learwater
Lodge has the most extensive fly fishing school in the west. Over the past 30
years, we have taught thousands of people the skills and pleasures of fly fishing.
Our location in the heart of the finest wild trout waters in California means
that after learning on our spring creeks and freestone waters, you can go anywhere
in the country and expect to feel comfortable on the trout waters there. Most
schools are Wednesday to Sunday and include meals, accommodations, instruction
and the use of any major tackle items.
Here's how to select the school that's right for you:
- Choose Mastering if you have little or no recent fly casting or fly fishing experience, virtually no familiarity with the tackle or knots of fly fishing. Previous fishing experience is not necessary.
- Choose an Advanced Class if you have been through the Mastering program or if you already have a reliable and reasonably accurate overhead cast, the ability to place your fly in a six foot circle at about 20 feet consistently, a general familiarity with the knots and tackle of fly fishing, and basic wading and stream fishing experience.
- Choose the Master Angler if you wish to become an expert angler.
- Choose the Guide School if you want to teach fly fishing skills.
- If you have any question about the right school for you, call us and let us help you decide.
Our program for beginners and out-of-practice fly fishers
 |
 |
|
 |
||
 |
 |
|
| Pit River Rainbow | ||
Fly fishing is built on two skills: presenting your fly to the trout like a natural insect and recognizing the places in a stream where a trout is most likely to be. The best way to learn these skills is to actually fish: standing in a stream, casting to trout, dealing with the vagaries of wind and current, with a competent, enthusiastic instructor nearby. That's the way we teach the Mastering. You fish a variety of streams under a variety of conditions, learning to make your fly drift like that natural insect, with an expert instructor to assist and encourage you.
Mastering begins Wednesday afternoon at 2 PM. The Lodge staff will show you to your room. Then you'll join your instructors for an orientation to the activities of the next four days. We start with a review of equipment. We'll help you organize your tackle and provide you with a Clearwater rod and waders if you need them. We'll teach you the three basic knots and you'll have your first casting lesson. Each evening there is time for relaxing before dinner. Dinner is served family-style.. You'll find our chef knows just what it takes to satisfy hearty appetites and we promise you memorable desserts!
Thursday morning, you'll learn about the ways of the trout, their habits and habitat. Then it's on to the nearby streams, large and small, flat water and fast water so you'll be prepared to fish trout water anywhere you go. We begin by teaching you to fish with a nymph. It requires limited casting skills and is extremely effective. As your abilities increase, we'll introduce you to dry flies. Each morning, in short casting clinics, you'll learn the skills you need for that day's fishing. We use a video camera to record your casting progress. You will be amazed at how fast you'll improve by being able to see your casting stroke in action. Your instructors will teach you to wade a fast current safely. You'll learn to select the right tackle for the fishing conditions, to recognize a mayfly, a caddis fly, and a stonefly. We'll show you how to check the streamside vegetation and submerged rocks to see what natural insects are present in the water so you can choose the appropriate artificial. We will teach you how to play and land a large or small trout quickly and release it unharmed. Each day you'll enjoy delicious lunches streamside and the camaraderie of new friends and new skills. By Sunday afternoon, you'll have the skill and confidence to go to any trout stream in the country and make an intelligent decision about what fly and technique to use. You don't need to buy a fly rod or waders; premium tackle is available for your use at Clearwater. $1310 per person.
|
|
|
 |
||
|
|
|
| Upper Sacramento River |
||
Our basic fly fishing school, tailored for women and taught by women guides. We love women's classes at Clearwater Lodge. They are usually our most high-spirited groups, full of laughter and enthusiasm. We have learned over the years that women want to be able to be independent onstream: to choose the right fly, tie their own knots, cast and wade with confidence. So that's our focus, to set you up for success. Learn tackle, knots, casting, wading, surface and subsurface techniques. Enjoy the comfortable ambiance of Clearwater Lodge, with wonderful meals from Noelle Wright, our superb chef, at a pace perfectly suited to a woman's style. $1310 per person, includes meals, accommodations, instruction and all major tackle items.
Our 3 new advanced dry fly, nymphing, and sinking line classes are perfect
for the angler who is an intermediate fly fisher or is ready to become one.
The classes begin at 2PM Sunday and end Wednesday moring after breakfast.
The price includes a half day and two full days of instruction, all meals, and three night accomodations.
|
|
|
 |
||
|
|
|
| The Pit River |
||
Quite arguably the most exciting method of fly fishing is presenting a dry fly to a rising trout and watching it grab the fly from the water's surface. You will learn
specialized casts, line control techniques, and leader construction that make for a drag free presentation in both spring creek and freestone waters. Your classroom will
be some of the very best trout waters that northern California has to offer! $935 each for classes of 2 or more students.
It's well documented that most of the trout's feeding is done below the surface of the water. We teach several fundamental nymph techniques effective in any type of water
with indicators and short line nymphing without them. You will also learn proper leader construction to assist in creating these drag free drifts. Nymphing can produce great
numbers of fish on a particularly "grabby" day. Come enjoy learning these techniques with our most qualified instructors on some of California's most fish populated and
productive waters! $935 each for classes of 2 or more students.
Throwing sinking line can be great fun and requires a certain degree of casting skills. Some of my largest fish are caught fishing sinking lines. You will learn the single and double haul, long distance mends, and a variety of streamer retrieves. It would be good to come equiped with an intermediate line and/or a type II or III full sinking line as well as a sink tip line. I can't say enough about experiencing the take on a sinking line, what great reward! $935 each for classes of 2 or more students.
|
|
|
 |
||
|
|
|
| Hat Creek | ||
Our PhD program for accomplished anglers
Our most advanced program is for anglers who wish to become expert fly fishers. This five day school, beginning at noon on Wednesday, emphasizes the development of versatile and imaginative casting and presentation skills to effectively meet any fly fishing challenge. The curriculum focuses on strategies for dries, nymphs, and streamers in fast water and flat water, the techniques that the senior Clearwater guides recognize as essential to success. If you have solid basic skills and wish to move into the top 10% of fly fishers who catch 90% of the trout, this program is for you. This program is part of the training for new Clearwater guides. $1395
|
|
|
 |
||
|
|
|
| McCloud River |
||
Our annual training for aspiring guides
The national growth in fly fishing has created a demand for competent guides. The Clearwater Guide School is the most complete program of its kind in the country, an intense week of learning fly fishing skills, teaching skills and communication skills, under the expert direction of Clearwater's senior guides. It covers all aspects of becoming a licensed fly fishing guide, from recognizing your client's learning style to dealing with licensing, insurance, budgeting, and marketing, plus how to find a job in the industry. Graduates of the Clearwater Guide School are working in fly fishing operations around the US. The fee includes instruction plus meals and accommodations 7 nights $1795