"Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after." - Henry David Thoreau
You’ve probably read that quote above somewhere before. You’ve probably also read that “Trout don’t live in ugly places.” It’s true - the sport of fly fishing has an allure, a charm that transcends it just being a bloodsport. To some it’s a way to catch fish, to others it’s an art form, and to some of us it’s a lifestyle. From movies to books to our Presidents to kids of all ages, fly fishing is here and it’s cool and we love it.
Fly fishing can be a difficult sport to master, and can be daunting to the new recruit, so let us help you train and learn and appreciate the sport with our intensive and detail-oriented fly fishing school. Bootcamp is split into a 2 day event: Day 1 is a 2 hour in-classroom event at our shop where you'll learn the basics of the sport and the beginnings on how to cast. Day 2 is an all-day on the river clinic learning about trout stream entomology and where you get to apply everything you've learned and catch your first fly-caught trout!
Requirements:
Class age requirement is age 18 and up. Children aged 15 and up will be permitted to enroll with a parent or guardian that has also enrolled.
You MUST provide your own eye protection. Sunglasses are mandatory for any course instruction.
All participants must sign a personal release and liability waiver.
2025 Fly Fishing Bootcamp Clinic Dates:
(All clinics at Cedar Creek)
SPRING
Clinic 1 - Wednesday February 19 | Sunday February 23 - 10 Seats Remaining
Clinic 2 - Wednesday February 26 | Sunday March 2 - 10 Seats Remaining
Clinic 3- Wednesday March 5 | Sunday March 9 - 10 Seats Remaining
Clinic 4 - Wednesday March 12 | Sunday March 16 - 7 Seats Remaining
FALL
Clinic 1 - Wednesday October 22 | Sunday October 26 - 10 Seats Remaining
Clinic 2 - Wednesday October 29 | Sunday November 2 - 10 Seats Remaining
Clinic 3 - Wednesday November 12 | Sunday November 16 - 10 Seats Remaining
Clinic 4 - Wednesday November 19 | Sunday November 23 - 10 Seats Remaining
REMEMBER - THIS EVENT IS FIRST COME, FIRST SERVED.
We ONLY enroll our students in order of the e-mails as we receive them.
2025 Course cost - $475
Course Includes:
1st Class - weekday evening 6:30 pm - 2 hour introduction to fly fishing and casting introduction at the shop. You will gain the understanding of the origins and sport of fly fishing, learn the fundamentals of fly casting and important knots, and an introduction to insect entomology.
2nd class - weekend all day 7:30 am - We start with fly casting instruction - the most important concept you’ll learn in our bootcamp. We will take river samples and identify insects and match them to your flies, and you will work with your instructor for the remainder of the day on fishing techniques and catching your first trout! Break for lunch at 1:30pm. You can fish as long as you want - you have the entire day!
Course includes the following items:
Our Fly Fishing Bootcamp educational booklet. The last page is a 15% one-time discount to use in-shop, along with a referral coupon for you to share
Half dozen fly assortment in a small flybox
Nipper on a flyline lanyard
1 year membership to Trout Unlimited
Yeti Yonder 20 oz. Bottle & carabiner
Provided For Use For The Day (if needed - you are encouraged to use your own gear):
Waders
Boots
Rod & reel outfit
Water & Snacks
Lunch
Students Must Provide:
Sunglasses
Virginia Freshwater Fishing License available for purchase here (click for link)
NEW for 2024 - Returning student cost is only $400 and does not include course booklet & supplies
Cancellations & Rescheduling Policies
Things happen. Kids and adults get sick. Emergencies come up last minute. Sometimes stuff happens, and we understand, but we plan and price our clinics so they’re affordable, and we take into consideration the time our instructors allocate to these events.
Cancellations made less than 30 days from the original clinic date are not refundable. If you cancel less than 30 days out from your original date requested, we will try to fill your seat or move you to another Bootcamp date if available in the current season or to the following season, but if we cannot, you forfeit your enrollment and tuition.
We will try our best to accommodate students who cancel more than 30 days from the clinic date by getting them into a class that works for their schedule, but if no date is available, student clinic dates may be pushed into the next season’s fishing clinics. We will not schedule a private class for students that need to reschedule.