I am happily involved with a program called Hooked on Tahosa which is a Fly Fishing Merit Badge program here in the Denver Area Council for the Boy Scouts. The only cost to the boys is for camp fees and meals. TFO provided 5 complete outfits and other manufacturers have provided supplies like tippet, leaders, etc. Some guys from the FFF provide casting instruction and fly tying instruction as well. Things were a bit slow this year with the economy, but a couple of classes of 16 each went home looking for TFO rods after tying a few flies and catching fish with those flies on the rods TFO supplied as well as a few old beater rods we have. I know where Sage could donate a few outfits if they were of a mind to, and their expertise would be welcome as well.

Sky Ranch, a Lutheran summer camp in northern Colorado, also has a course available that is headed up by one of the guys from Eagle Claw/Wright & McGill here in Denver. It is another one where the cost is minimal to cover camp fees and meals. A whole weekend of instruction and fishing in the Colorado high country, room and board included. What do some of these folks pay for that with a guide?

I have seen a lot of the "instruction for profit" you speak of, too. $125 for a 3 or 4 hour fly tying class. And that isn't even semi private! That is with a group!

One of the local shops has free classes, and of course Bass Pro offers free classes. These folks understand the idea that if you help someone along the road to better casting or tying and you create customer loyalty and sell stuff.

I am sure there are other programs out there, but there could and should be more.

There are people on this board with connections to the folks at Sage, TFO, Albright, and more. Since the shops don't seem to want to do it, why can't we?

There are rec centers all across the country that would be happy to host something like this. State Parks might pick up on things like this, too.

Just some more food for thought.