far as weather
with it threatening to thunderstorm and it rained periodically. But aside from that we had
a blast trying to hit different targets.
The last evening was the Carp Festival. Every year the Bighorn River Alliance puts on a carp
tournament that acts as a fundraiser for them, this particular year it fell on the last day of
our trip. I was impressed to see how many people attended the event. At the end of the
evening we went to the Baptist Church their and had a raffle of our own and then we went
back to our respective lodges. Many thanks to Simms and the local fly shops that donated
awesome prizes for this raffle. We also got some very beautiful boxes from Stonefly Studios
that had our name and a map of the river on the box. Many thanks to all the volunteers and
the FFF for their help and support to make this trip possible.
The Highlights
The highlights were so many I will just name a few of them. Catching my first carp was an
adventure and really got my attention as I have a huge fishery of carp in my home waters.
Teaching people casting was also a highlight of my trip, I am a Casting Instructor and
teaching has always been a joy for me.
Last but definitely the neatest thing of the trip was the friendships that I made particularly
with my buddies at the Rout Shop.
All good things must come to an end and this was one I didn’t want to end but it did and so
must my report. Joshua Richmond
Mary Wernet>>>>
Oh sweet Montana! I promise to anyone considering applying for this it is worth it! Even those who
don’t fish that much or don’t think they’re good enough. Before going to Montana I only fished like
three or four times a year. I have never been a spectacular fisherman so applying to something like this
was never on my radar. I would not have even considered bothering. But after a few people in my fly
fishing group suggested I apply, I did. I did not for a minute think I would actually get to go. I thought my
dad was kidding when he told me I made it. But he wasn’t because here I am post Montana experience
all changed for the better. There is an endless list of thank yous for this trip but one thing that I am
especially thankful for is allowing me to be bitten by the fly fishing bug. I’ve been fly fishing for nearly 10
years but I’ve never been a fly fisher. I went fly fishing every once in a while but that was it. I never sat at
my desk and thought man I wish I was fly fishing right now or even just casting my line, until I came back
from Montana. Now when I drive by a river, I pick out the best fishing spots. I rush from work right to
the river to try my luck with my new fly. I even tie flies for fun now. It’s like I’ve lost control and I like it. I
even enjoy fly fishing when I don’t catch a single fish after six hours of fishing. I loved the experiences
Montana brought, and I honestly think if I ever get super rich instead of hiring a personal chief I’ll higher
a personal guide to take me fishing. It made my life so much easier to have someone say yeah they’ve
been biting this fly or that looks like a good lie. I learned so much from them that has followed me back
home while I’m fishing my rivers. Oh and don’t get me started on the food! It was so good, I couldn’t
believe someone could make a sack lunch taste so good. I think I gained ten pounds from this trip! I just
want to reiterate how thankful I am for being a part of this experience. I am so thankful for meeting
everyone and getting to know them over the course of the trip. I am very hopefully that I find my way
back to Montana someday soon and get to see all the people who put the trip together again, oh and
enjoy a little trout fishing too. Thank you so much everyone! Mary.
Mr. Frank,
Thomas Fletcher>>>>>
I had a great time at the 2014 Bighorn Youth Adventure. I learned so much about fly tying, casting,
reading water, and how to fish different flies in just a week. I especially liked learning more about fly
tying from you every morning. I enjoyed everyday fishing the Bighorn River and caught lots of fish thanks
to the great guides. I loved getting the opportunity to catch wild trout on a beautiful river. It was good to
meet other young fly fishers from across the country and get to fish with them. This wonderful
experience is all thanks to you and the generous volunteers that helped put this together. I could have
never had this experience any other way! Thank you so much for devoting your time to teaching us
about fly fishing . Thomas Fletcher
Tyler Olrogg>>>>
I thought the 2014 Bighorn Youth Adventure was absolutely fantastic. The part that surprised me was that
the people and the other parts rather than just fishing were just as fun as being out in the river and
actually fishing. I really enjoyed tying our flies for the day in the mornings. I would have like to use more of
my own flies, but I think it was 50/50 my flies the guides flies. Although the fishing was "bad" it beat any
good day on my inland trout streams here at home. The only part I did not like about the trip was having
to leave Montana, my new friends, and river its self. However I have found a spot I may live someday
when I'm older.
Tight Lines,
Tyler Olrogg
Camden Miller>>>>
The Bighorn river youth adventure was easily on the best experiences of my life. From day
one everyone in Fort Smith made us all feel at home. Though the fishing conditions were
tough I still learned more than I ever imagined in four days.
On the first evening we all arrived, we settled into our cabins and got to know our
roommates. After about an hour we piled into the cars and headed over to the park for the
picnic and casting practice. Here we all got to know each other as we told fish stories at the
table. After dinner we rigged up with some weight and indicators to practice our wide open
casts. Once we all got our cast down we headed back to our cabins.
The next morning our alarm clock Paul woke us up at 5:30. We geared up the
headed to the trout shop for breakfast. After eating we made our way to the tying room
where we learned how to tie effective patterns for the river. This day I had Dave as my
guide. we rigged up before getting on the river about 10:00. I started out with streamers but
after watching Mary land fish after fish I decided to switch to a nymph rig. We fished the rest
of that day catching nice rainbows and browns. later that evening we fished the reservoir
and i caught my first smallmouth bass.
The day started out the same with a knock on the door at 5:30. We ate at the trout
shop then tied up some new flys as well as the successful ones from the day before. We
geared up met our guides then set out for another day of fishing. this day the fishing was
much better, I landed six in the first five miles. the farther we floated the worse the moss got
so the action slowed down a lot more.
On the second to last day our guide was dennis. I threw streamers the entire day
and jumped a few nice browns. I didn't land any fish that day but I still had an awesome
time watching a few 18-20 inch browns destroy a number 2 fly.
The final day of fishing was the best day for me, my guide Tom put us on fish all day. Due to
the moss I gave up nymphing and fished a hopper dropper for a while. I landed one of my
best fish of the trip in no more than six inches of water. To finish off the the trip the clouds
rolled in and it started to sprinkle. This made the streamer bite go crazy. I was fishing 4 inch
flies skittered on the surface and had every brown in the river jumping for it.
All in all this was a truly amazing trip, I learned so much from the guides and and
have already taken that knowledge to my local waters.This was a once in a lifetime trip that
I will always remember.Thank you to everyone who helped make this trip happen.
-Camden miller
Zach Burgoyne>>>>>
My name is Zach Burgoyne and I recently went on the 2014 Bighorn River Youth Adventure to
Ft. Smith. This trip was the best time I have ever had fly fishing and meeting new kids that love
this great sport as much as I do. Every part of this was fun and there was not a dull or boring
time while on this adventure. Each day I could wake up knowing I was going to have one of the
best days of my life. Every part of this trip was great the food, lodging, fishing, fly tying, and
every one there. My favorite part of this trip was being able to float the river each day with a
different guide and learn their different techinques to succesfully catching fish on the Bighorn
River. While being on this great trip I stayed at the Bighorn Trout Shop along with three other
kids. While staying at the trout shop everyone there was super friendly and took care of anything
you could possibly need making everything very comfortable. Each morning we had a fly tying
class before heading out on the river for an awesome day of fly fishing. A few patterns we
learned to tie were the student, pinky, and ray charles all of which I have used on some of my
home waters here in Idaho. Having gone on this wonderful trip I will be sure to pass it on to
friends that enjoy fly fishing and would love to go on this once in a life time experience.
Sincerely, Zach Burgoyne