wyatt96
Active member
Does anybody on here hold a school? If so do you have any advice on how fast they usually book and stuff like that? And how to get started in starting a school. Thanks.
Fly fishing school
- Thread starter wyatt96
- Start date
Hi Wyatt,
You may want to look into becoming certified as a casting instructor if you wish to move past running a 'nice guy' operation. I believe FFF does a certification thing and perhaps Orvis runs a program. There are some who give 2 hand casters a document certifying them as instructors but I don't know who that is. In this instance Google will be helpful.
We have a few instructors on here, I think Jackster is an instructor. Try a PM to him.
Ard
You may want to look into becoming certified as a casting instructor if you wish to move past running a 'nice guy' operation. I believe FFF does a certification thing and perhaps Orvis runs a program. There are some who give 2 hand casters a document certifying them as instructors but I don't know who that is. In this instance Google will be helpful.
We have a few instructors on here, I think Jackster is an instructor. Try a PM to him.
Ard
Rip Tide
Well-known member
Now I'm confused.
Do you want to start a school or are you interested in joining a class?
I know that with my club, beginner's fly tying lessons start tomorrow and will run for 6 weeks.
After that they'll run a beginner's fly fishing class with the same number of classes and those will end in mid April when the hatches really start to pick up.
Perhaps your local club has a similar schedule.
If you're looking for tighter structured instruction, I know that Orvis and LLBean both offer comprehensive classes on long weekends in desirable locations for a resort-like fee.
There may be other companies that offer the same in your area.
Do you want to start a school or are you interested in joining a class?
I know that with my club, beginner's fly tying lessons start tomorrow and will run for 6 weeks.
After that they'll run a beginner's fly fishing class with the same number of classes and those will end in mid April when the hatches really start to pick up.
Perhaps your local club has a similar schedule.
If you're looking for tighter structured instruction, I know that Orvis and LLBean both offer comprehensive classes on long weekends in desirable locations for a resort-like fee.
There may be other companies that offer the same in your area.
wyatt96
Active member
I want to start my own school and i was just wondering how quickly it gets busy. Like for 2 day schools like orvis does. do they normally get booked fast?
Rip Tide
Well-known member
Sorry Wyatt, I didn't mean to discourage you.
I just went back and read your past posts.
Maybe to begin with, you could start a club at your school and get some like-minded kids together for some fly fishing fun.
It could be good experience in future dealings with closed minded jerks like me.
I just went back and read your past posts.
Maybe to begin with, you could start a club at your school and get some like-minded kids together for some fly fishing fun.
It could be good experience in future dealings with closed minded jerks like me.
siege
Well-known member
Hi Wyatt !
Teaching a school sounds like a great idea. How fast will it fill up ? How is the reputation of the instructors, how is it being advertised, how is the price compared to other schools offering comparable services ? How will your potential clients find you ? A web site might be helpful !
If you are planning on doing this and charge for your services, do you have a tax identification number, are you going to register with the secretary of state in your state so no one else is using the same business name, and most importantly, do you have liability insurance, so if one of your students gets hurt, you don't have to face their medical bills on your own ?
If you are under a certain age, you can not legally sign a contract. Do you have a business bank account ? Are you set up with your bank to accept credit cards?
If you are doing this for fun, and experience, and no money changes hands, then you have time to develop your future business venture, but when you accept your first fees, it's a whole different ball game.
Know a successful businessman who started his own business from scratch ? This may be a good time to sit down and discuss how he got going.
I hope your venture is highly successful, and that you take the time to get started right.
" You only get one chance to make a FIRST impression "
Your clients will take care of the rest, letting others know how it went. Word of mouth can build a business fast.
Be ready to be successful ! Good Luck !
Teaching a school sounds like a great idea. How fast will it fill up ? How is the reputation of the instructors, how is it being advertised, how is the price compared to other schools offering comparable services ? How will your potential clients find you ? A web site might be helpful !
If you are planning on doing this and charge for your services, do you have a tax identification number, are you going to register with the secretary of state in your state so no one else is using the same business name, and most importantly, do you have liability insurance, so if one of your students gets hurt, you don't have to face their medical bills on your own ?
If you are under a certain age, you can not legally sign a contract. Do you have a business bank account ? Are you set up with your bank to accept credit cards?
If you are doing this for fun, and experience, and no money changes hands, then you have time to develop your future business venture, but when you accept your first fees, it's a whole different ball game.
Know a successful businessman who started his own business from scratch ? This may be a good time to sit down and discuss how he got going.
