2025 Rocket Companies Campaign for Lake and Trails

Founded in 2008, the Lake & Trails Organization set out to create one of the nation’s most dynamic outdoor youth camps. Though based in Ohio, Lake & Trails welcomes campers from across the country, encouraging them to carry the skills they learn into their own hunting and fishing adventures wherever they go.

First-year hunting campers receive a hands-on, immersive experience through the Hunter Education course, including instruction from the Ohio Division of Wildlife with a strong focus on firearm safety. Camp highlights also include a wide range of shooting activities—air rifles, muzzleloaders, shotguns, and pistols—as well as turkey and deer clinics, knife making, and lessons in primitive living skills.

Fishing campers dive into a variety of techniques and traditions, learning everything from fly tying and lure making to filleting fish, building their own fishing rods, canoeing, and outdoor cooking.

By donating to Lake and Trails Organization, you will be helping to sponsor campers, ages 9 to 17, that may not be able to afford to attend the camp.  You will also be helping to cover the ever increasing cost of supplies needed to give participants the best possible experience.

The Lake & Trails Youth Fishing Camp is a 5-year program designed for youth 9 years and older. Each year, the campers will acquire new skills, from certified instructors, Ohio Division of Watercraft and Wildlife Officers. This program offers education and plenty of time to fish the beautiful Leesville Lake. All campers will attend Aquatic Habitat Conservation and Ohio Law classes, plus an Electro-Fishing Demonstration.

 The first year will focus on basic water safety, knot tying, lure making, fly tying, basic casting, trout pond and lake fishing.

In addition to reviewing some of the skills they learned their first year, second year campers will take a canoeing course and cooking class, learn spin casting, and try their hand at crappie fishing.

During the third year, campers will be paddling into their kayaking course, topographical structure, bow fishing, fly-tying, fly-casting techniques, fly fishing in the trout stream and crappie fishing.

Fourth-year campers continue the program by motor boating on Leesville Lake, learning trolling techniques, muskie lure making, muskie fishing, and trout stream fly fishing. These campers will make their own filet knife.

We’ve recently added a fifth-year program.  In addition to honing their fishing skills, campers will make their own fishing rod!  

Lake & Trails Youth Hunting Camp is a 4-year program designed for youth 10 years and older. Each year, the campers will acquire new skills through direct range instruction and educational courses taught by certified instructors and Ohio Division of Wildlife Officers. 

All first-year campers will take the Hunter Education course and complete the test to obtain their Hunters Certification. Some range activities include air rifles, muzzleloaders, shotguns, pistols and archery. The campers will also make medicine bags at the primitive living camp site and learn basic water safety on Leesville Lake.  

Second Year campers will visit the various ranges and attend waterfowl and trapping clinics. Campers will canoe, learn the art of taxidermy, basic map reading and make their own knives and sheaths. 

Third year campers will revisit those ranges plus take on an advanced 3D archery course, sporting clays, trap setting, waterfowl and turkey clinics and knife safety.

Fourth Year campers will attend a gun dog and pheasant clinic in preparation for their live pheasant hunt, the highlight of camp! While also revisiting various ranges, campers will also pack in deer processing, turkey and duck clinics, trapping clinic, the high-power riffle range, advanced cooking and a map reading course.  

Please help us to get kids off of the couch and into the outdoors!