No fly fishing gear? No problem! The price of the class includes the use of rods, reels, lines, waders, and wading boots. This all-inclusive class is great for couples, friends, fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, or anyone with an interest in fly fishing.

The goal of the class is to teach you how the fly rod works; to help you become completely comfortable with the lingo of fly fishing; and to have a fun on the river. Everyone in the class will learn the knots used to tie a fly to the leader; how to retie the leader when it breaks; and how to rebuild the leader should it become a giant snarly mess.

Once everyone has mastered the basic knots, the next lesson will cover the rod, reel and line and how they work together to cast the fly. Learning to cast the fly rod is fun and easy when you have a skilled and patient instructor at your side. The fly fishing guide with whom you will spend the day explains concepts of fly casting in a way that makes it easy for everyone to understand, and he keeps the lessons fun.

After learning how to cast the fly out onto the water in such a way that it lands lightly and gracefully as if it were a living insect, it will be time for you to learn about both the insects that the trout eat and the flies that we use to imitate those insects.

This class will offer a glimpse into the fascinating world of entomology, or the study of insects. You will learn about the basic life cycles of some of the most common river insects and how to choose the flies that imitate them during each of these life cycles. Trout eat insects all day long, so the fly angler must act as a river detective in order to figure out which insects the trout are eating at any given moment. Your instructor will help you get started with the correct tools for identifying insects and fooling the trout with flies that imitate these insects. After learning all about the knots, the gear, how to cast, and the relationship between the bugs on the river and the trout that feed on them, it will be time to put your skills into action. Your instructor will take you to several stretches of river in order to show you the many different water types that trout use throughout the year for feeding and for resting.

After a day on the water with your instructor, you will become a self-sufficient fly angler who knows his/her knots, who can cast the fly with some accuracy, and who has a new understanding of where trout live and what they feed on throughout the seasons. With your new-found passion for fly angling, you will be able to return to the Deschutes to put your skills to the test, or take your bag of tricks to any other river or stream where trout swim.

Class Topics: