Well, apparently I’m not the only one who wouldn’t get an “A+” in civics. When I typed “is” in Google this morning, it either read my mind or assumed I was looking for the same thing most people were searching.

Yes. Presidents Day is a federal holiday.

As I often do on such hallowed calendar moments, I’ve put together a cluster of three articles from Casting Across’ archives. They all are presidential in nature.

• The first talks about a federal initiative that blesses anglers.
• Second, I spotlight a creek fished by many commanders in chief.
• And last I propose something for the youth of our great country.

Click on the image or the headline to read each article:

Fly Fishing Your National Forests

Concurrent with what was the fledgling National Park initiative, President Benjamin Harrison enacted the Land Revision Act of 1891. The initial purpose was to conserve land in southern California from detrimental grazing practices. Some of the first  forests impacted by the Act would be brought into new National Parks. Within 20 years, the US Forest Service was created as a division of the  US Department of Agriculture. Land under their purview grew to over 100 million acres. The most significant difference between National Parks and National Forests is their use.

Big Hunting Creek: Working on 100 Years of Conservation

Starting with President Eisenhower, the country’s Commander in Chief rested and conferenced at Camp David. This rustic camp, nestled within what is now Catoctin Mountain National Park, also features trout streams. And while presidents and foreign dignitaries have hammered out international policy nestled in this Appalachian hollow, most visitors to the park are more interested in the local population of trout. Big Hunting Creek flows through Catoctin Mountain National Park and Maryland’s adjacent Cunningham Falls Sate Park. Since the 1930’s the stream and it’s fish have received protection.

The Presidential Fly Fishness Test

I propose that this current administration implement something similar for another demographic that is unfairly characterized as “soft.” Why not establish benchmarks for exceptionalism in one of the most historic and cultured facets of American sporting history? Why not give out patches for being good at fly fishing things? My modest proposal is based off of the  Presidential Fitness Test that so many of us grew up with. It takes the spirit of the five events and imports them into the fly fishing world to create The Presidential Fly Fishness Test. Here are the 5 events: