Stephen Richards, Ian Gale, Anthony Kindle and Chase Walden, with some of their fly fishing rods.
Joey’s Fly Fishing Foundation and Sportsman’s Warehouse have teamed up to sell the fly fishing rods that the youngster’s make.
The fly-fishing rods are called the Next Generation Rods, and each youngster has his name on the rod that he has made as well as their favorite colors. The Next Generation Rod series sales support program scholarships for incoming students. A portion of all rod sales will go toward college tuition for the individual students.
Mike Dickerson, office manager at Sportsman’s Warehouse, said how this partership came about.
Along with the poles, Joey’s display at Sportsman’s Warehouse includes hand-tied flies, caps, and a book by Joey Puettman, titled, “Joey’s Wyoming Cutt-Slam Challenge.”
The book features several personal stories from many of the youngsters who have participated in the Cutt-Slam. It is also a field guide, a travel guide, and a fishing log. Illustrated with maps, color photographs and artwork, the book includes a wealth of information about cut-throat trout and other trout species as well as fly fishing techniques.
Reata Cook, Sheridan WYO Rodeo queen for 2022, is one of the volunteers at Joey’s. She has built a couple of rods, and has made Joey’s Fly Fishing her platform as Rodeo Queen. She said that she wants to give back to her community by talking about what Joey’s does for youngsters. She said she travels around Wyoming to rodeos, and to elementary schools, telling youngsters to ‘get out of the their comfort zone,” and she talked about Joey’s and working in the girl’s program there.
She said this about the fly rods at Sportsman’s Warehouse.
Joey’s is a mentoring program, and youngsters learn many skills that they can carry over into everything they do in life.
Many of the volunteers have been through the program as youngsters. Jace Brown, Regional Program Director, is a first generation of Joey’s having been with Joey for fifteen years.
He said, “Our volunteers come from different backgrounds and different circumstances in life.”
“It is such a positive group and where they go they are going to get good experience and positive influence and they are going to be taught very well.”
Jace Brown said that building the rods give the kids have this sense of pride. “They build their own rods. It gives them a beautiful sense of pride. They probably haven’t gotten before. Week after week they dedicate their time. It’s like nothing else, you can go buy a fly rod, sure, but to say, oh, I built this. I did my Cut-Slam with this.’” Brown said, adding,“We are a fly fishing gang.”
Joey added, “At different times on the river people see the website on the side of the vehicle and then they will go to the website and purchase a rod, or make a donation.”
To make good rods, one needs good tools. Tom Balding, of Balding Bits and Spurs, now retired, has donated several tools to Joey’s for their rod building, including a lathe that they use for making the handles. He said this about fly fishing and Joey’s in general.
Joey’s is open to both boys and girls, and they are planning a girl’s camp in August.
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