History of Headwater’s Chapter 642

January 1993 was the first official meeting date. The three founding fathers, Gale Brooks, Bob Frazey and John Sorenson presented and adopted Headwaters as the chapter name. 2018 will mark our 25th anniversary where we will proudly celebrate our major accomplishments of:

1. A continuous 16 year youth fly fishing program.

2. A 9 year continuous Trout in the Classroom program.

3. A 12 year focused Straight River Restoration Program with four helicopter tree drops.

4. Brook trout reproduction restored in several streams, plus brown trout naturalized in streams and rivers.

5. Increased involvement and membership through collaborative projects and ongoing fly tying and fly fishing events.

Here in the Headwaters Chapter we know that our region has a lot more to offer than simply trout. Our chapter happily crosses over into any and all species of fish that are available to catch on a fly in our area. Pike, bass, panfish and more all make it into our instruction days and tying nights. The most important goal for us is to bring an angling community together that has a strong conservation ethic.

Summer 2022 Chapter Update

This spring has been extremely busy so far. We were excited to be back at the Great Waters Fly Fishing Expo this year. Once again we taught people how to tie their first fly. It was great seeing the familiar faces and being able to put smiles on kids’ faces again. We may have had fewer volunteers this year but we were able to keep up with demand.

And speaking of teaching fly tying, our Youth Fly Fishing program was back this year. We did run into one issue, when it came time for registration we received over 70 students. This meant that in order to meet the demand we had to ask more from our volunteers. Instead of running the normal once-a-week class, we had to split the kids into two different groups on Mondays and Thursdays. In this program we teach kids how to tie flies, tie knots, and cast a fly rod. The program culminates with a fishing trip to the Clearwater River.

Our Trout in the Classroom program is doing well. We have five tanks right now and all the fish are healthy. Most of the tanks have completed testing and are ready for release day. We are just waiting on the results of the last tank. John Latimer visited the school for spring phenology week in mid-April. The students toured the Spire Valley Hatchery in late April. Students were able to see where the trout were raised. Release day for the Gene Dillon fish is tentatively set for Thursday, May 19.

Front 20 Outfitters has several upcoming events this spring. There is the 3rd Annual Bluegill Outing & Fly Swap on June 5, CO-ED Fly Fishing schools, Ladies Fly Fishing Workshops, and more. For more information from Front 20 Outfitters, Visit www.front20outfitters.com

Kris Williams

Join us on our next project or tying night!

Contact the Headwaters Chapter

Kris Williams, Chapter President

topherjoel01@gmail.com