If you?ve ever watched a fly fisher gracefully casting and felt the urge to tighten up your own loop, we recommend as a first step signing up for a fly fishing course. It?s the key to a long, enjoyable fly fishing career - especially when it comes to learning the all important cast. The truth is it may take years to master most fly fishing skills. But you do not have to be an expert to enjoy casting a fly, and a class can get you up to speed and enjoying the sport much faster than learning by trial and error. But not all fly fishing instruction is created equal. Fly fishing lessons differ in content, length, enrollment, quality, and price. Consider the following before signing up for a fly fishing course.
Check Out the Lesson Plan
Content can vary greatly from class to class. A lesson taught by a fly fishing guide just before setting off on a float trip might focus only on a single cast or technique necessary to catch trout or other local fish. Instruction in a more traditional fly fishing class setting may cover casting, choosing fly fishing equipment, fish behavior, entomology, and provide a foundation well grounded in the theory and mechanics of fly fishing and casting. It is important that you know what you want ahead of time and find a fly fishing class and instructor that suit you.
Taking Time to Learn
Several one- or two-hour fly fishing lessons followed by a week of daily practice are ideal. But for many newcomers, an intensive two- or three-day fly fishing school is enough to get started. If you chose the latter option, be sure to follow up with a fly fishing trip. The excitement generated and skills learned in a fly fishing class can quickly wane if you don?t back them up with time on the water.
Choosing a Class Size
In most cases, a large class or school is fine for learning casting and fly fishing basics. However, if you?re more advanced and need help with a specific problem, then individual instruction would be your best choice since it?s often difficult to get one-on-one attention in a group.
Quality Assurance
Gather information before you sign up. The Fly Fishing Insider database, web searches and brochures are a good start, but there?s no substitute for personal contact with the instructor or former students. They will provide the best information, if you know what to look for. First, find out if your instructor has the level of training and experience necessary to get you where you want to go. A Certified Casting Instructor certificate issued by the Federation of Fly Fishers provides some assurance that your instructor has the skill and training to teach basic casting and fly fishing skills. A Certified Master Casting Instructor certificate extends teaching competency to all levels of fly casting instruction. A complete list of certified instructors in the United States and several foreign countries is available online at www.fedflyfishers.org. You can also judge the quality of a fly fishing course, or the lack of it, by the equipment used and the course location. Expect some basic comforts like restrooms and beverages. But more importantly, fly fishing equipment should be in good repair and function flawlessly. You can also expect your fly fishing instructor to be neat in appearance and well prepared with an organized lesson plan. We suggest that you consider older, well-established fly fishing schools that usually tend to have their act together. Get What You Pay For Prices for fly fishing lessons vary considerably. In the Northeast, for example, the hourly rate for a fly casting lesson is between $25 and $75. The cost for a two- or three-day fly fishing school runs from $250 to $500. But never rely on price as the sole indicator of quality. Use caution regarding free casting or fly fishing classes since they may be taught by non-professionals who may teach as many bad habits as good. On the other hand, there is little danger in taking a single free lesson just to give fly casting a try. Should you decide to pursue fly fishing or improve your casting skills, we recommend you seek the services of a professional?any veteran fly fisher will tell you, it?s worth parting with a couple hundred bucks to avoid a lifetime of bad fly fishing habits. Floyd Franke
Quick Tips:
- Know what you want out of a fly fishing or casting class.
- For those starting out in fly fishing, take a two- or three-day group class followed by a fly fishing trip.
- For more advanced fly fishers, get individual instruction.
- Search The Fly Fishing Insider, individual fly fishing school and instructor web sites and ask fishing friends or club members for recommendations.
- Find out about your fly fishing instructor?s training, experience and credentials.
- Talk with the fly fishing instructor and/or former students before signing-up.
- Ask about class location, equipment, facilities and lesson plans. Look for quality fly fishing equipment, thorough organization and planning and a comfortable place to learn.
- Avoid free fly fishing lessons. Expect to pay $250-$500 for a 2-3 day class and $25-$75 per hour for individual fly fishing lessons.
Copyright (c) The Outdoor Sports Insider, Inc. 2005. All Rights Reserved.
Floyd Franke is a frequent contributor to The Fly Fishing Insider. He is head instructor at the famous Wulff School of Fly Fishing and serves on the Board of Governors for Casting Certication of the Federation of Fly Fishers. A licensed guide living on the banks of the famous Beaverkill River in Roscoe, New York, he is also author of Fish On: A Guide to Playing and Landing Big Fish on a Fly, Derrydale Press, 2003.
Tags: fishing basics, entomology, amo, content length, Fly Fishing, trout, Fishing, float trip, fly fishing guide, fishing trip, outdoor sports, fly fisher, lesson plan content, trial and error, mechanics