Godfrey's Pond

Today, Arlene Leach checked an item off her bucket list. She took her first fly-fishing class.

"I love nature," the Rochester resident said. "I love water and I love fish and it just brings me closer to a peace I don't have in my professional life."

Leach was among 30 people who turned out at Godfrey's Pond this morning for a free fly-fishing class with instructors Ron Wickings (with Leach, top photo) and Jim Southall (with Leach, second photo).

While Leach had never held a fly rod before, some of the class members have been fly-fishing for years.

"The thing I try to teach is don't ever think you've arrived," said the 54-year-old Wickings, who started fly-fishing the Oatka Creek when he was 12. "Everybody can learn something. That's the fun part of fly-fishing."

The patience and knowledge of her teachers impressed Leach, who picked up the basics of a roll cast quickly.

Asked if she studied fly-fishing at all before coming out today, Leach (who is friends with the Southall family) said she felt intimidated, so she avoided it.

"But I listened and watched and people's love for it was a bit infectious, and people are encouraging me through the learning curve," she said.

Wickings said he was living his dream today -- teaching fly-fishing. He wishes he could find a job where all he did was teach people how to fly-fish.

"I've always enjoyed teaching the most," Wickings said. "I think it's because you get to see someone discover something for the first time and it almost rubs off on you. You can live a little bit vicariously through them."

Jeff Southall, with his sons Harrison and Dominic, hauls in a trout. Southall, son of Tim, learned to fly-fish at Godfrey's 30 years ago.

Jeff Southall

Ed Burton, from Gates, hooks a trout.

Burton with his catch.

Catch and release.

Harrison and Dominic

Below, the slideshow is all the same photos used in the post, but you can view the photos at full screen. Participants can purchase prints by clicking here.

Volunteers with Godfrey's Pond stocked the conservation group's spring-fed pond today with 10- to 14-inch rainbow and golden trout.

Fishing season opens Saturday and members and guests will be able to angle for these beauties throughout the summer.

The pond is stocked twice a year -- in the spring and in the fall -- from fish that are hatched and raised at Godfrey's own facility in a DEC-approved program.

Ron Wickings, above, will help conduct a fly-fishing seminar starting at 9 a.m., Saturday, March 30, that is open to the public. The course is free.

Godfrey's Pond will hold open houses on May 19 and June 16.

A security person at Godfrey's Pond is reporting a group of people on the CSX railroad bed shooting something. There is a pickup truck parked near the railroad bed.

The security person is not going to get any closer to the subjects.

UPDATE 3:45 p.m.: Genesee County Sheriff's deputies have spotted the pickup truck on Route 19 at a residence. Asking to speak with them unarmed.

There are no known plans to open a hydrofracked gas well within the town limits of Stafford, but Jim Southall thought it a good idea to purchase an "insurance policy" so to speak.

At his suggest, the town board has passed a one-year moratorium on hydrofracking within Stafford.

A committee has been appointed to study the issue, according to Supervisor Robert Clement and that report will help the town determine what, if anything, it might do next related to hydrofracking.

The moritorium is part of a statewide trend over the summer of local officials throughout New York rising up against hydrofracking, even though the state already has a four-year moratorium against new wells in place now.

Fracking involves injecting water, saline and other chemicals into shale to break loose natural gas deposits that can then be extracted from the ground.

It's controversial because opponents believe the chemicals used can be carcinogenic and toxic.

Southall said he's read of cows in West Virginia being born with deformities and a whole town in Wyoming had to be closed because of hydrofracking pollutants ruining the groundwater.

As a representative of the Genesee County Fish and Game Association, owners and operators of Godfrey's Pond in Stafford, Southall thought it important to get out in front of the issue, before hydrofracking came to the area.

"With the kind of chemicals they're using, once the water is polluted, it's gone, and being a conservation club, we want to be sure that doesn't happen," Southall said.

At a public hearing on the topic a month or so ago, Clement said, there were no speakers in favor or against the moratorium.

He's not aware of any fracked wells in Stafford or any requests to open up such a well.

"For most people, I think it's a non-issue," Clement said. "I think the state will step in before anybody else does. But it's a conservation issue and I think most of them (Genesee County Fish and Game) are against it."

A beautiful fall afternoon, I thought I would stop by Godfrey's Pond and see what picture-making opportunities I might find. Mother Nature still has some work to do with her fall palette, but things are coming along nicely.

A former captain in the Batavia Fire Department who has worked the past four years as fire chief in Auburn is retiring and returning to Batavia.

Mike Hammon is returning to run Godfrey's Pond, according to the Post-Standard in Syracuse.

A one-time Auburn firefighter before moving to Batavia to become an officer, the 55-year-old Hammon told the newspaper: “This is the end of my fire career. I’m getting out of the politics (of the chief’s job) and this is good for me.’’ 

When Hammon was named chief in Auburn four years ago, it was a controversial appointment, according to the Post-Standard. He was the first chief in the 113-year history of the department not promoted from within.

The article includes praise from officials in Auburn for Hammon's work.

Godfrey's Pond celebrated its 100th anniversary Sunday and more than 200 people showed up to celebrate during the open house and BBQ.

Assemblyman Steve Hawley presented a state Assembly proclamation commemorating the event.

"For the past 100 years, Godfrey's Pond has expanded to become one of the leading sports clubs in Western New York, if not our entire state," Hawley said.  "I am very proud to join my fellow outdoors sports enthusiasts here for this wonderful occasion and would like to thank the members of Godfrey's Pond for their dedication and leadership in responsible environmental stewardship."

Pictured with Hawley is SCOPE representative Jack Taylor.

I took a tour of Godfrey's Pond on Thursday. I shot this video while I was there. I also applied for membership.