In the interest of all those who offer fly fishing instruction I offer the following piece that i wrote for RP3.
Fly Fishing Classes; To Pay or Not To Pay?
You hear it all the time; come to our free fishing seminar or fly tying night, and like most novice anglers you go hoping to glean some free and useful knowledge. On some occasions you get something of value, unfortunately all too often these events turn out to be either club socials or somebody's pitch to sell their product. How do I know? Like everyone else who has "been there, done that"; I to, have attended too many of these events. Wishing, after I arrived, that I had stayed home. While these events can be fun at times, don’t expect to take home a lot of useful knowledge. Like the old adage says, “You get what you pay for”.
A wise angler knows that building on the knowledge of others will hasten ones desired results, but this wise motivation also leaves one open to the ploys of smooth talking pitchmen. What is a person to do with so much baffle gab and egoism out there? How is one to see his or her way through the endless barrage of hucksters each claiming to be “the” master angler, have the very best products, and know volumes more than everyone else? It’s a tough call; and as frustrating as it can be to the seasoned angler, you can multiply the frustration many times over for the novice.
The words “Just because someone thinks they know something, and comes up with some new fangled idea doesn’t make it so! What works, works, and what doesn’t, doesn’t; period!” were uttered by mentor Hal Staythers, after he out fished my wife and I, ten to one. Years later those words ring as true as they did the day Hal shared them. There is a reason why successful investors choose to invest in blue chip companies. It's called a proven track record that has been achieved over twenty years or more. Experience has taught me that solid knowledge never gets old or out dated. Knowledge that has proven it’s self successful over twenty, fifty, or even a hundred years tends to remain relevant day in day out. Anything less could turn out to be nothing more than smoke and mirrors. So we ask the question again, what does one do?
One solution; is to go it alone disregarding the volumes of “stuff” out there, be it verbal, or in print. If one has the patience and a large supply of free time, the pioneer approach can be both an exciting and rewarding adventure. Unfortunately for the majority of us, time and circumstance do not allow this sort of extravagance.
Another solution is partner up with someone who has a reputation for knowing the ropes. If this person truly knows his or her stuff, the partner solution can be both time and cost effective. If however, this expert is not all they are cracked up to be, the leaning curve can become much longer and more difficult.
Both of the above solutions are positive in that they are both cost effective; in what can become (if you are not careful) a very expensive sport. The negative to these two solutions is the great amount of time that can be lost in getting to ones desired goal.
The other option is to purchase a fly fishing course. I use the word purchase instead of the word pay, because in our society are accustomed to paying mindlessly for things without question. However when we purchase something, it is customary to put some research into what we will receive for our money. So now the question is; what should we look for, or at, when purchasing instruction?
#1. Credentials (qualifications) of the instructor:
What qualifications does the instructor have to teach?
Does he or she possess any licenses or certification?
Can the instructor offer a relevant profile, references, and time proven (5 years or more), consistent success?
#2. Course content:
What is offered?
Is it relevant and applicable to your needs?
Is the language understandable?
Does the instructor go into enough detail on each subject to cover most unspoken questions?
Does the instructor encourage questions and feed back?
Does the course cover factors not commonly thought of, like equipment maintenance and water safety?
Does the instructor offer a phone number and/or email address for further questions?
Does the instructor encourage his or her students to seek out the knowledge of others, to help round out the student’s knowledge?
#3. Price:
What is the cost of the course?
What is the cost break down per hour?
Is there enough practical instruction in time provided to make the course cost relevant?
Is the price all inclusive or are there extras, i.e. textbooks, equipment rentals, meals, lodging, etc.
#4. Other considerations:
Does this course truly offer you what you want or would another course suit you better?
Is the instructor’s teaching style and personality compatible with your learning style?
Do you like the instructor?
Fly fishing is a both a rewarding and entertaining sport which is supposed to be fun; unfortunately it is also a cutthroat multi-million dollar industry. So "caveat empty" (Buyer Beware); It's your time and your money you are sending. Don't let someone else tell you what to do. You know what you want out of this sport; so make your own decisions.
Jeff Weltz
Author
Topic: fly fishing course? (Read 5385 times)