PW Fly Fishing Club members catch conservation bug - along with a few trout

Ask a PW Fly Fishing Club member about their club, and you’re liable to get reeled into a discussion on conservation rather than a tale about the one that got away.

While one of the benefits of their extra-curricular activity is being able to spend time on local waterways trying to catch fish on a nice warm day, it’s clear that the students who belong to the club care about the environment just as much as they care about hooking a brown trout.

“It’s just a great club. You can go outside and enjoy nature. We learn about conservation, leaving the water better than you found it,” said Wyatt McDevitt, a senior who has been vice president of the club since he started high school.

That commitment to conservation became strengthened this year after the students signed a charter agreement to become a Trout Unlimited Student Club. Adviser M.J. Grourke said the club was one of a few around the country that was asked to formally join Trout Unlimited (TU), an organization that is committed to conserving area waterways and educating people about the importance of protecting rivers and streams. Student clubs must uphold TU’s values of conservation, community, education, fun, respect, inclusivity, and leadership. 

Two of the club’s younger members, ninth-graders Aiden McFetridge and Aydenn Kelly, are already working toward conservation efforts in hopes of making a section of the Wissahickon Creek protected for fly fishing only. Because fly fishing is catch-and-release, it would help protect the creek from being fished out and perhaps allow the fish to “hold over” to the next year.

The two students have been attempting to reach out to local lawmakers, as well as groups like the Friends of the Wissahickon and the Bright Creek Park Association in Canadensis, to learn more about what they can do to protect area streams and reserve a portion of the Wissahickon for fly fishing only. Aydenn said ideally the club would like to be able to hold its own stream clean-up days and perhaps plant trees to protect the creek.

The students have learned that water quality is largely dependent on the trees that surround a waterway. Wyatt said he learned through the group’s trips to Bright Creek just how essential trees are to a trout’s survival. In that area, gypsy moths have led to deforestation, which means less shade for area waterways. Less shade can result in higher water temperatures and fewer insects for the trout to eat, causing the trout population to decline. 

Wyatt said one of the reasons he likes fly fishing is because it’s “sustainable” with the trout being returned to the water after they are caught. But he also just likes being out on the water.

“I like fly fishing because it’s relaxing,” said Wyatt, who said fishing runs in his family. “If I’m having a bad day, I drive 20 minutes over to Valley Forge. It's super calming.”

In addition to learning practical things like the technique involved in casting and how to tie their own flies, the club members have also learned skills to help them in their lives outside of fishing, such as leadership, teamwork, and collaboration. Teaching one’s self how to be calm is another outcome of the sport, according to Aiden.

“Patience is everything,” he said.

While fishing can certainly provide a moment of zen, it can also lead to frustration when the fish aren’t biting. But to Wyatt, that’s all part of the hobby.

“It is fishing after all, it’s not catching, so you just gotta be patient,” he said with a grin. “I go out a bunch of times and I don’t catch anything. It’s more just about me enjoying nature. I’m just happy that I got a rod and I’m casting on a stream.”