Fly Fishers’ Tie-a-thon to Benefit Kids at Camp; Tiers Needed!

Fly tiers from various Fly Fishers International and Trout Unlimited Clubs from around the Great Lakes region will come together next April for the 13th annual Tie-a-thon to tie and donate flies to Camp Kita and the Mayfly Project, both of which are groups that cater to youths.

The event is being held at the Elkhart, Ind. Conservation Club, which has donated their use of their facility again. More than 113,000 flies from previous Tie-A-Thons have been donated since the first Tie-a-thon was held.

Attendance isn’t required to help out. As the Tie-a-thon has done in previous years, flies will be accepted from individuals who are willing to donate their time and materials and finished flies for this year’s two worthy causes.

The Mayfly Project’s mission is to build relationships with children in foster care through fly fishing and introduce them to their local water ecosystems. By connecting them to a rewarding hobby like fly fishing, the hope is the children will feel supported and develop a meaningful connection to the outdoors. At the end of the program, each child is given a fly rod and reel, pack, fly box, flies and other fly fishing accessories.

Camp Kita provides a nurturing environment where child survivors can connect with one another while learning constructive ways to deal with the emotions of losing a parent to suicide.

Fly Fishers’ Tie-a-thon to Benefit Kids at Camp; Tiers Needed!

Tie-a-thon founder Terry Wittorp says you don’t have to be an experienced fly tier to participate and he recommends tiers get a jump on producing flies soon. For more information about the type of flies needed or fly tying assistance, email Tim Scott, timelscott@gmail.com.

Tie-A-Thon is where several tiers tie as many flies as they can during the Saturday, April 13 event.

Along with members of the St. Joseph River Valley Fly Fishers and Kalamazoo Valley TU chapter, other groups are joining forces again this year to tie flies including The Brotherhood of the Jungle Cock, Reel Women - Reel Men of Indianapolis, Grand Rapids Fly Tyers, Flygirls of Michigan, Anglers of the Au Sable, Little Elkhart Chapter of Trout Unlimited, Three Rivers Fly Fishers of Fort Wayne, Duneland Fly Fishers, and many more individuals from all over the country.

Wittorp will have a spectacular lunch for all the tiers at the event and a guest tier will demonstrate special patterns every other