Learn from a Pro

Get started right with professional instruction

by Fly Fisherman

Unless you have a friend or relative who also happens to be an instructor-level fly fisher, a hands-on fly-fishing school is the best way to introduce yourself to fly fishing.

If you plan on teaching your spouse to fly fish—so you can both spend your leisure time enjoying the same sport—you should seriously reconsider. Even if you think you are an expert fly fisher, and even if you and your spouse have an excellent relationship, don’t try to add “fly-fishing instructor” to your résumé.

Invest in a qualified professional—a third party—and it will be more enjoyable, and more successful, for both of you. Your spouse is more likely to listen and enjoy learning from a qualified instructor.

Fly-fishing schools are relatively stress-free because you aren’t placed in a fishing situation as you would if you went out and hired a guide for a fishing trip.

Schools are normally held on a stream or a pond where instructors can demonstrate, and students can practice casting and presentations. This is the critical element of most schools and what makes them so valuable—it’s difficult to learn physical skills like casting from a book or DVD.

Fly-fishing schools also have a strong entomology component, where you will observe the aquatic insects trout feed on, and your instructor will show you how to accurately imitate them.

Schools should also show you how to tie the knots you need, wade safely, locate fish, make presentations, and release fish safely—much like this issue of Fly Fishing Made Easy, only in person and on the water.

Also important is the fact that most fly-fishing schools provide all the tackle you need for the event. If you are just getting started, this is a wonderful “try before you buy” opportunity, where you can discover what equipment works best for you, and what equipment is recommended by local experts.

There are literally hundreds of small schools across the country. Most fly shops offer one-day or weekend schools, and many are excellent.

Here are a few of the nationally recognized schools we’re familiar with—often because the operators are longtime Fly Fisherman magazine contributors and recognized international experts.

Orvis

Orvis may have pioneered the concept of fly-fishing schools in America with its first school in Manchester, Vermont. The company now has more than a dozen schools across the country at Glen Arbor, Michigan; Sevierville, Tennessee; Millbrook, New York; Edwards, Colorado; Nemacolin, Pennsylvania; Dogwood Canyon, Missouri; Hot Springs, Virginia; Coeur d’Alene, Idaho; and Bend, Oregon; and the original location at Manchester, Vermont.

Orvis also offers saltwater- or warmwater-oriented schools at Cape Cod, Massachusetts; Ocean Reef, Florida; Key West, Florida; and elsewhere. The student/instructor ratio is 4:1, cost is $470 for a two-day course, $350 for a one-day course. For 2010 dates and other specifics see orvis.com.

Murray’s Fly Shop

Harry Murray has built a reputation as the leading expert in the region surrounding Shenandoah National Park and is a longtime Fly Fisherman magazine contributor. He offers two very different fly-fishing schools, one a smallmouth bass school on the Shenandoah River in June and July, the other a trout school in the brook trout streams of the national park. Both classes are $295 per person per day.

Both classes start with about an hour of classroom instruction and then to the stream for a hands-on experience with knot tying, casting, reading the water, fly selection, leader construction, entomology, and how to hook and release fish successfully.

Both schools provide all the equipment you need for the day and allow you to try Orvis, St. Croix, and Winston rods. Student to instructor ratio is 5:1. For more information see murraysflyshop.com.

The Fly Shop

The Fly Shop at Redding, California, offers three-day seminars at Antelope Creek Ranch. Students learn stream entomology, casting, fly-fishing strategies, knots, and how to hook and release trout on 11/2 miles of private water. All the equipment is provided by The Fly Shop. The cost is $945 per person and includes four nights accommodations and all meals.

The Fly Shop offers women-only courses, as well as a kids’ camp, advanced camp, and a school in Alaska. For more information visit theflyshop.com.

Cathy Beck

Cathy Beck is one of the most recognizable faces in fly fishing. Cathy and her husband Barry fish around the globe hundreds of days per year, photographing the best destinations on the planet.

She has appeared on the cover of Fly Fisherman more than any other person—probably because she always seems to catch inordinately large fish, and her husband is always there to catch it on film.

Cathy also gives casting demonstrations and seminars across the country, is on the Sage pro staff, and is an internationally recognized caster. Half-day casting clinics are $125, weekend schools are $460 for two days of instruction on Fishing Creek near Benton, Pennsylvania, and one night’s accommodation at a local bed and breakfast. For 2010 dates and other specifics see barryandcathybeck.com.

Dave & Emily Whitlock

Dave and Emily Whitlock together have more than 45 years of fly-fishing teaching experience. Dave designed and directed the L.L. Bean fly-fishing school for 10 years before beginning his own program, and he has taught around the world, authored books and articles, produced videos, and hosted lectures on fly fishing.

Emily is a conservationist and naturalist, holds degrees in botany and biology, is an accomplished casting instructor, and is a partner in all Dave’s work.

They offer private one-on-one instruction at their campus in the water-rich Oklahoma Ozarks. A day with Dave is $650. A day with both Dave and Emily is $900—you book the day and decide the group size. Instruction includes classroom work, casting and presentation on a spring-fed pond, entomology, flowing water presentations, catch-and-release techniques, and more. For more information see davewhitlock.com.

Jim & Lynda McLennan

Jim was one of the first fly-fishing guides on the Bow River, Alberta, and has been writing for Fly Fisherman for nearly two decades. Jim and his wife Lynda are another one of those couples lucky enough to fish and teach fly fishing together through much of the year.

They conduct their schools at destination locations such as the Bow and Crowsnest rivers. A one-day course is $150 per person.

They also have specialty schools such as schools just for women (taught by Lynda), private schools for one or two people, corporate schools, casting-specific schools, and intermediate and advanced schools. For more information see mclennanflyfishing.com.

Ralph & Lisa Cutter

Ralph Cutter is widely known for his underwater observations of trout and trout behavior. The Sierra Trout Guide and Bugs of the Underworld DVD are just two of Ralph and Lisa’s major educational contributions to fly fishing.

Their California School of Fly Fishing—one of the oldest “small” schools in the country—has been in operation since 1981. Small-group lessons for beginners are $649 per person and limited to a maximum of four anglers. For more information see flyline.com.

Joan Wulff

Joan Wulff has won casting championships and performed casting exhibitions and seminars around the globe. Her many books, DVDs, and magazine articles simplify fly casting into principles beginners easily understand and advanced casters can use to improve.

Her school on the Beaverkill River teaches stream entomology, fishing knots, reading water, tackle know-how, fly selection, approach and presentation, wading, and releasing fish. Lee Wulff’s Trout on a Fly and Joan’s Fly Casting Techniques are course textbooks. Tuition for the three-day courses is $625. For more information see royalwulff.com.

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