• On stream schools
• Entomology schools
• Casting schools
• Fly tying schools
• Boat handling schools
• Fly-fishing strategy, selectivity, proper pattern selection, reading rise-forms and proper presentation.
• Reading the water and proper line control
• Lake fishing schools
• General fly-fishing schools
• For special circumstances we can even offer guiding schools/ apprenticeships
  

Site Specific Lake & River Schools

We will be offering informative hands on schools involving a full day being spent on location at anyone of the streams/lakes covered in this website. We will try to schedule your school for a day on a piece of water of your choice when an insect hatch your interested in is hopefully scheduled to take place. This will allow you to be on the water during heavy insect activity allowing you to have the opportunity to learn about the selected insect hatch/hatches first hand. This method allows us to clarify the insects complete lifecycle and vulnerable stages in a concrete visual manner and go onto explain what stages trout concentrate there feeding efforts on. We will then take you through a well-stocked fly box showing you a complete selection of very effective fly patterns, which imitate the vulnerable stages of this insects lifecycle. We will also cover fishing skills such as locating and reading productive water, trout feeding patterns, fishing strategies, presentation, productive fly patterns and casting skills.

There will be plenty of hands on insect sampling on the stream bottom, stream surface and airborne adult insect sampling with nets. This will ensure you are aware of how, when and why site specific aquatic and terrestrial insects become a food item on the trout’s main menu. The aquatic insects, terrestrial insects and forage food forms that present an easy feeding opportunity for the trout are the particular food forms we will focus on in this program. This program will clarify to the participant that it is a specific feeding opportunity or situation that attracts the trout’s culinary interests not a casual haphazard preference for a non-productive single food item.

The specific sets of factors that must be present for a trout to feed efficiently are critical to both good health and long-term survival. These critical issues are an easy meal that is present in a substantial quantity, at the same time becoming very vulnerable in a susceptible highly nutritional format, and require little or no energy in an effort to consume it. These important aquatic insects that initiate the trout’s selective culinary interests usually hatch in heavy numbers over a prolonged period at the same time of the angling season and time of day, year in and year out in a specific order. The trout get accustomed to their annual appearance through repetition and become selective to both physical insect features and lifecycle vulnerabilities. These especially wonderful insects are the fly fisherman’s real interest and anglers have gained such a deep appreciation for these, specific aquatic insects that they have been coined the “Super Hatches”.

Except for a few exceptions like Baetis Mayflies and Midges, generally all aquatic insects only become mature and hatch into adults once throughout the entire angling season. The maturation process that these insects go through begins as a sub aquatic life form and transforms into an adult terrestrial air-breathing insect in about a year. Once the insect is mature, it generally transforms from the aquatic stage into the adult stage in the lake or stream surface. However all stoneflies and a few Mayflies complete the transitional process out of the stream on dry land in close proximity to their aquatic environment. This transitional process only happens once for a specific pre-destined period at a specific point in time within the angling season for a minimum of four-days and can continue for up to two weeks or even more. These special aquatic insects provide trout with a prolonged time of such excessive indulgence of sheer numbers, prolonged opportunity and complete nourishment that they cannot be ignored. Once this maturing, emerging, transitional and changing process progresses through the full life cycle culminating in the egg deposition process these same insects are no longer available for trout to feed on efficiently until the next angling year.

These factors control what time of season and day the angler must be present on stream if they are interested in hunting for and meeting specific favorite insect hatches. Once these issues are fully understood, participants will also connect and better understand the daily feeding schedules of large trout and increase angling efficiency and ultimate satisfaction. It will also reduce the chance of a missed opportunity of meeting a favorite hatch in order to hunt down and catch a favorite fish that will haunt the dedicated anglers dreams until the following season. These issues are what our schools focus on so we can properly prepare the new angler for this sport and establish knowledge on how to use precious time out on stream more resourcefully and effectively.

We will also cover what good casting involves throughout the program; time will be well spent on all the basic casting skills. Such as casting accuracy, angle of presentation, the advantages and success gentle presentation accomplishes, why drag free floats are so important, as well as why line control and line manipulation are so critical to success. If you feel you would like to cover all or any one specific stream presentation cast we will set aside time for this. The ultimate objective of course is to provide the participant with the opportunity to approach, cast to and catch some decent trout that are actively feeding in or on the surface film to the insect we are in the process of learning about.

In the near future, we will be investigating the possibility of offering some very special Stillwater schools on Duck Lake in Montana, Hector lake, Dickson pond, and some trophy trout lakes west of Caroline Alberta. Our company may even offer individual or group/corporate schools on Dragon Lake in B.C. and on Palmers Ranch in South Western Alberta. The availability of schools on Dragon Lake, Duck Lake and Palmers Ranch will depend on some legal matters and angler interest.

Duck Lake Montana stillwater schools

This destination is a bit of an adventure it is about a 4 1/2 or 5-hour drive from Red Deer Alberta and is located in the U.S.A. in the state of Montana. It is specifically located between Babb and St. Mary's Just over the Canadian/American border south of Cardston. However it is well worth the trip because within its productive waters swim some of the largest most beautiful Rainbow and Brown trout on the continent. We only do this school with an individual participant for a full day and we think this lake is an awesome location to put on one of these Stillwater schools.

The cost for the participant for this program is $500.00(CDN) plus the cost of the Blackfoot Indian reservation-angling license per day. If you wish to camp over night or stay on and fish after the day is finished, there is a daily fee to camp right on the lake. On the other hand, there is a lodge located at the southwest end of the lake or there are a few lodgings available in St. Mary's and Babb. We feel this is a wonderful opportunity for the customer to partake in a Stillwater program and take a day or two to fish on your own for some of the best trophy trout fishing available on public water in the continent.

FLYFISHING SCHOOLS

The fly fishing schools we run are not pre-scheduled we allow interested individuals or corporations to book at a time that suits their schedule or safety/awards programs. The programs we run are usually limited to one through three participants intentionally. Over the years of running these schools participant feed back has been unanimous that limiting class size really personalizes the experience. The small class size allows the students to experience plenty of personal attention throughout the program and supportive hands on guidance during practical exercises. Our instructors also feel the participants get the best value for money and transference of knowledge as well as physical help with the mechanics and physical skills involved in this new world of fly fishing.

Feel free to phone, fax or e-mail our shop at anytime to participate or purchase a school for a friend, relative or spouse. The shop also has gift certificates available for customers to give as a gift for Christmas, Birthdays or awards to corporate employees. The certificates can be made out so an individual can attend one of our schools or for a gift or in any dollar denomination you may wish to give for any individual or section in a work place. Many of our schools usually involve small groups consisting of a father and son, husband and wife, corporate colleagues or a few fishing buddies. This really allows the participants to feel comfortable and relaxed allowing each individual to really enjoy and get the most out of our programs.

RATES FOR SCHOOLS

Note: By full day we mean a complete eight hours with a half hour to an hour for lunch to be determined with participants during actual program.

To Book a school see the below listed contact information and get in touch with the Shop.

We also offer personal instruction by the hour @ a rate of $35.00/hr.

Our payment policy is 50% down upon booking, and the remainder due upon commencement of any program or guided trip.

Funds payable by money order or cheque.

These rates for our schools will remain as shown for 2008 year.

Website address: www.streamweaverflies.com
E-mail address: bedens@shaw.ca
Phone #: (403) 343-8699
Fax #: (403) 347-5454

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