Fly Fishing Lessons, Courses, or Books?

Fly Fishing Lessons

Fly fishing lessons can be a great option if you can get in a small group of similar skill level anglers and get out on the water or somewhere easy to learn.  Let’s look at the pros and cons now:

Pros of In-Person Lessons

1. Personalized instruction: Taking a fly fishing lesson provides the opportunity to receive one-on-one or small-group instruction from a professional guide. The instructor can observe and correct your technique, answer questions, and provide advice specific to your skill level and the location you will be fishing.
2. Hands-on experience: Lessons often include time on the water, providing the opportunity to practice casting, line management, and other skills in real-life conditions.
3. Networking: Fly fishing lessons often provide an opportunity to meet and network with other anglers, who may be able to offer further advice or opportunities to fish.

Cons of Fly Fishing Lessons

1. Cost: Fly fishing lessons can be expensive, and the price may not be feasible for everyone.
2. Scheduling: Scheduling a lesson can be challenging, especially if you have a busy schedule or limited availability.
3. Location: Lessons may only be offered in specific locations, limiting your options if you live in a remote area or do not have access to a nearby instructor.

Are They Right for You?

Fly Fishing Lessons can be great if you are a beginner angler with either no experience so you are stranded on where to even begin, or if you have a basic handle on things, but are struggling with specific things within your fly fishing skill set and need some direct Q&A and hands on learning.  The downside is you’re going to pay a pretty penny for this type of learning and you better hope you remember it all, cause you don’t get do-overs.  Personally, I think they can have their value, but often times having access to something you can refer back to can really help with your retention and overall fly fishing educational growth.

Online Fly Fishing Courses

Personally, we believe online course are often (but not always) the best way to learn fly fishing.  Let us go into some details on the positives and negatives of an online course approach to fly fishing.

Pros of Online Learning

1. Convenience on Your Time: Online courses are available 24/7, allowing you to learn at your own pace and on your schedule. Some, like The Catch and The Hatch Courses, come available in an app for your mobile phone for online or offline reading (cause let’s face it, the best fishing is always wherever there is no cell service 🙂 ) 
2. Comprehensive Instruction: Online courses can provide comprehensive instruction, including video demonstrations, written materials, and access to instructors for questions and feedback.
3. Never Outdated: Online courses are usually updated often with new content and updates.  Since they aren’t printed like a book, they don’t need expensive version updates.  It’s just simple and quick updates sent directly to the course owners, at no additional cost.
4. Multi-Media Approach:  If a video tells it best, show a video.  If a diagram is needed, use a diagram.  You get the point here that often times a video or written content isn’t enough, but a combination of all the media types is best for cementing in the knowledge and allowing you to apply it on the river.

Cons of Online Courses for Fly Fishing

1. Limited hands-on experience: Online courses cannot provide the same hands-on experience as in-person lessons, limiting the ability to practice and receive feedback in real-life conditions.  While you can take what you learn in an online course and then go and practice it, this can sometimes be difficult to do vs an in-person class where you practice what you learn immediately.
2. Requires self-discipline: There’s no one holding your hand here.  You want to learn, then get rid of the social media and other distractions and learn it.  This can be hard for those who lack some self-discipline (This was me for a long time until I learned some great tips on how to stay better focused working from home.)
3. Limited networking: Online courses do not provide the opportunity to meet other anglers, limiting the potential for networking and further opportunities to fish.  We try to mitigate this as much as possible by providing course members access to our private facebook group where they can chat and connect.

Fly Fishing Books

Despite it being 2023, there are still some excellent books stored away with a ton of good knowledge on fly fishing.  I think the best part of books is the little tid-bits of personal knowledge you get and anecdotes from the author.  This can be a very entertaining way to learn, but may not be the fastest or most effective.

Pros of Fly Fishing Books

1. Comprehensive information: Fly fishing books can provide comprehensive information about fly fishing, including technique, equipment, and strategy.
2. Cost: Books are often the least expensive option for learning about fly fishing, making them accessible to most people.
3. Reference material: Books can be used as a reference guide, allowing you to revisit specific topics or techniques as needed.

Cons:

1. Limited interaction: Books cannot provide the same level of interaction or feedback as in-person lessons or online courses.
2. Limited visual instruction: Books just don’t have the same level of visual instruction as online courses or in-person lessons, making it challenging to understand certain techniques.
3. Limited hands-on experience: Books cannot provide hands-on experience, limiting the ability to practice and receive feedback in real-life conditions.

At the end of the day, if you are looking for some detailed info on a small niche subject, books can be excellent.  For most beginners to intermediates however, videos and online courses are a great option for optimized learning.

Fly Fishing YouTube Videos

Oh the crazy world of YouTube! There is more info out there on fly fishing than you could digest in a lifetime.  With ads, it’s free and a great way to get your feet wet (pun intended) in fly fishing culture, fly tying and other general principles of fly fishing. 

Pros

1. Free: YouTube videos are often free, making them accessible to everyone.
2. A Boat Load of Topics: Many YouTube videos provide information on a large variety of fly fishing topics making it a great way to discover new topics and knowledge gaps.
3. Accessible: YouTube videos can be accessed from anywhere, making them a convenient option for learning on-the-go.  In a mobile-phone centered world, it’s great to have this much accessibility to this much content.

Cons

1. Reliability: When it’s free to produce and anyone can do it – they will.  This unfortunately means a lot of the time people represent themselves as experts, but then give knowledge that is inaccurate.  The only thing worse than not learning something is to learn it wrong and develop bad habits.
2. Limited visual instruction: YouTube videos may not have the same level of visual instruction as online courses or in-person lessons, making it challenging to understand certain techniques. It’s video only and a multi-media or in person experience is always going to be superior in it’s ability to educate.
3. Limited hands-on experience: Until we get VR with haptic feedback and attach it to our brain stem, you really only get to watch with your eyes.  I kind of hope it always stays this way… call me old fashioned :).  For this reason, youtube will always have a significant drawback to other learning mediums.

Fly Fishing Classes (Group Classes)

Pros

1. Expert guidance: When you take a fly fishing class, you get to learn from experienced instructors who can give you their experience and knowledge and pass it directly on.  
2. Engaging: There’s something about going to a class that gets you focused and excited.  Probably the 15+ years of schooling most of us went through helped train us (or exhaust us) in that regard.
3. Networking: Taking a class can be a great way to meet other fly fishers who share your interests. You may find that you learn as much from your fellow students as you do from the instructor.  Classes are often held in fly shops or at fly fishing shows, and is a great time to meet other anglers.

Cons

1. Cost: Fly fishing classes can be expensive, especially if you need to travel to attend one. Depending on your budget, an online course or book may be a more cost-effective option.
2. Limited schedule: Fly fishing classes are typically offered on a set schedule, which may not be convenient for everyone. If you have a busy schedule or live far away from the class location, you may find it difficult to attend.
3. Group learning: While group learning can be a pro, it can also be a con. In a class, you may not get as much individualized attention as you would in a private lesson, and you may have to work at the pace of the group.

Overall, fly fishing classes can be a great way to learn new skills, especially if you are a beginner. However, they may not be the best option for everyone, depending on your budget, schedule, and learning preferences.