NCWRC Fishing Education Team

Learning to tie your own fly fishing leaders is a skill every fly fishermen should know.

👦🎣 👧🎣 John E. Pechmann Fishing Education Center recently hosted an eager group of Cub Scouts, along side with their parent(s), and pack/ den leaders.

These scouts were so eager to get to fishing, they quickly learned:
✅ how to tie a knot, from Fishing Volunteer Instructors Robert & Joanne
✅ how to cast a spincast combo from Fishing Volunteer Instructor Rick & honorary Fishing Volunteer Instructor Luis Jr.
✅ how to fish for the fish and handle the fish, from Volunteer Fishing Instructors Frank & Star,
✅ and finally they received their spincast combos and cup of worms to go fishing, from Volunteer Fishing Instructor, Marie

There were so many squeals, so much laughter, so many smiles, so many slimy fingers, and so much yelling 🗣️ “I CAUGHT A FISH!” going on around our ponds!

We know these scouts were able to take home some valuable survival skills and hopefully a new hobby they will continue to love in the future 👏!

Yesterday we had 96 participants who joined us and Lake Rim Park with the Fayetteville-Cumberland Parks and Recreation for a Family Fishing Workshop at the John E. Pechmann Fishing Education Center 🤯!

There were so many fish being caught, just in 3 of our ponds, our Conversation Educator, Jay, and 8 Fishing Instructor Volunteers, Brock, Jose, Steff, Jimmy, Brad, Sharon, Star, & Robert, almost didn’t keep up. 🏃‍♀️🏃‍♂️!
All we kept hearing was 🗣️ “I got one”, “fish on”, and our favorite “net” 😳!

Nonetheless, we enjoyed all of the smiling faces, slimy high fives, and people overcoming their fear of either holding a fish or putting a worm on the hook!

We know that everyone who left here had a great time with family and friends 🥳🎣!

We can’t wait for our next one on Saturday, August 22, 2026 from 9:00am - 12:00pm 🗓️✍️!

Lots of Fun and Lots of Plastic Lures were made at the John E. Pechmann Fishing Center during our DIY Soft Plastic Lure Making Workshop.

The John E. Pechmann Fishing Education Center joined C. Wayne Collier Elementary School for their Annual Parking Lot Jam for a community outreach for the families of students of the 2026 - 2027 school year, and we believe we were a crowd favorite 🙌!

Conservation Educator, Jay Jackson, along with Volunteer Fishing Instructors, Sharon Carr and Joanne Scarola, put on quite the event at their booth that included games with tackle boxes as prizes for the kids who played our casting games, information on how to register for our FREE classes for the parents & guardians, resources to take home about fishing, and fish stickers, temporary fish tattoos, & coloring books for the kids 🤩!

Everyone who visited our booth left smiling and with something to take home, along with the memory of a good time they had at our booth 🥳!

Even the Chick-fil-A cow couldn’t say no to fishing 😂!

We can’t wait to see the families again at our next Family Fishing Workshop on Saturday, August, 22, 2026 from 9:00 am - 12:00 pm, were everyone will get the opportunity to catch real fish 😲🎣

What an amazing explosion of color and creativity at the Pechmann Center last night! 🌈 Participants of the Crankbait Crafting Workshop learned all about these exciting lures, how to fish them, how to make them - and went home with two free, beautifully decorated lures of their very own. These vibrant crankbaits are sure to bring in a big one! 🐟 Thanks to everyone who shared their artistry with us. Happy fishing!

🎉 Happy Birthday to volunteer fishing instructor Hector Gonzalez!

Hector is an outstanding all-around instructor whose knowledge, patience, and enthusiasm make a difference in every program he supports. Whether he is teaching fly tying, helping participants learn the fundamentals of fishing, assisting families during Family Fishing Workshops, or providing instruction in kayak fishing, Hector is always willing to step forward and help others succeed.

His dedication to sharing the outdoors and creating positive experiences for new anglers makes him an invaluable member of our volunteer team.

Please join us in wishing Hector a very happy birthday and thanking him for everything he does for our participants, programs, and fishing community! 🎣🎂

🐛🪡🧵 The John E. Pechmann Fishing Education Center would like to welcome to the fly-tying club our 4 newest members 👏!

These 4 individuals dove head first into fly-tying today in our Beginning Fly-tying Workshop! They learned everything from how to execute a jam knot to whip finishing, materials from chenille to yearling elk hair, and how to use everything from krystal flash to gold wire 👨‍🎓👩‍🎓!

They were excited and nervous at first, but at the end everyone left smiling and eager to come back for our monthly fly-tying forum that happens every 4th Thursday here at the Center 🥳!

Congratulations everyone 🙌!

First worm hooked 🪱, first fish caught 🐟! Thank you to the Intro. to Fishing workshop participants, and special shout-out to Jewel. Great first catches tonight! Hope to see you again soon!

Happy Birthday, Barry Kenner!

Thank you for more than 13 years of dedicated volunteer service with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission at the John E. Pechmann Fishing Education Center. You have donated an extraordinary amount of time, knowledge, and energy to helping our fishing programs grow—particularly our fly-fishing and kayak fishing programs.

Your commitment to teaching others, supporting fellow instructors, and sharing your passion for fishing has made a lasting impact on our participants, volunteers, and staff. We are fortunate to have you as part of the Pechmann Center family.

We hope you have a wonderful birthday and know how much your service and friendship are appreciated!