Take a look at the class topics below to determine what you are most interested in learning at this point in your fly fishing sport. Ask yourself: What would you most like to improve - casting, presentation, approach, pattern selection, understanding more about fish habitat, feeding habits, and food fishes eat? How much time do you want to spend in learning these new skills - a half-day, full day, or two or more days? Give me a phone call, tell me what you saw here that interests you, and I'll help you plan it from there.

Fly casting schools are available for both private individual and groups. Cost is subject to duration and client requirements. Classes are given either on an hourly or daily basis. For the specialist classes I recommend a maximum of two persons per class. This allows a greater degree of personal attention. For the entry levels I can accommodate a group of up to 10 persons.

Many of our nation's rivers and streams, indeed many around the entire world, cannot maintain the fish populations we have seen in the past. All good fisheries must endure ever-increasing fishing pressure. To catch the ever more educated fish, fly fishing strategy has changed significantly, as have fly patters and casting techniques. When these new strategies are applied to seasonal conditions you'll enjoy success all season long in waters many others may not enjoy such good luck!

In the colder winter months fly fishing tactics are comparatively easy to those used later on in warmer periods. In early season resident fish are hungry, and newly stocked fish understand little of their new surroundings. Both are eager to grab anything that looks like food. Naturally a number of these fish are caught and removed. Those that survive become aware of the fly fisher and his methods. They soon learn to seek out hiding spots and to totally ignore the general manner in which most anglers attempt to catch them, be they bait, spin, or fly fishers.

As the water warms up natural insect activity increases. This heightens the fish's awareness of the environment and what is good to eat. Thus, the fly fisher's approach must be coordinated with the fish's behavior and feeding patterns. Your manner of approach to the fish's position in the water and your fly presentation will dictate your level of success.

River fishing demands special leader systems and casting techniques for presenting and keeping your fly under control over long, drag-free drifts. With the right drift control you'll learn to catch fish in conditions many would consider impossible.

Throwing a long line is important to many optimal fly fishing conditions. The Reach cast, the Slack Line cast, the Tuck cast, and the Curve cast are just four of the essential casts you'll want to learn if your goal is achieving a high level of fly fishing success. Also essential are using the correct leader design and tippet sections to suit prevailing conditions and for exacting fly presentations.

Accurate presentation of the fly is just as important as casting. Knowing how to fish both a dry fly and a nymph without drag is imperative for angling success. Drag imposes an unnatural appearance to the fly and therefore fish reject it. By understanding fish location, feeding habits, and the creatures fish feed on, you will understand the best pattern to use, and how to best present the artificial bait in the most natural way. Floating line techniques are, overall, the most enjoyable. Nymph fishing is a demanding and absorbing method of fly fishing. Loch techniques are thrilling because you see the fish move across the water's surface to your fly.

Saltwater. Fresh water. Warm water, cold water, river, stream, brook, creek, pond, reservoir, lake. Fly fishing techniques are numerous, and to a point, your choice will depend upon approach.

Costs for my classes range from $250 to $500 per day per person, depending on your requirments. Please contact me directly to formulate a schedule that will suit for your needs or those of your group.

Learn all basic skills and knowledge needed to begin fly fishing.
Class highlights:

• Fly Fishing Equipment - What You Need To Know
• About The Species You Fish For
• Fly Fishing Techniques
• Casting & Fly Presentations
• Practical On-Stream Fly Fishing

For those who have established some fly fishing skill and now want to move on to new skills and techniques. Class highlights:

• How To Read Water - The Approach
• Correct Choice of Presentation - Wet or Dry?
• Correct Casting Technique
• Achieving Drag-free Drifts
• Advancing Nymph Fishing Skills
• Surface & Sub-Surface Technique

The class teaches how to approach a given fishing situation and the best options for catching fish in that situation. This is an on-water class during which you will be fishing. Class highlights:

