FALL FLY FISHING CLASS AT ARKANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY BY JOHN BERRY

Our Fall Fly Fishing Class will begin next week at Arkansas State University Mountain Home. This will be the last class that we will hold there this year. We had two classes this spring that were well attended but we still think there are several potential anglers out there that are interested in attending the class now. I teach the class with my wife, Lori Sloas. This is our fourth year of teaching the class at ASU.

This has been our busiest year ever for fly fishing classes. In addition to the two classes we held at ASU this spring, we have taught three private classes this summer and we have two others scheduled for mid October. Lori also taught a ladies fly fishing school for the local Trout Unlimited chapter. This does not include Lori’s private fly casting lessons.

We did classes for various organizations before we began our classes at ASU. I met Lori about fourteen years ago when I was teaching a fly fishing class for the Mid South Fly Fishers, the fly fishing club in Memphis, on the Spring River. She was a student. After we got married the next year, I began integrating her into my classes as an instructor. She picked up the sport quickly and with her background as a corporate trainer she was a natural instructor. Together we taught classes at Mississippi Community College in Blytheville, Shelby State Community College in Memphis and at Tommy Bronson Sporting Goods, a fly shop in Memphis. We also taught classes for Becoming an Outdoors Woman.

The Fall Fly Fishing Class will be held on the Arkansas State University Mountain Home Campus on October 9, 16, 23 and 30. The classes begin at 6:00 PM and end at 8:00 PM. To register you should contact the Continuing Education Department at ASU. This can be done over the phone. Call Sarah Sikes at (870) 508-6105. We furnish all equipment necessary. However you may bring your own fly rod and reel, if you like.

The class is divided into two sections, casting and classroom. The casting portion begins promptly at 6:00 PM on the lawn behind ASU. Lori leads the casting. She is a better caster and casting instructor than I am. Over the years she has taken instruction from master fly casting instructors like lefty Kreh and John Wilson and continues to improve. I assist. We cast for an hour at every class and rotate around so that every student gets individual attention from both of us. At the end of the class, our students know how to cast. If they make an error they recognize it and know how to correct it.

The second hour is in a classroom and covers a variety of fly fishing subjects. I lead this and draw on my twenty plus years of guiding to determine what areas to concentrate on. We teach knot tying, rigging basic fishing techniques, reading water, water safety entomology (the study of insects) and fly selection. My basic concept is to keep it simple and concentrate on those skills that are the key to catching fish. Lori assists.

The most important thing about our classes is that we both love to teach. We are truly thrilled when one of our students makes a perfect cast or successfully learns to tie knots. Our enthusiasm is transferred to our students.

If this sounds like something that you would be interested in, please sign up. Lori and I hope to see you there.