Origin of trout camp and the dream trip
The following is a brief history and update of Georgia Trout Camp by Kathy Breithaupt, current council chair of Georgia Trout Unlimited:
Georgia Trout Camp was founded in 2004 by the Georgia TU council. Chairman Charlie Breithaupt, Secretary Kathy Breithaupt and Mack Martin, an executive committee member and owner of the Atlanta Fly Fishing School, proposed the idea in September of 2003. A unanimous decision was made to support the camp financially and philosophically.
The mission of our camp is to introduce boys and girls ages 13-15 to trout fishing and coldwater conservation ideals. Our camp is a 6-day overnight camp, and we are housed at Tallulah Falls School in Tallulah Falls. We skipped 2020 due to covid concerns and had a weekend camp in 2021. In 2022, it was business as usual with our typical 6-day, 5-night, camp.
The camp is supported financially by the Georgia Council of Trout Unlimited, private donors and camper tuition. We have made every effort to keep our costs reasonable for the campers. Our tuition — which includes room and board, transportation and equipment — is $700. The cost per camper does not cover the expenses, so we supplement our finances with our Fly-Fishing Dream Trip raffle that we have held successfully since 2005. We accept 12 campers and average about 30 volunteers. Since 2004 we have graduated over 400 young conservationists and anglers.
We also enjoy our Young Mentors. These are select camp graduates who would like to return to camp for a mentoring experience. Our volunteers are TU members (who have an approved background check) who are invited to join us during the day, and spend the night in the dorm as space allows. Meals are included.
Our curriculum includes: Casting, Knot Tying, Fly Tying, Stocking the River or Stream with the Department of Natural Resources, Stream Entomology, Stream Etiquette, Reading the Water, Conservation Work with the U.S. Forest Service and Georgia DNR, Equipment and Maintenance, Camaraderie, Fun and Fishin’!
To learn more about our camp and apply, go to GeorgiaTu.org and click on the “Education” tab.
DREAM TRIP
The Georgia Council of TU needed a way to fund the Georgia Trout Camp. Several ideas were tossed about at one of our quarterly meetings. Duane Stalnaker came up with the concept of a Dream Trip fly fishing vacation. He said that a raffle could be held and the winner would get a trip for two.
The following is from Duane Stalnaker:
“We talked about having a banquet, but it was too expensive, I knew the people who bought the Green River Guest Ranch and approached them with the idea and they were all in. The publicity of the Dream Trip got the guest ranch a lot of business. I guided the Dream Trip winners for 5 years, with the lucky anglers staying at the ranch until my owner friends sold the guest ranch and the Dream Trip needed a new base. (The new owners basically ran it into the ground and it closed not long after, it sat abandoned for years).”
Georgia native and TU member John McGarity volunteered his Idaho home and his services and the Dream Trip is now based in Idaho.
“The first time I went out west fly fishing was the summer of 1998 in the Upper Green River Valley in Wyoming. Honestly, the first couple of days I spent the majority of my time just staring off in the distance admiring the scenery. I was just in awe of how beautiful it was there and in the many years since that trip, I never tire of the beauty of ‘out west.’ I spent the next 10 summers going back there and to surrounding areas including the Yellowstone area, which I have visited and fished many times, it is truly a magical place and one I encourage everyone to visit at least once. My favorite thing about fishing out west is the ability to catch native cutthroat trout; they are truly a beautiful fish and we don’t have them here in the Eastern U.S. Since my first trip, I have also fished in Montana, Colorado and Idaho, but Wyoming is still my favorite. Tight Lines and see you ‘out west’ this summer!”
The Dream Trip raffle has many great runner up prizes in addition to the main prize. Dream Trip tickets are available online at Go.TuLocalEvents.org/georgia-tu-dream-trip. Help fund the Georgia Trout Camp. Be sure to choose the Coosa Valley Chapter when making your purchase.
TU MEETING
The Coosa Valley Chapter will meet on Thursday, Jan. 19, at 6:30 p.m. at the Rome Floyd ECO Center. Nationally known outdoor writer Jimmy Jacobs will be our speaker. Jimmy has written many books on fishing in the South. He will have his books available at the meeting. The public is invited.