• Correct Fly Line Selection
• Leader Configurations
• Airborne Casting Techniques
• Controling Fly Lines & Drag-free Drifts
• How To Present Nymphs - Wet, Dry, & Emerger

A specialty school covering all aspects of learning about the art of wet fly and soft hackle fly fishing. Class highlights:

• What You Need To Know About The Flies Used
• Forming Correct Leader Configurations
• Reading The Water for the Best Approach
• Fishing From Upstream & Downstream Angles
• Floating & Sunk Line Techniques

A specialty class covering how to fish emergers and dry flies. You will learn how to fish large and small patterns. Class highlights:

• Specialized Leader & Tippet Construction
• Casting Drag-Free Drifts
• Fishing Small Midges
• Emerger Techniques
• Fishing Large Dry Fly Patterns

Nymph fishing skills are a must. The majority of trout you catch will be with a subsurface presentation. A must for every fly fisher! Class highlights:

• Fishing Shallow Water
• Fishing Deep Water
• Fishing With & Without Strike Indicator Systems
• Floating & Sinking Line Techniques.

Fishing streamers presents many options that imitate bait from fish to crawdads. Learn the many presentation techniques you'll want to be accomplished in for using these highly effective patterns. Class highlights:

• The Best Presentation Techniques
• Best Fly Lines For Streamer & Bait Fish Patterns
• Leaders For Streamer Patterns
• Proper Retrievals

These courses cover all aspects of fly fishing for species of freshwater fishes on streams, lakes, and still waters. I also cover saltwater fishing for those who want it. A wide range of skills and presentations are covered. Each presentation requires a different approach, some more than others require a greater level of technical ability. This is typically a one day on-the-river course covering:

• Reading The Water
• Correct Methods of Presentation
• Leader, Tippet, & Specialized Leader Systems
• Fishing Soft Hackle & Wet Flies
• Fishing Dry Flies & Emergers
• Shallow Water Nymph Techniques
• Deep Water Nymph Techniques
• Fishing Streamer & Baitfish Imitations

Fly fishing and fly casting classes are available on an individual, corporate, or group basis. Outings are on still and running water. You may have a selected period of time dedicated to casting, fishing, or fly tying. The minimum period of time per person is two hours. Courses are also offered by Half-Day (four hours) and Full Day (eight hours). Course fees vary based on the length of the class, location, and prevailing international currency exchange rates. Please contact me to discuss your specific class desires.

Costs for my classes range from $250 to $500 per day per person, depending on your requirments. Please contact me directly to formulate a schedule that will suit for your needs or those of your group.

The basic level class covers instruction for all basic skills and knowledge needed to start fly fishing. Highlights include:

• Overhand Cast - False Cast
• Roll Cast
• Loop & Line Control
• Basic Fly Presentation & Lift Off
• Proper Leader & Tippet Design
• Fly Line Profile & Attachment

For those who have established some fly fishing skill and want to learn new skills and improve on technique. Highlights:

• Achieving Distance - Line Release & Control
• Advanced Roll Cast Techniques
• Single Haul vs. Double Haul
• Line Mending Techniques Above & On Water
• Slack Line Casts
• Advanced Tippet & Leader Design

• Full Line Extension Casts
• Long Line Release - Double & Single Haul
• Change Of Direction Casting
• Airborne Casting: Tuck, Switch, Reach, Across, & Angled Casts
• Presentation Casts: Line Mending, Rolled, & Spiral Pick-ups
• Long Range Line Control
• Advanced Dry Fly & Nymph Fishing Techniques

• Overhand Cast
• Roll Cast
• Single & Double Spey

My first introduction to the art of fly tying was in the 1950s. At that time l was given the materials and tying tools that belonged to one of my school masters. Thus began my passion for fly tying and its relationship to fishing and catching fish. In the 1960s l began to tie flies commercially, at that time very much the old school of thought still existed so far as fly patterns were concerned. This factor alone allowed me to gain a great deal of knowledge and skill to reproduce the traditional flies.

