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We are now all aware of the fact that the perpetuation of our outdoor heritage depends entirely on how we as adults and parents mentor young folks and ignite an interest in hunting and fishing. With that important fact in mind, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources' MinnAqua Program, partnering with Trout Unlimited and Good Earth Village, is hosting a weekend of fly-fishing and instruction for adult and youth companions May 16-18 in Spring Valley, Minnesota.

When I received an email from my Federation of Fly Fishers chapter informing me of the event, I jumped at the chance to be a part of this upcoming Spring Valley weekend. Eleven other instructors and guides and I will teach participants all about basic fly-casting, fly tying, aquatic invertebrates, fly selection and how to read trout water. Along with the overt teaching and learning that will occur, this weekend will no doubt also provide all participants - guides and students alike - with indelible memories of time spent on the rivers and fishing stories told around the campfire. To add to the summer camp-like atmosphere at Good Earth Village, all guides and participants will "bunk" in various cabins within the compound.

For all intents and purposes, MinnAqua is the fishing education arm of the Minnesota DNR. Its mission statement, while it seems expansive and unreserved, is entirely necessary. It reads: "To provide life-long educational programming that will increase people's knowledge and understanding about aquatic ecosystems, management, and resource issues; help acquire skills related to aquatic recreation, careers, and teaching; and foster a better stewardship of Minnesota's natural resources." As I said, it almost seems overly ambitious, but the older I get, the more I agree that you cannot teach fishing alone. There are too many facets to fishing and our ecology that intertwine and affect one another. MinnAqua's success, I believe, can be attributed to the fact that they deliver a multi-layered message to anglers. Along with the fishing itself, on-the-water lesson plans that provide participants a better understanding of ecology, stewardship and the conservation of aquatic ecosystems makes for a better-informed angler.

Fishing guiding and instructing isn't about making money. When it comes time each year to work on taxes, most guides will attest that a quick look at his or her simple profit and loss statement will bear that out. No, we guide and instruct because we enjoy the process and effort necessary to shorten the learning curve for others interested in fly-fishing.

I'm looking forward to this weekend. I'm looking forward to meeting new friends and seeing familiar faces. But most of all, I'm looking forward to helping young anglers catch their first trout on a fly rod. It will be an experience they will never forget.

Dan Brown's weekly outdoor column is brought to you by Frankie's Bait and Marine, in Chisago City, and St. Croix Outdoors, in St. Croix Falls, Wis.

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