Orvis Fly Fishing School
I'm tossing around the idea of attending one of the 2-day fly fishing schools that Orvis offers in Manchester, VT. I have no doubt whatsoever that my casting abilities need improvement. Has anyone attended these two day classes they offer? Are they good? Worth the money? (They're not cheap by my standards). Any input would be much appreciated.
I've not seen any fly fishing schools that were cheap. I have no direct experience with the Orvis schools but I will say this. I had a friend that attended the Orvis school a few years back. He had no prior fly fishing experience. (His brother worked for an Orvis dealer and they both got to attend the school at a huge discount.) He came fishing with me a couple of weeks after he "graduated". I was amazed at how well he could cast. I'm sure some of it must have been natural talent, but I have never seen a beginner cast as well as he did.
Fishing the Great Beyond
I have never met anyone who would admit that they had ever attended one or for sure knew of anyone who did. Sorry. I am sure they are wonderful,,, they say they are.
I'd find an FFF Certified Instructor and pay for a day with them. Then, I'd get a guide at a good river near me.
I think you would come out cheaper and have a beter experience.
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Ken
I fish, therefore, I am... I am confused!!
at $430 for 2 days it seems you can get a lot locally. plus if all you want is casting lesson, you'll be wasting a lot of time on other presentation. it would seem more economical for you to seek out a local flyshop for instruction. most are staffed with very good flyfishers with some of them very good teachers. ask a local TU club for names of instructors also. use the extra money to plan a true fishing trip after you learn to cast better. plus, with the local, you have a close person to call on for info as you need it, like ask what's hatching where, get a little bush-up on a casting problem that will crop up after a time, or advice on new gear.
Hey JC, I did. Twice.
I had grown up always interested in fishing, but despite numerous attempts at camp, on vacation, and at various other times, I never got anything. To be honest, I never had much of a chance to learn, growing up in Los Angeles. I couldn't exactly learn from my father, he had grown up in Williamsburg, a neighborhood of Brooklyn.
About 9 years ago (I'm 42 now), I was going through a rather nasty divorce. One afternoon, I got stuck in an airport in Greeensboro due to weather (I travel alot on business). With nothing better to do, I picked up a copy of USA Today that was laying on the terminal floor.
Being a guy, I went immediately to Sports. On the front page of the section was an article on 10 best places to fly fish by a guy named Tom Rosenbauer - it listed places like the Bahamas, Yellowstone Park, Corpus Christie, Roscoe NY, the Katmai Penninsula etc. On page 2 of the section was a listing of highly rated fly fishing schools. Orvis was the only name I recognized at the time.
Realizing that nobody could tell me "no," I decided then and there that I would go to the Orvis school in Manchester and learn to flyfish (everyday I thank G-d that it wasn't an article on catfish grappling).
I went in July and had the time of my life. One of the smart things I did was hire one of the teachers to take me fishing that evening after class. It was a great way to put what I had learned into practice as the course doesn't have a lot of fishing time.
I went to Manchester knowing nothing about flyfishing. I left about $500 lighter with a new Clearwater outfit, waders, boots, vest, flies etc.
It was a great class. Everything was covered from casting, knots, etiquette, entymology, reading streams, playing fish and everything else one could think of. It's been 9 years and I still dream of fishing.
A few years later, I went back for the advanced class. That was a disappointment, only in the sense that I had improved -on my own and with the help of guides- beyond the level of the class. It didn't help a whole lot with my casting either.
Anyway, I would heartily recommend the Intro class to anybody looking to learn to fly fish.
As for improving my casting, I'm thinking about attending the Wulff school at some point.
-Steven
I realize this has nothing to do with fly fishing, but I think the message is the same. In my younger years, I taught downhill and cross-country skiing at Mt. Hood, Timberline Lodge in Oregon for 6 pls years. I always advocated, a one hour private lesson was far superior to a class lesson. I gave 100% to the student and focused on them in regards to their abilities and wants. I think the same would apply to a fly fishing instructor. IMOHO. I must admit, I am self taught, but after 40 years, you would think one would learn something. I have fished with Jim Teeny and lots of people way beyond my abilities, I learned while watching. Jonezee
One advantage to the Orvis school over an individual instructor is you will have about 10 instructors analyzing your style and making suggestions. One might be more appropriate for you than the others, and you'll realize that quickly enough. If you have just one instructor, you'd only be learning one way.
Fishing the Great Beyond
Steven, come up to Grayling (Fish-In) this summer. free...
at least you can help some of us cast,,,
Expensive, but the lunches are great!
Mark
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I'd rather be in Wyoming!
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