Terraka Garner
Staff Writer
Fly-Fishers of Idaho State University, also known as FFISU, is a new club dedicated to teaching students the dynamics of fly-fishing while at the same time building life-long companionships.
The club was introduced in October and was approved and initiated in November of 2014.
Club adviser Nicholas Holmer said that a lot of signatures were required to start the FFISU club and he was reportedly happy to see these needed signatures come together in one short month.
Club meetings for the spring semester began Tuesday, Jan. 20 and will continue to be held every other Tuesday.
The meetings are typically held in the Physical Science Building, room 219, but may vary depending on what the club plans to cover.
“[Students] should join if [they] like the outdoors or even if [they] just like to fish,” said Holmer. “It’s a good way to meet people. Anyone can join.”
Holmer and club president Chase Cusack plan to take the club members on a variety of trips relevant to fly-fishing to provide a bonding and educational experience amongst club members.
Carpooling is available for students who don’t have transportation.
A trip to Pocatello’s Edson Fichter Pond, just off the Portneuf River, will mark the first ever trip for FFISU. This pond is home to what people call “the rope swing.”
“I go there in the summer and it’s way fun. The rope swing is pretty legit too,” said ISU student, Lindsey Green. “A fly-fishing trip to the pond would be sweet because it would give us students a chance to experience something new and unique.”
Holmer plans to make this trip happen at some point in the month of March and he wants to incorporate a barbeque type picnic during the fly-fishing adventure.
“[The trips] are a good way to learn the area and to get outside,” said Holmer.
According to Holmer, FFISU club members will learn how to do “everything that fly-fishing involves.” This will include learning how to tie flies, participating in fly-fishing casting classes, discovering the different types of bugs, studying the bugs’ stages of life and volunteering for different fly-fishing related organizations.
Experienced participants like Holmer will be expected to dedicate time to teaching fly-fishing newcomers.
“I love fly-fishing. I’ve been fly-fishing almost my whole life, so when [Cusack] asked me to advise the club, I jumped right on it,” said Holmer. “I want to get other people interested in the sport.”
As a way to start club participation, Holmer aims to volunteer with some or all club members at the East Idaho Fly-tying and Fly-fishing Expo in Idaho Falls. He said that he would like the club to be “continually involved in making sure our ecosystem stays clean and healthy throughout the years.”
Holmer and Cusack decided not to charge club dues to club members.
“It can be fairly expensive just to participate in fly-fishing, which is why we decided not to charge anything,” said Holmer.
Members of FFISU haven’t decided on a club motto, but according to Holmer, the motto would be focused on pinpointing the self-discovery within club members to learn about fly-fishing, about the natural resources and about ways to protect the environment.
