
Although I have been incredibly blessed with many opportunities throughout my life, nothing thus far has compared to the life-changing journey that was my trip to the Berry Islands with Fish For Change this summer.
In hindsight, the trip was like a dream, filled with eternal smiles and endless beaches. From the moment I stepped foot into the lodge's red pickup truck with the amazing group of people I would be spending time with, I knew this trip would be unlike anything I had ever experienced before. Between the trips to and from town for dinner and other activities, to the sleepy-eyed truck rides at hours when no human being should be awake, I loved every minute of it. Arriving at the Nassau Airport on the first day was like meeting up with a group of old friends you never knew you had. As soon as we got to talking, the group hit it off, with fly fishing as the glue that held our strange and hilarious family together. All of us had had a long day of travel and couldn't contain our excitement, and walking around the airport like a race track was the only way to get our jitters out while waiting for the rest of the guys to show up. We had only walked about twenty yards when we laid eyes on what would be an icon of the trip as a whole: the blue Bahamian water football. As soon as we all saw it in that Nassau gift shop, we heard the call of an overpriced tourist trap and fell right into it. We all chipped in and bought said football, running routes through an airport terminal not much more than 40 yards long. We proceeded to develop connections through some good old-fashioned competition. Little did we know, this football would follow us on the trip through the best times and the times when we were exhausted from a long day in the sun.
Upon arrival at the lodge, we took about an hour to unpack and then got straight to the fun. We sprinted down to the beach and into the crystal blue waters, reflecting the near-perfect skies above us. We threw the football around in a game of jackpot and did some fly casting for needlefish in the surf. The evening ended with some fresh fish for dinner, courtesy of the lodge chef.
I had an expectation that was pretty high leading into this trip, but I decided before I got there that no matter what happened, I would do everything I could to make the absolute best of it. Nonetheless, when we arrived at Soulfly Lodge, I remembered those expectations and realized that they would be blown out of the water by the first hour. The connection that the group and I had, and the smiling faces all around, led me to believe that the week was going to be way better than I had ever expected. I could not have had more fun on this trip. I went from being a saltwater fly fishing lover to an absolute fanatic. Between what I learned from the guides and what I laughed about with the group of kids, I cannot think of any way that the trip could have gone better.
On another note, I have fished saltwater on fly more than I have freshwater. Living in Florida, we have access to almost every kind of fly fishing you can imagine. From the crystalline flats of Biscayne Bay to the murky-water backcountry of the Everglades, we have it all. Even with all these incredible places to fish, I feel like do-it-yourself style fly fishing is a struggle no matter how great the fishery is. For this reason, I was thrilled to know that this trip would be mostly guided and that we would be able to interact with the people who knew the most about this fishery through more hours on the water than one can count. These guides helped us learn so much about this fishery and how to achieve success in the new environment we were being thrown into. Outside of Florida, fly fishing was pretty foreign to me. Being taught by my dad and local fly anglers gave me a pretty closed-off approach to the world of fly fishing. Until I arrived in the Berry Islands, I didn't realize the numerous opportunities available to me through this great sport. Between the trips that the other students on the trip have gone on and the career opportunities showcased by the guides and island locals, I never would have been able to see the multitude of ways I could involve my passion in a field of work that could benefit the world and other people in ways that this trip affected me.
In short, this trip was a dream that actually happened to a lucky group of kids who love to fly fish. The privilege of going on this trip could not have been possible without the work that was put in ahead of time by the lodge, the Fish For Change team, and my sponsor, Bajío. All of the work done by these people was the only reason this trip was possible, and the only reason that we could have as much fun as we did on this trip.
At the end of the trip, we were all asked what we loved most about the trip, and all of us said some variation of “Hanging out with the group and the guides.” This experience led us all to enjoy the time together instead of focusing on ourselves and the fishing. This trip was unlike anything I've ever done, with memories that I will never forget, and friends that will last a lifetime. This trip helped me to view nature differently, with a greater appreciation for the incredible places that we got to see in less than a week. All in all, I am hopeful that many other future students will receive the privilege to go on this incredible trip and enjoy the magical gifts that the Berry Islands and Fish For Change have to offer.
