Learning the language of a trout stream
Photo courtesy of Forrest Fisher Diego Rey is pictured with a nice steelhead from a local Lake Erie tributary. A free local classroom course is offered to teach young and old the how-to.
NYSDEC illustration Five tributary outflows offer fish-catching fun for steelhead and other trout species.
Photo courtesy of Forrest Fisher Diego Rey is pictured with a nice steelhead from a local Lake Erie tributary. A free local classroom course is offered to teach young and old the how-to.
NYSDEC illustration Five tributary outflows offer fish-catching fun for steelhead and other trout species.
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There is a particular kind of magic in learning to fly fish. It has something to do with the way a fly line unfolds across the water. With the quiet concentration of watching a stream. With learning to tie a tiny collection of feathers and thread into something that, if you do it just right, convinces a trout that dinner has arrived.
Then, also, there is the possibility that your first cast will look absolutely nothing like that. That’s OK, too.
For 32 years, Alberto Rey has been teaching children -- and anyone else who is curious enough to show up -- the art and ethics of fly fishing. This fall, that remarkable local tradition begins another season of free classes through the Children in the Stream/4-H Youth Fly Fishing Program.
Classes started this past Tuesday, but they continue every Tuesday from 7-8:30 p.m. through May 18, 2027, in the Costello Room at the Rockefeller Arts Center at SUNY Fredonia.
There is no experience required; no long-term commitment. The classes and supplies are free. That’s a pretty good deal for learning something that could eventually lead you to some beautiful places.
Children in the Stream isn’t really about teaching people how to catch fish. Not entirely. The program teaches children about aquatic resources, conservation, fishing ethics and the natural world. Catch-and-release is encouraged, as is respect for fellow anglers and the land and water that make fishing possible in the first place.
In other words, the goal isn’t simply to create better anglers. It’s to create people who understand why healthy streams and rivers matter. Alberto Rey is the best man to share details about that. He understands way more than how to tie flies and cast a fly line.
The program began in 1994 after Rey and Mike Conley attended conservation and sportfishing education seminars through Cornell Cooperative Extension. What started as the S.A.R.E.P. Youth Fly Fishing Program eventually became Children in the Stream/4-H in 2016.
Over three decades, roughly 200 children a year have benefited from the program, along with SUNY Fredonia students and community members. Generations of volunteer mentors -- including Bill Bauer, John Straight, Jim Wilcox, Paul Bowers and Monte Sticek -- have helped keep the tradition alive.
That’s a lot of flies tied. A lot of casts practiced. A lot of young people introduced to the quiet pleasures of moving water and the love for the priceless freedom to be found on the many steelhead and trout streams here in Western New York.
Over those years, perhaps a few adults who discovered that you’re never too old to learn something new. So if you’ve ever thought about trying fly fishing, here’s your invitation. I have fished with Alberto and let me just share that this humble master of the stream will expand your lives. Come learn how to tie a fly. Learn how to cast. Learn what lies beneath the surface of a stream -- and why protecting it matters.
You might even catch a fish someday, but don’t worry if you don’t. The first lesson is simply learning to enjoy being beside the water. For information, contact Alberto Rey at Alberto@albertorey.com. Classes will not be held Nov. 24 or Dec. 15 through Jan. 19. Family first, always. Come for the flies, stay for the fish.
Gotta love the outdoors.
CALENDAR
Oct. 10: NYSDEC Trapper Ed Course, Bear Lake Rod & Gun Club, 4391 Cassadaga-Stockton Road, Stockton, 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Gary Dudek; register at: https://decals.events.east.licensing.app/em/events/513, or call 585-226-5463.
Oct. 10-12: NYS youth deer hunt, junior hunters (12-15 years old) may take deer under youth and mentor rules.
Oct. 11: Canceled: Firearm Sighting-In Day, Bear Lake Rod & Gun Club
Oct. 11: Sunday 50s Trap Shoot, Celoron Rod & Gun Club, 210 Livingston Ave., Celoron, registration 9-10 a.m.; Info: Jerry Martin: 814-688-9209.
Oct. 13: Children in the Stream Youth Fly Fishing/4-H Program, Fly tying/fly fishing classes, 7-8:30 p.m., free, Costello Room, Rockefeller Art Center at SUNY Fredonia, For info: email Alberto@albertorey.com.
Oct. 17: Women Fishing Class; 3-4:30 p.m., The Hairy Trout, 3891 Seneca St., West Seneca, w/Nicole Marie and Sara Hastings.
Oct. 17-30: Fall turkey hunting season, one bird either sex allowed, sunrise to sunset. See dec.ny.gov for zones.