Maine Advanced Expedition 2 (Dayton's Group)
Greetings from the Maine Advanced Expedition! As we continue our adventure up to Maine after wrapping up the Massachusetts Pike floats, everyone is getting excited for the trophy Brook trout fishing and reminiscing about monster pike fought, caught, and lost. Over the last three days, we have been floating the housatonic river for pike and smallmouth from drift boats. Despite the challenge...
Ascension Bay Final Update
It has been an eventful few days since you last heard from us here in Mexico. Our first two full days of fishing this trip were amazing, so it was only fair that our third day slowed down a bit. Thursday presented us with some adverse conditions. The winds picked up making casting a challenge, and high clouds rolled in making it difficult to spot fish. In order to alleviate these conditions we...
Ascension Bay Update
We have our first two days under our belts here in Punta Allen Mexico, and it really could not have gone any better. Arrival day was admittedly a bit of an ordeal. It seemed as though half of the US tried to get into Cancun yesterday. The guys valiantly battled the extremely long customs line, which was taking about 1.5 - 2 hours to navigate. Once we were all through, we made the trek down south...
Big Skies and Remote Wilderness for 2020
When planning new trips on public land it sometimes takes years of planning before we even mention the likelihood of the trip taking place. Our Yellowstone trips are the perfect example. After several years of leading commercial trips and personal expeditions into the park, we knew exactly what a world-class teen fly fishing trip in Yellowstone should look like. We were prepared from day one of...
April Availability Update
Returning students are the backbone of LFFE. When our trips are announced in October they quickly fill nearly half of our openings. By the time mid-January through March has rolled on by most of our trips are on a waitlist. But don’t worry. If you are still looking for an exceptional backcountry fly fishing experience for your child we have space on a few Adventures and Expeditions.
Preparing for an Adventure of a Lifetime
It is hard to believe it, but summer is almost here! We are getting excited for another summer full of adventure, learning, and of course, lots of spectacular fishing. As always, if you ever think of any questions or concerns please don’t hesitate to give us a call at 828-577-8204 or send me an email at [email protected]. In the meantime here is some information to help you or your child...
LFFE on the Road
From roughly June 1st through the middle of September, I live a nomadic life, sleeping steps from some of the best fly fishing in the lower 48. My annual pilgrimage stretches from small mountain streams in western North Carolina to historic fishing camps in Maine, then west to the fabled waters of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem and the high alpine lakes of the Rocky Mountains. Long before...
Fly Fishing College Prep
Teddy came on his first LFFE trip in 2016. His fly fishing experience was limited at best, but it didn’t take long to realize fishing was part of his DNA. In 2017 and 2018 Teddy came on two trips per summer, including the 2018 NC Blue Ridge Adventure as a Intern Trip Leader. His drive and dedication has transformed him into a true expert. He proved this point on the 2018 Yellowstone Expedition...
LFFE Alum Making a name for himself in the Fly Fishing Industry
I’ve always been okay being that “fishing guy” pretty much everywhere I go because after all, that’s’ who I am. I didn’t grow up on the deck of a boat, on the banks of a river and my dad hasn’t a clue about fishing, but, being out on the water has taught me some of my greatest life lessons. Ever since my uncle introduced me to fishing, I haven’t had a second go by when I don’t think, speak or...
LFFE Online Store Coming Soon
Every year we get a ton of participants, parents, alumni, and friends who ask about buying LFFE shirts, hats, hoodies, etc. We are in the process of building a new website which will hopefully include a complete online store. Our immediate plan is to stick to LFFE branded apparel, and we hope to grow those offerings based on your feedback. If you have something you would like to see please let us...
Colorado Rocky Mountain Expedition II Update
Our first day here in Colorado was largely a travel day, but because everybody got in pretty early in the day we were able to get in some quality fishing. After leaving the airport we drove a few hours to camp near Granby, Co right on the western edge of Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP). We quickly set up camp then drove into the park to fish the headwaters of the Colorado River. Everybody...
Yellowstone Expedition Final Update
Dear parents and friends, It has been non stop action since our last update. Fishing, backpacking, service, and more fishing! With our bags packed for the backcountry, we left Mammoth early in order to hit the trail before the heat of the day. The hike into Slough creek wasn’t too bad, especially after we made it over the first big hill. We got to our backcountry site around lunch time. After...
Yellowstone Expedition Upper Yellowstone Update
Greetings from Mammoth. The Yellowstone Expedition has spent the last few days fishing the front country of Yellowstone after exiting the Snake River Backcountry. The fishing has been fantastic, and we are looking forward to heading into the Slough Creek backcountry. After exiting the backcountry we headed to Bridge Bay campground which provided us prime access to the Upper Yellowstone River...
Yellowstone Adventure Slough Creek
Greetings from Slough Creek, The Yellowstone Adventure has been busy soaking in the Boiling River and fishing hard in the Slough Creek front country and backcountry since exiting our last backcountry. After exiting the backcountry we headed to Mammoth for showers, laundry, and to fish the Gardner River. Unfortunately, a heavy afternoon storm upstream of us turned the Gardner into chocolate milk...
Yellowstone Advanced Expedition upper Yellowstone BC
The Yellowstone Expedition got off to an early start on Sunday morning as we broke down camp at Gros Ventre campground, just outside of Jackson Hole. From there we headed straight for Yellowstone National Park. Along the way we passed the magnificent Teton Mountains and the scenic Snake river. Once inside Yellowstone we went to the backcountry office. There we watched a video on bear safety in the...
