Staff Report

Children from the ages of 8 to 15 are invited to sign up for a free workshop to learn how to fish from expert fishermen and women at Lake Cachuma hosted by the Neal Taylor Nature Center from 8:45 a.m. to noon on Saturday, July 21. Kids will participate and divided into small groups and circulate through presentations on knot-tying, casting, trout fishing, rigging for bass, crappie and blue gill, and salt-water fishing.  All segments are taught by local expert anglers. Parents are welcome to observe if they do not want to participate.

Neal Taylor began fishing as a child in the Eastern Sierras with his father. As a teenager, Taylor began entering fly fishing tournaments and started his own fly tying business, Taylor Ties Flies.  This business grew to have over a dozen employees. He fished all over the world and conducted fly fishing instructional camps throughout the Western United States. Taylor taught fly fishing to a number of celebrities and to three United States Presidents. He is also the author of “Fly Fishing” which is available in the CLNC Gift Shop. Taylor taught various college level courses and was a frequent and popular speaker for business, professional, service and recreational organizations and served as Naturalist for the Santa Barbara County Parks Department for more than 18 years before retiring and then passed away in February of 2011. The workshop is held in his honor. 

The program, hosted by the Nature Center, is limited to the first 40 kids/parents to sign up; pre-registration is urged; call 805-693-8381 or e-mail JCipolla@clnaturecenter.org