On 28 Jan 2006 18:17:22 -0800, "snyderslake"
wrote:

My family (me, my wife and our son) really wants to get into fly
fishing this spring so we have been looking at schools. I would like
to get some opinions and/or recommendations regarding these schools as
my son is only 10. I'd like to make sure that he gets as much out of
it as he can.

We live just outside of Albany, NY and have been looking at the Orvis
school in Manchester, VT.

Thanks,
Pat

I took a 25 year hiatus from flyfishing. When I finally came back,
everything had changed - rods, lines, leaders, even flies. After a
couple of outing to a river in Maine and several here in
Massachusetts, I decided to take the Orvis school. That was 20 years
ago.

Don't know about now, but back then it was a pretty good school. It
taught the basics, and you had a lot of practice with knots and
casting different rods. The instructor to student ratio was small, so
you had lots of help. I believe it was a 3 day school - can't
remember exactly. I do remember, however, catching fish in the
Batenkill on private water, and catching fish in the practice ponds
behind the store. The fish were easy to catch - nothing challenging -
but it gave the newbies a feel for how to set the hook and fight and
land the fish.

I taught my two oldest grandsons (now 22 and 21) how to flyfish when
they were 13 and 14. The best advice I can give you is to make it fun
for your boy and ensure he catches something. Most ten year old will
lose interest in the sport unless they can see some kind of success.

If you go to the Manchester school, stay at the Equinox. Expensive
but wonderful service and food.

BTW, LL Bean has a school in Freeport, Maine. Less expensive than the
Orvis school.

Dave