Boy Scouts Fly Fishing Merit Badge

Share your Fly Fishing knowledge with the Boy Scouts plus enjoy BIG BASS fishing in the evenings… Ever wanted to be able to spend a few days fly fishing for 5-8 lb. largemouth bass on a lake that doesn’t see any fishing pressure, and being the only person on the lake getting access to the nooks and crannies where the large bass are lurking?

All that on top of that having a comfortable place to stay, three meals a day and a boat provided… You just have to help teach the Boy Scout (BSA) Fly Fishing Merit Badge during a few hours each day. Since 2014 we have helped the BSA put on a Fly Fishing Merit Badge program at their Wente Scout Reservation Summer Camp located in Willits, CA.

The details are simple. There are eight one-week sessions in the summer beginning each Sunday starting June 16th. The Merit Badge is taught Monday through Thursday of each week with one class in the morning and another in the afternoon covering different parts of the merit badge each day. Each week teams of 3-4 women and men fly fishers go to the camp. Some volunteer a few days and others have gone up for several weeks.

Where does the Big Bass Fishing come in? The Wente Reservation Camp has their own 75-acre lake with lots of 5+ lb. bass and as a volunteer you have the opportunity to fish it anytime you’re not teaching the class. In one evening I caught 15 bass in the 3-8 lb. range. In addition to the fishing you get the personal satisfaction of teaching some young people the art of Fly Fishing; seeing them tie their first fly or catching their first fish. Eighty five percent of the scouts come from the greater Bay Area so your efforts are impacting local youth. During the 2018 program 160 Scouts participated. If you would like more details or to be included in future communications on this fun adventure, please contact Daniel Kitts at dckitts@aol.com.