Living in Appalachia offers bountiful outdoor recreation. The rolling hills give way to winding rivers house bubbling creeks all home to fish of all kinds.
Gallia County native Shannon Mayes is teaching the youth to explore these waters by setting their sights on trout.
Mayes has been fishing and hunting since he was 9 years old. The Gallia Academy teacher has spent the last 12 years perfecting and running Gallipolis’ Trout Unlimited Teens Program (TU Teens).
Although the name “TU Teens” implies young adults, Mayes welcomes students from sixth grade and up to learn the art of connecting with nature. He advises the Mad River Chapter 447, which Mayes says has consistently been ranked the largest in the country.
Fly Fishing for Tweens
“Another thing is fly tying, basic fly casting and fly fishing instruction. That’s the beef. That’s the real big part of my program–we practice casting fly rods.”
Starting in October and continuing weekly until March, Mayes’ afterschool Tuesdays are designated to the after-school program and its 40 kids students. For the first hour, Mad River Chapter 447 focuses on schoolwork. Then, it is time to begin the lesson.
The curriculum varies. Favorite activities of students range from coloring pages of various trout species to fly casting in the Gallia Academy Middle School gym. Many events are weather permitting. If the winter is mild and the early spring is warm, the tweens and teens will take to river cleanups and helping out in Gallipolis.
“Just doing some things like that to help others, because really, our community is where we get our money, so we give back to the community as much as we can,” Mayes says.
Practice Makes Perfect
In March, before those trips happen, the students try their hands at casting flies in local farm ponds and parks. On those weekend outings, students are encouraged to bring their whole family, snacks and a great attitude of perseverance. Russel remembers those weekend mornings fondly.
“I took a whole year before I even caught my first trout, and that’s just like anything else. If you put your time in and you are consistent with stuff, it all comes together sooner or later,” Russel says.
It takes Mayes 22 meetings every year to teach fly fishing from the ground up. Some kids believe that they are fishing for flies, and others believe they will be fishing from planes. No matter the starting point, Mayes teaches them all with love and care.
Gallipolis: The Fly Fishing Capitol of the World
The greater Gallipollis community also supplies plenty of love and care. There are 75 annual contributors to the program, all of whom receive photos from their outings, a thank you card and a specialized chapter hat for them to wear around Gallipolis.
“You probably would think it’s a fly fishing capital of the world, because they all embrace it. Shannon’s got a Facebook page, and he’s got just hundreds of people, which is a ton for a small town like Gallipolis, it’s like, that could be 3/4 of the whole town,” Russel says.
But Mayes influence goes beyond the sport. As it takes a lot of patience and discipline to be a great fisherman. In addition to such virtues, Mayes coaches civility, ensuring students use honorifics such as “ma’am” and “sir” when addressing people. Parents have even commended Mayes about his positive impact on students, from their grades to their character.
Russel, above all else, values the way Mayes taught him respect. “If you have respect, and it can really take you a long way in life. And he really taught me how to be respectful to others, and that’s something I [will] always be grateful for,” Russel says.
Russel then offers this advice: “Start out small [in] farm ponds and then consistently work your way up and have some patience.”
Patience is the quality Mayes, Eggers and Russel agree is the most important trait in a great angler.
“The biggest thing I’ve learned from being a mentor is patience. Patience with teaching children is a lot different than teaching adults. It seems to be more rewarding,” Eggers says.
All three men also agree on the most rewarding aspect of their time with Trout Unlimited.
“Until you’ve seen a little girl catch a wild trout on a fly rod, and see the excitement, you have no idea why I do it and you don’t have any idea about it. I mean, it’s just, it’s special. It’s spectacular.”
Find us on Social Media