Mountain Trout Fly Fishing School in Shenandoah National Park

Learn to Fly Fish in our Mountain Trout On-the-Stream Fly Fishing School.  

Since 1962 Harry Murray has honed these on the stream schools to what we feel are the most informative anyone can spend learning to fly fish. We conduct these Mountain Trout On-the-Stream Fly Fishing Schools at Graves Mountain Lodge in Syria, Virginia (which is approximately 40 miles east of our fly shop). Each day begins at 9a.m. with a presentation at Graves Mountain Lodge then we drive to a Native Brook Trout stream high in the Blue Ridge Mountains for the On-the-Stream instruction and learning to Fly Fish.  School concludes around 5p.m. Once on the river our knowledgeable and patient instructors will work with you one on one to improve your fly fishing skills, tactics and techniques. We customize the On-the-Stream Fly Fishing portion of these schools to meet your specific needs and desires. These schools will provide you with the most comprehensive fly fishing learning experience available in the world's greatest classroom, the great outdoors. You will leave with a solid understanding on how to fish small mountain streams for Native Brook Trout in the Shenandoah National Park and Trout in small streams around the world. You will learn, or brush up on, casting, presentation, fly fishing equipment selection (fly rod, fly reel, fly line, flies, wading gear), knot tying, reading the water, entomology and all aspects of fly fishing for Trout in small streams. We spend the majority of the time on the stream to maximize your individual learning experience so come prepared to wade in the stream and fish.

We provide high quality Fly Rods/ Fly Reels for you to use during these schools. We have Specially Priced Fly Rod Outfits for those wishing to purchase their own fly fishing outfit (Rod, Reel, Fly Line, Backing).

We take 5 students in each school with one instructor. Cost $196.00/per person

What to bring: Virginia Freshwater Fishing License (available at our fly shop or online), Change of Clothes, Raincoat, Camera, Lunch, Water, Warm Jacket, Sunscreen, Bug Repellent, Waders/ Wading Shoes (We do not provide waders/wading shoes). You will need to provide your own transportation. The road into the Rapidan is rough so bring an appropriate vehicle (one that has average clearance). Please make sure your car has at least half tank of gas before arriving as there is no place to stop for gas in the Syria area.

Other information: Our instructor will demonstrate various flies, fly boxes, leaders and other gadgets throughout the slide show. We do not supply any of these items for the school but they will be available for purchase after the slide show if needed.

(Lodging, Wading Gear & Flies are not included.)

Advanced Trout Fly Fishing Schools Have you been fly fishing for a while and want to improve on your Brook Trout Fly Fishing techniques? Are you an avid angler who wants help figuring out the small Brook Trout streams? Are you ready to discover the subtleties of nymph fishing that make the difference? How about identifying insects both in the water and out? In the Advanced Fly Fishing Schools for Trout we will cover advanced techniques, tactics, flies and equipment both in the classroom and on the stream. You will learn the methods we find most productive for catching spooky trout in low water. These classes are conducted in the Shenandoah National Park but the techniques you learn will be applied to just about every fishing situation you encounter.

2024 Schedule
(meeting at Grave's Mountain Lodge)

A detailed information sheet (where to meet, what to bring, places to stay, etc.) will be emailed to you upon registration. We keep class sizes small in these schools to maximize the on stream learning experience for each participant.

School Notes & Disclaimer On-the-Stream Schools and lessons are conducted on the stream/ river. Our goal is to ensure you have the best experience possible. Many factors are beyond our control such as; heat, cold, rain, briars, tall grass, poison ivy, slippery rocks, ticks, mosquitoes, etc. These schools involve moving around in the water and along the stream. Please come prepared to spend the day outside, rain or shine. *We strongly encourage wearing hard sole fishing boots and waders from April through mid-June. *We strongly encourage wearing hard sole fishing boots when wet wading. We do not recommend open toed sandals, flip flops, aqua socks, kayak style booties or other footwear not offering adequate protection to your feet. Long pants are recommended when wading wet since they will provide some protection from briars, grass, poison ivy, etc. A wading staff is strongly recommended to anyone unfamiliar with wading in the streams and rivers of the Shenandoah Valley. Activity on the stream is roughly equal to walking up 8 flights of stairs over 15 minutes. In an effort to maximize your learning experience, please make an honest assessment of your abilities. Should you find this difficult, please give us a call (540-984-4212) to discuss the best option (we have several) to ensure a pleasurable experience learning to fly fish.

Cancellation Policy on Mountain Trout Schools-- If you cancel 60 days before the date of your school, a full refund is issued. With any shorter notice, your refund will be issued through a gift certificate from our fly shop less a $50 cancellation fee.