In hindsight, the trip was like a dream, filled with eternal smiles and endless beaches. From the moment I stepped foot into the lodge's red pickup truck with the amazing group of people I would be spending time with, I knew this trip would be unlike anything I had ever experienced before. Between the trips to and from town for dinner and other activities, to the sleepy-eyed truck rides at hours when no human being should be awake, I loved every minute of it. Arriving at the Nassau Airport on the first day was like meeting up with a group of old friends you never knew you had. As soon as we got to talking, the group hit it off, with fly fishing as the glue that held our strange and hilarious family together. All of us had had a long day of travel and couldn't contain our excitement, and walking around the airport like a race track was the only way to get our jitters out while waiting for the rest of the guys to show up. We had only walked about twenty yards when we laid eyes on what would be an icon of the trip as a whole: the blue Bahamian water football. As soon as we all saw it in that Nassau gift shop, we heard the call of an overpriced tourist trap and fell right into it. We all chipped in and bought said football, running routes through an airport terminal not much more than 40 yards long. We proceeded to develop connections through some good old-fashioned competition. Little did we know, this football would follow us on the trip through the best times and the times when we were exhausted from a long day in the sun.
Upon arrival at the lodge, we took about an hour to unpack and then got straight to the fun. We sprinted down to the beach and into the crystal blue waters, reflecting the near-perfect skies above us. We threw the football around in a game of jackpot and did some fly casting for needlefish in the surf. The evening ended with some fresh fish for dinner, courtesy of the lodge chef.
I had an expectation that was pretty high leading into this trip, but I decided before I got there that no matter what happened, I would do everything I could to make the absolute best of it. Nonetheless, when we arrived at Soulfly Lodge, I remembered those expectations and realized that they would be blown out of the water by the first hour. The connection that the group and I had, and the smiling faces all around, led me to believe that the week was going to be way better than I had ever expected. I could not have had more fun on this trip. I went from being a saltwater fly fishing lover to an absolute fanatic. Between what I learned from the guides and what I laughed about with the group of kids, I cannot think of any way that the trip could have gone better.
On another note, I have fished saltwater on fly more than I have freshwater. Living in Florida, we have access to almost every kind of fly fishing you can imagine. From the crystalline flats of Biscayne Bay to the murky-water backcountry of the Everglades, we have it all. Even with all these incredible places to fish, I feel like do-it-yourself style fly fishing is a struggle no matter how great the fishery is. For this reason, I was thrilled to know that this trip would be mostly guided and that we would be able to interact with the people who knew the most about this fishery through more hours on the water than one can count. These guides helped us learn so much about this fishery and how to achieve success in the new environment we were being thrown into. Outside of Florida, fly fishing was pretty foreign to me. Being taught by my dad and local fly anglers gave me a pretty closed-off approach to the world of fly fishing. Until I arrived in the Berry Islands, I didn't realize the numerous opportunities available to me through this great sport. Between the trips that the other students on the trip have gone on and the career opportunities showcased by the guides and island locals, I never would have been able to see the multitude of ways I could involve my passion in a field of work that could benefit the world and other people in ways that this trip affected me.
In short, this trip was a dream that actually happened to a lucky group of kids who love to fly fish. The privilege of going on this trip could not have been possible without the work that was put in ahead of time by the lodge, the Fish For Change team, and my sponsor, Bajío. All of the work done by these people was the only reason this trip was possible, and the only reason that we could have as much fun as we did on this trip.
At the end of the trip, we were all asked what we loved most about the trip, and all of us said some variation of “Hanging out with the group and the guides.” This experience led us all to enjoy the time together instead of focusing on ourselves and the fishing. This trip was unlike anything I've ever done, with memories that I will never forget, and friends that will last a lifetime. This trip helped me to view nature differently, with a greater appreciation for the incredible places that we got to see in less than a week. All in all, I am hopeful that many other future students will receive the privilege to go on this incredible trip and enjoy the magical gifts that the Berry Islands and Fish For Change have to offer.