New ways of thinking and the introduction of synthetic materials leaned me into the new era of developing new fly tying techniques and innovate new fly patterns. Many of my fly patterns are commercially produced by the world's major producers of fishing flies. Since the early 1970s l have contributed and had published a good 100 articles and features for both fly fishing magazines and books all over the world, related to fly tying techniques and the introduction of new fly patterns. So too l have been featured on many TV shows, produced fly tying videos, and travel country at the request of fly fishing organizations to demonstrate my tying skills.

As with my fly fishing and fly casting classes, tying classes are available on an individual, corporate, or group basis. I also speak at fly fishing club and other organization meetings on the subject of tying.

A tying class can be part of your other activities. You may have a selected period of time dedicated to casting or fishing as well as fly tying. The minimum period of time per person is two hours. Courses are also offered by Half-Day (four hours) and Full Day (eight hours). Course fees vary based on the length of the class, location, and prevailing international currency exchange rates. Please contact me to discuss your specific class desires.

I have a number of very specific fly tying courses. We can also set up a class according to your interests. Here are just a few more possibilities you may want to consider:

1. The Caddis Fly From Larva to Adult
This specialized class focuses on the life cycle of the caddis and the flies that catch fish during that cycle. We will tie larval imitations, move on to the two primary stages of the pupa - rising and emerging. Finally we will tie the emerged adult in resting, skating, and oviposting phases.

2. The Mayfly
Learn how to tie nymphs, emergers, duns, and spinner phases of the mayfly. We will take into account the various nymphal stages of species, such as the free swimmers, stone clingers, and general suggestive effective nymph patterns. We then move on to the ascending nymph, then to the emerger stages. We will pay particular attention to the dun stage, and finally the adult spinner.

3. Emergers
The most vulnerable stage of an emerging insect is at the transition from nymph/pupa to the winged insect. In this tying class you'll deal with that aspect of effective fishing flies for many species such as the caddis, mayfly, and midge.

4. The Midge (Chironomids)
By general definition most fly fishers classify midges as small flies. However midges are true chironomids. In this tying scenario we deal with the stages of chironomids from pupal stages to emergence and adult. This is a great class because it puts you on the right path to effectively coming to terms with midge hatches.

5. Scuds, Sows, & Nymphs In General
There are a number of fly patterns that no fly fisher should be without in the scud, sowbug, and nymph classifications. This class teaches the tying of these essentials from simple hares ear and pheasant tail nymphs as well more innovative fish catching nymph tyings.

6. Streamers & Bait Fish
Almost all predatory fish species may be caught on streamer and bait fish patterns. In this class we tie many of the effective streamer and bait fish patterns with emphasis in learning the skills of forming bodies and wings along with other essential tying techniques. Included in this class is the Davy Wotton shad/bait pattern - a deadly bait fly.

7. Traditionals
Throughout the history of fly fishing certain patterns have become classics. These wet flies and soft hackles of the past gave me my first introduction to fly fishing. Without a doubt they are some of the most effective fishing flies ever. This class instructs in all aspects of tying these classic styles - tails, bodies, wings, hackles, etc. This is one of my most popular fly tying classes.

8. Terrestrials - Ants, Hoppers, Beetles, Etc.
Terrestrials (land born bugs) form a very important food source for many fish species. You will learn how to tie many imitations of established and credible patterns such as the Whitlock hopper, ants, beetles, and a number of other terrestrials never to be without for many fish species.

9. Salmon & Steelhead Flies
Classic salmon flies are aesthetically beautiful to look at. They also require a high level of tying skill. This class takes you through all of the elements required to tie the salmanoid flies - tails, tags, butts, bodies, wings, hackles, etc. Spey flies likewise require that attention to detail, which you will learn in this class.

10. Fly Tying Techniques
Fly tying skill demands proficiency in dubbing, hackling, winging, deer hair stacking, spinning, etc. In this class we deal with tying techniques instead of any particular pattern or style. You will learn many things that will improve your overall tying.