“Getting Your Expert On” – The School of Trout

There are two main categories of trout fishermen. First, there are the anglers who enjoy spending time on the water in the company of family and friends, and who fish well enough to catch the occasional trout on a fly. When these folks have the financial wherewithal to hire a guide, they’re happy to follow that guide’s instructions to the letter. It’s essentially the “Fit Tab A into Slot B” style of fly fishing, and it works out just fine for an awful lot of people.

At the same time, there’s a second – and much smaller – group of anglers who love to push the envelope and immerse themselves in their fishing. They want to understand the trout, and the bugs, and the river, and they’re driven to learn new techniques and become better casters as they challenge themselves to improve their skills.

For the first time in memory, there’s now an elite fly fishing school that caters exclusively to that second, and smaller group, of passionate anglers. It’s called the School of Trout.

The School of Trout brings together some of America’s finest and most talented instructors, and offers its students a chance to learn from the very best of the best. Few fishermen will ever have a chance to spend time on the water with angling superstars like Tom Rosenbauer, John Juracek, Hilary Hutcheson or Kirk Deeter. Few fly fishers have the opportunity to talk angling photography with a pro’s pro like Tim Romano or watch a hall-of-fame angler & artist like Bob White compose a plein air painting. Most of us will never listen to Craig Mathews share his thoughts on his favorite fisheries, or hear Jeff Currier explain his favorite techniques, or watch Todd Tanner demonstrate how to stalk a large rising trout on the Henry’s Fork.

Because it’s incredibly hard to assemble so much angling talent in one place at one time, the School of Trout is limited to two classes for 2019. Both will take place at the legendary TroutHunter facility on the banks of the Henry’s Fork in Last Chance, Idaho. The “Basic Trout” class runs from October 6 – 12 and focuses on providing beginning and intermediate anglers with a rock solid foundation for their fly fishing. Over the course of the week, students will learn all the elements of successful fly fishing and fly casting from a “Who’s Who” of fly fishing legends.

There’s also a more advanced “Dry Fly” class scheduled for late August, where fly fishers who hope to take their game to the next level will learn how to spot and stalk rising trout.  They’ll also discover advanced techniques for bringing trout to the surface when they aren’t already rising.

Both classes are small, with a maximum of 12 students for the Basic Trout class and 10 students for the Advanced Dry Fly class.  The prices are roughly what you’d expect to pay for a similar length stay at a first-rate Alaska Lodge, with the big difference being that, instead of returning home with a few photos and a handful of memories, the School of Trout shares skills that will stay with an angler for his or her entire life.

As you might imagine, the excellent food & lodging at TroutHunter are the perfect compliment to the unmatched fly fishing instruction.

If you’ve been thinking about taking the next step on your fly fishing journey, you might consider visiting the School of Trout website – SchoolOfTrout.com – and looking over the 2019 course options.  Regardless of whether you hope to establish a rock-solid angling foundation, or whether you want to elevate your fly fishing to an entirely new level, the School of Trout has the instructors and the curriculum to help you get the most from your time on the water.