I hope your venture is highly successful, and that you take the time to get started right.
" You only get one chance to make a FIRST impression "
Your clients will take care of the rest, letting others know how it went. Word of mouth can build a business fast.
Be ready to be successful ! Good Luck !
theboz
Well-known member
Something to consider is to approach some resorts in your area . I worked as an instructor and guide at a resort and mine was he only one in the area that had this service . One of the oldest resorts had a school for fly fishing and it was like a concession . The good thing about doing it this way is you have built in customers. ( the guests) no insurance or lodging problems ( the resort covers that) and other than the equipment no up keep for you ! The money you save will more than pay for your concession fee to the resort. I even know a guy who's giving lessons on a cruise line now and then booking his students with outfitters along the way and getting a kick back as well as his lesson fee ! Lot of options out there! Oh and as far as being booked we were overbooked every weekend at the resort !
I see you are in mid-state NY, I used to live in Cortland. There is a FF show coming up in Marlboro MA. and IFFF will be there holding workshops and testing for becoming a certified instructor. The show is Jan 17-19. The show is not as big as Somerset NJ or the Expo when it used to come to Wilmington MA. Cortland to Marlboro will be about a 5 hr drive , bring your rod and gear and I'll take you to the Swift river and we can both freeze our A** off !
---------- Post added at 04:43 AM ---------- Previous post was at 04:19 AM ----------
"Something to consider is to approach some resorts in your area . I worked as an instructor and guide at a resort "ys
-Theboz
Wyatt,
I believe Ard also gave you similar advice in a prior post. Have you considered seeking a summer job at West Branch Angler on the Delaware ? There are also a number of "high profile" schools and resorts on that river. I think Deposit NY is pretty close to Copperstown.
dhaynes
Well-known member
I put together a "Fly Fishing School" (maybe better understood as a course) for Maryland Trout Unlimited that will be offered through Baltimore County Community College.
The CC made it easy as they provided the space as well as a whiteboard, web access, projectors, document readers etc. They also provide an online Blackboard service where links, documents, photos, etc can be posted for students. The course is 4, 2 hour sessions that cover: 1) gear and knots, 2)l casting (I have an FFF MCI teaching this session), 3) streamside entomology and fly selection along with a fly-tying demo; and, 4) trout biology, trout habitat, and conservation with an intro to TU activities. It does not have an on-stream component.
The local BassPro donated six rod/reel outfits to MDTU and a local shop stepped up to donate fly lines. Students will not have to provide their own equipment. Student fees are split between MDTU and the Community College. Note, MDTU will not make much money of this; our share will primarily cover costs. The course is scheduled to run in March, 2014.
As for booking, fill-up, etc. The CC has run courses like this in the past. They report that 8-10 people is a big turnout! However, MDTU has spent a lot more effort in advertising this course on Facebook, our web-site, and with posters in strategic places. In the past, the CC has only listed in the course in their Spring catalog.
The CC made it easy as they provided the space as well as a whiteboard, web access, projectors, document readers etc. They also provide an online Blackboard service where links, documents, photos, etc can be posted for students. The course is 4, 2 hour sessions that cover: 1) gear and knots, 2)l casting (I have an FFF MCI teaching this session), 3) streamside entomology and fly selection along with a fly-tying demo; and, 4) trout biology, trout habitat, and conservation with an intro to TU activities. It does not have an on-stream component.
The local BassPro donated six rod/reel outfits to MDTU and a local shop stepped up to donate fly lines. Students will not have to provide their own equipment. Student fees are split between MDTU and the Community College. Note, MDTU will not make much money of this; our share will primarily cover costs. The course is scheduled to run in March, 2014.
As for booking, fill-up, etc. The CC has run courses like this in the past. They report that 8-10 people is a big turnout! However, MDTU has spent a lot more effort in advertising this course on Facebook, our web-site, and with posters in strategic places. In the past, the CC has only listed in the course in their Spring catalog.
sweetandsalt
Well-known member
Wyatt, You have received all good advise here and FFF certification is almost but not quite a must. The alternative is to be a known expert fly fisher. In NY State, the best known fly casting/fishing schools that do book-up in advance are Joan Wulff's and (actually in Starlight, PA) Al Caucci's. Both of these anglers enjoy international reputations so their names plus the fervor of their past participants are the draw to their door. Under your real name are you a regularly published fly fisher with a following? If so, that is your entry. If not, you might seek an instructors position at an existing school like one of these or Orvis.