I (Braide Sessions) grew up in the Last Chance area of Island Park, Idaho. My father, Lynn Sessions, and my mother, Melanie Sessions, owned a fly shop and lodge in Last Chance during my childhood. I grew up with four brothers: Jared, Dustin, Jade, and Chase. I’m sure that running a business and keeping five boys in line was more than my parents bargained for. I thank my parents for everything that they have done for me.
In my opinion, I grew up in paradise! All I had to do to enjoy the wonders of the outdoors was step outside the front door of the house. And, let me tell you, I took advantage of it. I started fly fishing when I was nine years of age, and I haven’t slowed down since. I was fortunate to have one of the best fly fishing rivers in the world at my convenience. Even better, I had a good teacher to show me the ropes, my farther. With a good mentor and good equipment, I fell in love with fly fishing for trout. 
I remember going fishing, catching bugs out of the stream, taking them back to my father, and asking him what they were and how to tie them. Eventually, I learned the way of the river. I learned all the insect hatches, the time of day they hatched, and the weather that both fish and insects liked. Not only did I learn all about the fish and insect life, I learned to be good with a fly rod. Growing up fishing the Rail Road Ranch on the Henry’s Fork will sharpen anyone’s casting skills, and those skills are a great help in catching large, selective trout.
To even further my obsession with fly fishing, I grew up with great friends that shared the same interests. One of my good friend's dad owned Henry’s Fork Anglers, and my dad owned Last Chance Lodge and Outfitters. While our dads worked, my friends and I went fishing. Every day, every moment, we were out chasing fish together. But one of the most useful skills I developed didn’t happen on the river. It was in the back yards of the fly shops. My friends and I would cast and cast all the time just out on the grass. I learned a lot about fly rods while just having friendly casting competitions in the back yards of the shops. Even today, many of my friends and I start and finish our day of fishing by having a little friendly casting competition on the bank of the water. We do this not only to see if we still know how to cast but also to see and feel the new equipment one of us may have.
When I turned eighteen, I started guiding fly fishing trips for Trout Hunter and Three Rivers Ranch. This was where I learned how great my childhood had been! When I was younger, I just fished, but now I was watching people fly fish and teaching people to fly fish. My skill as a fly-caster weakened, but my rowing skills improved. It was a little different not being the one that was casting to the fish. Even though I wasn’t physically doing the fishing on a guide trip, I found it just as exciting to watch and help other people catch fish. To me, a fly fishing guide is a person that uses someone else’s body to catch fish. Both the guide and the angler share the excitement as one when they work together and succeed in catching fish. Being a guide taught me a lot about people, and I really enjoyed sharing this time on the water. Besides, where else can a person go and spend the day on the water catching fish and get paid for it? I really enjoyed being on the water every day and meeting new friends. I guided full time for seven years, and now I just do it part-time while I do electrical work for my father. I want to give a special thanks to Trout Hunter and Three Rivers Ranch for letting me be a part of thier team.
Even though this tells you about my fly fishing back ground, it’s not all about me. My wife, Lori, is also a great angler, and she loves to fly fish. We met in high school, and I think she realized that if we were ever going to spend time together during the fishing season she would have to start going fly fishing with me. She has a natural ability to cast a fly rod. In no time at all she was fishing at a level that had taken me years. We spent a lot of time fishing together while it was the two of us. We are married now, and we have two children together. My son, Taegan, is four, and my daughter, Taylor, is two. It’s really hard to just go hit the river anytime we want to now. Lori only gets out on the water a few times a year now but fly fishing for her is like riding a bike she just picks up right were she left off. We both can’t wait until we can teach our kids how to fish. Then, we will spend plenty of time out on the river or in the back yard fly-casting with them.
The last two years I have competed in a local fly-casting competition. It is a fundraiser that is done once a year for the Henry’s Fork Foundation. At first I didn’t know if I would enjoy casting in a competition. I was always more interested in going fishing than in competing. But to be honest, I really enjoyed the competitive side of the sport. Lori also competed last year, and she found herself totally addicted. This last year I studied the competition. I watched all the competitors. During and after the competition I sat down and noted all the pros and cons of this particular competition. What would make this competition better? What would make it more evenly matched between competitors? What rules needed to be set so that a contestant cannot cheat the competition? What would give people a reason to come to a competition? Questions and answers ran through my head. With all this information, I sat down and formed the ultimate fly casting Championships. With help from family and friends, we organized a company and named it ALL CAST FLY CASTING CHAMPIONSHIPS. ALL CAST is structured to go Nation wide and to allow all fly-casters to compete for Championships. ALL CAST is able do this by giving competitors a number that will identify an individual’s current ability to cast a fly rod. ALL CAST will have Championships for every number given. With this format, we will be able to keep contenders competing in fair and equal competitive Championships. No one wants to compete without the confidence that he or she can win. We want all competitors to feel like they are numbered correctly and competeting with others that are equally skilled.
ALL CAST FLY CASTING CHAMPIONSHIPS are set up for competitors to win cash and prizes. Cash payouts will be based on the number of the entries for each individual Championship. ALL CAST looks forward to presenting all fly-casters a new and exciting way to enjoy the sport of fly-casting.
The fly rod has taken my family so many places in life, and we can’t wait to see where the next chapter takes us. The friends that we have met and the experiences fly fishing has brought are priceless, and we can’t wait to take this new leap and enjoy the sport we all love so much. We are looking forward to meeting the people and watching the competitors show off their fly-casting skills.
Our family looks forward to seeing you at one of our Championships. Thanks for reading about us!