Yellowstone adventure II
Greetings from Gardiner, MT, After spending our first day in Yellowstone doing a knot-tying and casting seminar, we were more than ready to start fishing. Our first stop for fishing was at Tower Creek, where a beautiful stream meanders right behind the campsite. The Creek is loaded with Brook Trout as well many Cutthroat-Rainbow hybrids, and each angler was able to catch some fish. That night we...
Colorado West Elk Update
It sure is good to be back to civilization! We have had quite the week since you last heard from us. This past Saturday we worked with the Crested Butte Land Trust for our service project. We spent the morning pulling invasive weed species from the banks of the Slate River just outside the town of Crested Butte. After breaking for lunch we spent the afternoon demolishing unwanted social trails...
Yellowstone Expedition Update
Greetings from Yellowstone. The last few days have been action packed and full of adventure in the backcountry and frontcountry of Yellowstone’s Lamar Valley. Monday morning the group had a leisurely start at the Gardiner river campground, which started with a delicious hot breakfast of pancakes and sausage. Once everyone had gotten their fill, we broke down camp and headed out to the kickball...
CO West Elk Update II
We have certainly been busy since leaving the airport in Denver on the 21st. Our first day was primarily a travel day that saw us go from DIA all the way to the headwaters of the Arkansas river near Buena Vista. We were fortunate enough to be celebrating a birthday on our first night as a group and went out to dinner at the “world famous” burger stand K’s in BV for some burgers and shakes. In the...
Yellowstone Adventure I Update
It is hard to believe that our first Yellowstone Adventure of the summer is coming to an end. The last few days have been spent fishing the backcountry of the Lamar Valley. Today we will fish inside Yellowstone National Park one last time before we head back to Jackson for our service project, whitewater rafting, and a float fishing trip down the Snake River. For our final backcountry trip our...
Yellowstone Expedition Update 2
The past few days of the Yellowstone Expedition have been filled with big fish! For our first stop the group tested their skills on the Upper Yellowstone River. There the group found themselves fishing for humungous cutthroat trout on one of the biggest rivers in the park. Everyone had a chance at some of the biggest cutthroat Yellowstone has to offer. One full day of fishing on the Yellowstone...
Yellowstone Adventure Update
Greetings from Yellowstone National Park, We have just exited our first backcountry section of the Yellowstone Adventure! Before I go into the details on the backcountry, I’ll sum up what we did leading up to it. We tuned up our fishing skills the day after arriving in Jackson Hole with a knot tying and casting seminar along the Madison River, which is inside Yellowstone National Park. Later that...
Yellowstone Advanced Expedition Update
The Yellowstone Expedition got off to an early start on Monday morning as we prepared our belongings and broke down camp at the Gros Ventre campground near the Jackson Airport. We were getting ready for our entrance into Yellowstone. On our drive up to the backcountry office for permits and a lesson on bear safety, we were able to enjoy the scenic Snake River Valley and Grand Teton Mountain...
Rocky Mountain Expedition Final Update
Hard to believe that the Rocky Mountain Expedition has come to a close. It seems like only yesterday that the trip was just getting started. Since exiting the backcountry for the last time, the nature of our fishing has drastically changed. We swapped the high alpine creeks and lakes of Rocky mountain National Park for the low desert scrubland of the main body of the Colorado River. While we left...
Colorado Expedition Update II
Its hard to believe it, but our trip is on the home stretch now that we have exited our second backcountry. We hiked out of the wilderness of Rocky Mountain National Park for the last time on this trip today, and boy were the last 4 days awesome. We hiked into the wilderness on Thursday under threatening skies which was actually pretty nice because it kept the temperature cool for our mostly...
Colorado Adventure II Final Update
After we exited the backcountry on Monday July 9th we had our day of community service. Before getting to work we cooked a delicious breakfast of pancakes and sausage. For our service project we picked up trash and other debris along the banks of the Colorado River. We worked with the Bureau of Land Management on the project, who manages this specific area. The location is called “Pumphouse...
Colorado Rocky Mountain Expedition Update 2
It has been an action packed six days since the beginning of the Rocky Mountain Expedition! Its hard to believe that less than a week ago we were hanging out in the airport considering all we have done and seen. The trip truly got started on Friday the sixth when we entered Rocky Mountain National Park to conduct our fly fishing seminar. We got started by learning and perfecting the basic knots...
Colorado Adventure II Update 2
Our journey into the backcountry started early Saturday morning, where we took our time packing up tents and enjoying breakfast burritos. After which we loaded up the van and began the two hour drive into Rocky Mountain National park. The drive to the trailhead was chalk full of wildlife, and the group was able to spot six moose just from the car. Once we got to the trailhead, we organized our...
Maine Expedition Final Update (Edward, Cal, and Dayton)
Greetings from LFFE. By now I am sure you have all heard some great stories from our successful Maine Expedition. After leaving Lakewood camps we made the drive down to MA for some pike fishing. We had absolutely perfect weather the entire trip, but unfortunately our luck ran out. While driving south through Maine in a light rain, it was apparently coming down in buckets in western MA. The...
Maine Expedition Final Update (Pat, Nate, and Connor)
Greetings from LFFE, By now I am sure you have all heard some great stories from our Maine Expedition. After leaving Lakewood Camps the group headed to the Moosehead Lakes Region for a canoe trip into the backcountry of the East and West Outlets of the Kennebec River. Just north of Moosehead Lake, Indian Pond (more like a lake in my opinion), provides the perfect opportunity to experience a true...
