Guide School : School Overview

Being a fly fishing guide is about more than just catching fish. As a guide you have to wear several hats to ensure that the individuals that you're taking fishing are going to have an unforgettable and memorable experience. Strong angling abilities are only the beginning. We look for guides with exceptional interpersonal communication skills. At the root of every good guide is a person who can tell a story about the process at hand in the river and convey an idea of how to catch fish on a fly. Our guides are professionals whose attention to detail and the needs of our clients are second to none.

Our guide school functions in two parts, the first focuses on walk and wade trips and the second component deals with floating. In our wade guide training we cover everything from knots to entomology. We will travel throughout the Vail Valley and surrounding areas familiarizing our guides with all of the stretches of water that are accessible for client trips. Our seasoned guides will show our students the "do's and don'ts" of guiding from how to stage a streamside lunch to how to turn a slow day of fishing into an unforgettable day on the river.

At the end of the wade guide training, we will select guides who excelled in the first portion of the school and commence with Float Guide Training and Oar Certification. The second portion of our school is extremely demanding both physically and mentally. Long days on the river will prepare our guides with the necessary skills and tools to commercially navigate whitewater from a fishing vessel. We cover everything from towing boats and maintenance to swift water rescue procedures and rowing a good fishing line.

Our instructors are experienced and concerned with safety above all. At the completion of our classes you can be sure that you will have the knowledge, training and skills to safely guide the local rivers from a drift boat or raft and catch fish.