Summary:

Diablo Valley Fly Fishing Club is always looking for more outing leaders to help ensure we maintain a healthy number of fishing opportunities for our members. There are several ways you can become an outing leader. Most outing leaders will select a location they are familiar with and share that with club leaders. But that is not the only way to be an outing leader. You can work with a guide or outfitter to organize a guided float trip down a river you are interested in. This is a great way to organize an outing because the sign-up system collects the guide fees and all you must do is communicate when and where to meet. You can also work with an outfitter like Fly Shop and to gain access to private water. Finally, you can also work with guides that will either provide a tour of a watershed or teach new techniques. So, you don’t have to be an expert for a technique or venue to contribute as an outing leader. The following describes what is involved in leading an outing, what it means to be an outing leader, and what it is not!

Benefits:

• Getting to know other club members and making new friends.
• Growing your fly-fishing network
• Sharing and expanding your fly-fishing knowledge
• Participation and support for the club!

What is involved with becoming an outing leader:

• Decide where you want to fish.

• Think about how many people you can comfortably lead on an outing and/or limitations with the location.

• Plan out basic logistics, including location, fishing techniques, and required equipment so you can share that knowledge with others attending your outing.

• Contact our DVFF Outing Coordinator to review your outing and go over outing capacity, what participants should expect, including the date(s) of the outing, location, fees the club may need to cover such as campsite reservations or guide costs, if wading is involved what is the difficulty level, is it drive up fishing or will hiking be involved, recommended gear, etc.

Managing your Outing:

Once the outing is posted on the club website, be prepared for outreach from club members inquiring about your outing, this may include recommendations on places to stay, if it is an overnight outing, or specific questions about what type of flies or fishing technique work best.

You will be working with the outing coordinator to review registration updates, cancellations, and anyone on the waitlist (assuming you decide on a waitlist).

It is recommended, but not required, to set up a Zoom call a few weeks beforehand with your outing attendees to meet and talk about the outing and what they should expect. At a minimum you should send an email to your attendees to confirm they are ready to go and if they have any last-minute questions.

Contact the DVFF Outing Coordinator if you want to discuss sending a club email blast or reminder about your outing.

What being an Outing Leader is not!

• You are not a cub scout den mother! You are simply organizing and creating a club opportunity for you and your fellow members to go fishing. Beyond what has been outlined above, you are not responsible for the following…

• Arranging transportation – Participants are responsible for getting themselves to the location. If participants want to carpool, they can coordinate themselves.

• Lodging – Participants are responsible for figuring out their own lodging if needed. As the outing leader you are not responsible for booking lodging for the group, unless the circumstances of the outing require it, or you as the outing leader want to take this on.

• Meals – Participants are responsible for figuring out their own meals. On some outings the group may decide they want to eat dinners together, but that is a group decision and not for the outing leader to figure out.

Hiring Guides:

If a guide is required for your outings, here are some considerations.

• Many guides want a deposit when you book them to hold the dates. Be sure you can cover the deposit, and are comfortable doing so, until you can be reimbursed by the club.

• Understand when the deposit and final payments need to be made to the guide..

• Be realistic about your ability to fill an outing, especially if it involves drift boat trips with guides. The club will only reimburse you for completed registrations. The guide may expect you to cover the cost for unfilled slots, because they have blocked those dates for your outing preventing them from taking on other clients.

Co-Leading an Outing:

Being an outing leader is one of the most rewarding experiences of becoming a DVFF Member. If you think this is something you want to try, but are still unsure, co-leading an outing with another member is always a great option!

If you have any questions or are interested in becoming an Outing leader, you can contact Barry Zacharias or John Guerra.

Thank you,

The DVFF Outings Committee