THANKS TO OUR COMMUNITY PARTNERS
CASPER, Wyo. — Natrona County High School’s first fly-fishing team recently got a $1,500 donation from the Grey Reef Chapter of Trout Unlimited to help support the new program.
The team competed in Wyoming’s first fly-fishing tournament on March 11 on the North Platte River and placed second in the guided division, finishing behind Cody’s girls team.
Head coach Tom Grogan said the money will be used for travel and equipment as the team grows and more students join.
“We’ve had a tremendous amount of support from businesses and individuals to promote the sport of fly fishing, and we are excited to pass on some wisdom to the next generation of fly fishers,” Grogan said.
Right now, the team has three students competing, but Grogan said more students have shown interest since the club started in fall 2025. He said the goal is to build a program for anglers at all levels.
“Obviously, we are a young team, a young organization, so some of the components to this endeavor are being worked out. We hope to make this something for all levels of fly anglers,” Grogan said.
Sophomore Kolter Osborn said the support was a surprise.
“It was a surprise to see people from the community so willing to give money to our team. It seemed like they were excited to see that there are still kids wanting to get out there and go fishing,” Osborn said. “I would definitely say we are crazy about fishing, but we also want to focus on respecting and conserving the water and surrounding areas.”
Grey Reef Chapter Trout Unlimited President Scott Novotny said the group is excited to work with the students and help build interest in conservation and cold-water fisheries.
“The Grey Reef chapter of Trout Unlimited feels honored to support the team. Conservation is one of the major drives behind it. It’s not just fishing. We have some members who don’t even fish much. They just focus on conserving cold-water fisheries. That’s one of our major goals to tie in with them,” Novotny said.
The team’s first community service project will be helping with Free Fishing Day at Harry Yesness Pond on June 6 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
