Beginner Fly Fishing School | 2024

Overview

Our annual Beginner Fly Fishing school was hosted again at Gate Creek Cabins in picturesque Petersville, Alaska from June 14th to 16th with incredible hot and sunny weather, a treat for Alaska! Our weekend consisted of fly-fishing basics, casting lessons on land, fly tying, lake fishing techniques, proper etiquette for landing and releasing fish, and a salmon cooking class. The ladies connected with one another immediately upon arrival and quickly became friends. Our clients reported gaining a ton of information and confidence in their fly-fishing skills over the weekend.

Day-to-Day Report

Day 1

On Friday evening we arrived and got settled into our cabins, enjoyed appetizers and socialized in the sunshine. After a bit of socialization, we enjoyed a delicious dinner of deconstructed fajita salad followed by s’mores for dessert. Just before bedtime the ladies were provided with an overview of the schedule for the next two days and you could visibly see their excitement.

Day 2

Our morning started with coffee and a breakfast buffet. Following breakfast, we jumped right into our classroom style “beginning fly fishing 101” course. Our group learned all about the history of women in fly fishing, rods, reels, fly line, leaders, fly-fishing flies, fly fishing knots, stream and lake tactics, hook setting and removal, how to play and land fish, and water etiquette. Following the classroom portion of the day, we enjoyed tacos for lunch and then transitioned onto the lawn for casting lessons and practice. Once everyone was feeling confident in their casting skills, we got them all geared up in float tubes and put them into Gate Creek Lake to put all of their skills and new knowledge into practice. Due to the hot and sunny weather the fishing started off slow but as some clouds rolled in the rainbow trout came out to play and excitement grew as some ladies started catching fish all around the edge of the lake. After a few hours on the water, we headed back up to the cabins to relax before dinner and a salmon cooking class. Our salmon cooking class this year consisted of our three favorite salmon recipes – smoked salmon dip sliders, miso salmon, and seaweed salmon cups. Following dinner, the group participated in a fly-tying lesson where they learned how to tie damsel flies, a popular fly to utilize on Gate Creek Lake. Day two was an action-packed day of learning, catching fishing, and fun!

Day 3

On Sunday, we started our morning with coffee and another delicious breakfast buffet. Everyone was eager to get geared up and to try out their flies from the previous night’s fly-tying lesson. A few of our clients this year requested additional casting practice on land, a fabulous way to continue to perfect some skills from the previous day. We got on the lake and enjoyed a sunny morning of catching more colorful rainbow trout with flies they tied themselves. After a relaxing morning of casting practice and lake fishing, we enjoyed lunch and then said our goodbyes accompanied with lots of hugs!