Thanks Dave for posting Dan Neuland's column in the Frederick News-Post. Dan has been part of a group from the Brotherhood of the Jungle Cock working on a range of projects for Big Hunting Creek. The stream is one of a handful of places where I learned an appreciation for fly fishing. I started at 9, and at 57, I still feel like I've got a lot to learn. Fly fishing brings me endless joy and fascinates me to no end. And catching trout in Big Hunting Creek remains a challenge. When I fish it, I feel like I am 9 years old. I suspect many of you feel the same way about the places you fished as a kid.
In addition to the Fly Fishing Heritage Trail, the Brotherhood of the Jungle Cock also are increasingly optimistic about securing a youth-only, fly-only section of the stream in the area now under water at Frank Bentz Pond. Frank Bentz was one of three founders of the BOJC and a strong advocate for introducing kids to a conservation ethic through the sport of fly fishing. His son, Frank Jr., was a longtime BOJC leader, as is his grandson, Frank III, as well as his kids and family members. Though the pond being named in Frank Sr.'s honor was nice, the fishing spot has mainly devolved into a meat-hole for put and take guys. Naming a kids-only fly-only section in Frank's honor would be more in keeping with honoring his legacy.
For those of you unfamiliar with the brotherhood, it was established specifically to encourage we seasoned anglers to introduce young people to the sport of fly fishing. The idea of the founders (Frank Bentz, Hamilton Brown and Joseph W. Brooks) was both altruistic and self-serving. They wanted to see trout and the beautiful places where trout live preserved for future generations. They also came up with the idea that if they taught young people how to fly fish and those people continued to pass the sport along, they themselves would continue to fly fish even after passing from this earthly realm.
The Maryland Chapter of BOJC was the first, and has since spawned chapters in Pennsylvania, Virginia, Ohio, New York and Michigan.
If you'd like to learn more about the brotherhood, visit
https://bojcmd.wordpress.com
If you are interested in joining and taking up the commitment to take a kid a fishin' send me a PM. It's a wonderful weekend event where the grown-ups are not allowed to fish, yet many of them track down kids to bring along because they so value the friendships they've made in the organization. In addition to the Bentz family, there are many three and four generation brotherhood families.
If you would like to read more about the BOJC vision for Big Hunting Creek, check out the article in the BOJC Maryland 2021 newsletter (pages 26-29) at
https://bojcmd.files.wordpress.com/2021/04/bojc_news_2021_online.pdf
If you have an interest in how Catoctin Mountain National Park, Camp David and the Catch and Release section on Big Hunting Creek, read
An Administrative History by Barbara Kirkconnell at
https://www.nps.gov/cato/learn/historyculture/index.htm. Though the title makes it sound super boring, if you are interested in the subject matter, she has a wonderfully engaging writing style.
Finally, I encourage anyone with an interest in perpetuating our sport of fly fishing to make a comment in favor of the Fly Fishing Heritage Trail at
https://parkplanning.nps.gov/commentForm.cfm?documentID=117384
If you are at a loss for words, my friend, BOJC Maryland President John Zimmer, put together the following as a boilerplate message to leave:
To Whom it May Concern:
I have been visiting Thurmont and Catoctin Mountain Park at least annually for fifty years. I have fished Big Hunting Creek since my youth and have many, many fond memories of the area as a result. I'm excited about the possibility of a Fly Fishing Heritage Trail as part of a broader trail system improvement project for many reasons.
I think it's important that the unique history of Hunting Creek as one of the first catch and release fly fishing only trout streams in the country should not only be recognized but expanded upon. More on that in a minute.
I also think developing a better public awareness about the historical importance of the fishery will lead to greater respect for maintaining the area in excellent environmental condition for future generations to enjoy as I have. By excellent environmental condition I mean less trash and poaching of trout.
What motivated me most to respond to your request for input, however, is the thought of how great it would be if the Fly Fishing Heritage Trail could extend beyond the park trail system from approximately Frank Bentz Pond downstream to Thurmont Park and the Thurmont Trolley Trail. The dam which is presently responsible for Frank Bentz Pond is scheduled to be removed in the near future. MDE and the Town of Thurmont are presently developing the details for the dam removal and now would be a perfect time to start coordinating the extension of the Fly Fishing Heritage Trail to connect Catoctin State Park to Thurmont Park and the Thurmont Troll
ey Trail. I believe it would also be appropriate for MDE and the Town of Thurmont to restore the streambed to it's original condition and re-designate the area as a Youth Only, Fly Fishing Only Catch and Release section, likely the first of it's kind in the country, possibly the world. Such a designation would be consistent with the catch and release fly fishing only regulations in the state park and the vision of Frank Bentz, Sr. as one of the founders of The Brotherhood of the Jungle Cock (1940), an organization dedicated to educating youth about preservation and conservation of natural resources through the medium of fishing.
Thank you for the opportunity to share my thoughts.
Again, I'd like to express my thanks to Dave Kile for seeing fit to make this post.
Finally, I'd like to leave you with a photo of a Big Hunting Creek monster brown, a fish of about 11 inches, who fell victim to a No. 8 cork beetle fished from my son's rod, which also is one of my favorites. Old-timers like me will recognize that he swam past a Little Lehigh green Honey Bug fished hopper-dropper style. That hopper-dropper system works really well in Big Hunting. Those of you in the know can attest to the hypnotic power of the Honey Bug.
www.fredericknewspost.com
