Northwestern Connecticut TU 2022 Fly Fishing Class
Our organization recently received a grant to allow us to subsidize the cost of the 2022 class. This year (2022) we’ll be offering a choice of rod/reel combo between the Martin 8ft 3piece 5/6 wt and the Orvis Encounter 9ft 4piece 5wt.
Click here for details.
Your choice - Martin 5/6wt 8ft 3piece fly rod and reel (included in $95 class fee), or
- Orvis Encounter 5wt 9ft 4piece fly rod and reel (included in $125 class fee)
With the class, the Martin combo will be $90. With the class, the Orvis combo will be $125.
(Those who pay with a credit card will be charged service and processing fees. To pay by personal check use the link on the bottom of this page.)
This class meets on six consecutive Thursday evenings in April and May of 2022.
- April 7 6:00pm - 8:00pm
- April 14 6:00pm -7:30pm
- April 21 6:00pm - 7:30pm
- April 28 6:00pm - 7:30pm
- May 5 6:00pm - 7:30pm
- May 12 6:00pm - 7:30pm
As part of the class, you also receive:
- Set of Nippers -an easy cutting tool for fishing leader and tippet ($5 value)
- 1 Set of 5″ Hemostats (tying/tightening knots, removing hooks) ($8 value)
- A high-quality PNY 32GB USB2.5 Flash drive containing all class material including videos, articles, lessons, and instructions for fly-fishing, wading and even making some of your own flies. Hardware value $10
- 30 yards of assorted tippet material -practice tying knots used in fly-fishing ($8 value)
- A one-year trial membership to Trout Unlimited ($35 value)
- One-year Membership to NWCTU (Northwestern Connecticut Trout Unlimited) includes access to members-only access on our website, chapter discounts, First access (with subsidies if offered) to Chapter Fishing Trips, and much more.
Our casting instructors are long-time fly anglers, who donate their time to the chapter. Each instructor donates their time to teach you the class.
- Instructors
- Ken Ludwig (current chapter President) & long time fly Angler
- Robert Hart (current chapter secretary and Fly Angler for over 50 years.)
- Joseph Cieslowski (current education chairman) and Fly Angler for over 60 years.
- Richard Heffernon (current “Trout In The Classroom” chairman and Fly Angler for over 60 years.
- Nancy Clancy (a professor at SUNY with over 25 years teaching casting exp.)
Fly casting has been proven to help in rebuilding muscle tone, which is why it’s used in hospitals and care centers worldwide, and used by organizations such as “Project Healing Waters” (veterans) and “Casting For Recovery” (breast cancer survivors)
Fly fishing isn’t just for men, either. Some of the best anglers are women. In just the past few years we have taught many women and children how to fly-fish. (Children are not permitted in this evening class, as we teach at schools in Litchfield Country under teacher supervision.)
During our course, you’ll learn to:
Roll Cast – The roll cast is an easy to learn cast that requires virtually no room for a backcast, so if right behind you there’s a line of trees or a building blocking you, the roll cast is a way to use the water to your side and in front of you to propel the line. The roll cast is also a great cast to use when you want to adjust the area you’re casting to by a few degrees at a time.
Overhead Cast – When the wind isn’t an issue, this is an excellent cast, especially useful when sight-casting (seeing a fish and casting to it)
Side Cast – Not only an excellent tool to have for casting on windy days, but the side cast is also useful when you want to place your fly on or in the water without tangling on the branches or other obstructions above.
Mend your line – no, not cutting and fixing it, this is a term to describe moving your line up or downstream to reduce drag caused by the current. The result is that your fly looks more natural to the prey.
Curve cast, bucket cast, and pile cast -sometimes you’ll need to cast out on the other side of a rock or need your line to act in a special way when it hits the water.
We’ll also teach you the three most important and easy knots you’ll need to know for fly fishing. You’ll learn safe wading practices. Safe wading is primarily taught in the classroom with a video but we do take you out to a stream to demonstrate safe wading practices.
We’ll also teach you how to find great waters to fish in your local area; the three or four essential knots you’ll want to learn for fly fishing; the safe playing, landing, and handling of fish; tips for catching more fish than the average fly-fisher out there; fly-fishing etiquette, and even a way to determine if the area you’re looking to cast in is worth your time, or how to find the best areas where fish might be holding – this is called reading water. Reading water like a pro takes a lifetime, but we’ll teach you the basics.
You may have heard that Fly-Fishing is hard to learn, or like golf, fly fishing is expensive. Learning to fly fish is easier than learning to read or how to drive. It can be as expensive or as cheap as you want it to be.
You may have heard that fly fishing is dangerous. In our class, you’ll be at least two rod- lengths (16 feet) away from the next student, and in classroom situations, you may be as close as six feet from the next student, however, you can don a mask whenever you wish.
Our 2022 classes will be held on Thursday evenings, beginning April 7th,
You will not need a fishing license to take this class. You won't need anything but insect repellent as the class is held out of doors, comfortable clothing and shoes, a hat to keep the sun out of your eyes, and a pair of polarized sunglasses.
You may have heard that fly fishing is only for catching salmon or trout. While it may be easier to catch trout and salmon on a fly, it’s important to remember that flies – the imitations fly anglers use to imitate food, imitate baitfish, insects in their flying stages, and growing stages, so your fly may be taken by a fish anywhere from on top of the water to the bottom in the rocks, Generally speaking, if it’s a fish or a reptile, swims and eats, it can be caught on a fly.
Pick the rod/reel combo you’d like to have (come to a membership meeting and see both)
Click here for details!
If you wish to pay by personal check, download the registration form and complete details for the course here, and follow the instructions on the registration form regarding payment. There are no service or processing fees if paid with a personal check. You may also join the class at the January, February or March membership meeting.
Students may join the class only until March 31st, 2022. At that time, students will receive email instructions.
To Donate to reduce future class costs, follow this link to donate using a PayPal account or you can also set up Amazon to give us a donation of .05% of the purchase price when purchasing from smile.amazon.com.
NWCTU's website is the place to go for river maps, hatch charts, river conditions, fishing reports and more, for the North Eastern States and Upstate New York Click here to visit NWCTU!