Eldridge Brothers Fly Shop in Cape Neddick, Maine, has shared their lineup of Winter 2015 classes — and they look great. Check them out below, and reserve your spot soon.
For more info, and to reserve a post, visit: http://eldredgeflyshop.com/seminars
BEGINNERS FLY TYING CLASS Fly tying is a rewarding aspect of fly fishing. Catching fish on a fly one has tied themselves adds to the satisfaction of fly fishing. This class is designed to take a student with limited or no tying experience and teach them how to tie effective patterns on their own. The student will learn about the tools required to tie flies and the selection and preparation of materials. You will be taught all of the proper techniques to take a bare hook to the finished fly. From there the class will go on to tie a few proven patterns for fishing in freshwater. The basic techniques learned in this class will be applicable to all types of fly patterns.
4 Day Class: January ~ Saturday 3rd, Sunday 11th, Saturday 17th, Saturday 24th ~ 9:00am – 11:00am
Instructor: Mark Drummond
Cost: $30.00 per student
**********
ROD BUILDING CLASSES Our rod building seminars are taught by Mark Drummond and Jim Bernstein. They have a combined experience of over 50 years of rod building and have been instructing at our shop for the past 15 years. At one time, Mark built rods for Joe Sterling’s fly shop in Danforth, Maine. During this seminar students will learn all of the proper techniques for building a custom rod. Some of the techniques taught will be: selecting the right blank and components, splining blanks, attaching tip-tops, thread wrapping, cork drilling and gluing, filing guide feet, signing rods, applying finish, and attaching reel seats. Cork grips will be made by gluing multiple cork rings together and then shaping on a lathe so that it comfortably fits your hand. Past students have expressed that this was the most satisfying part of building a custom fly rod.
1st Class Instructor: Mark Drummond
Date: January 25th, February 1st, 8th, make up day Feb.15th
Time: 9:00am – 4:00pm
2nd Class Instructor: Jim Bernstein
Date: February: 22nd, March 1st, 8th, make up day March 15th
Time: 9:00am – 4:00pm
Cost: $50.00 If blank and components are bought at E.B.F.S.
Cost: $200.00 If student provides blank and components
Class size limited to 4 students
*********
PETER SMITH ~ INNOVATIVE FLATS FLIES Peter is a production fly tyer who ties thousands of flies every year at his business SSFlies. He is the only fly tyer I’ve met that measures the amount of thread he uses not in spools, but in miles per year. He has methods for fly tying that could only come from spending all of his working hours, for years, at the vise. He supplies the flies to some of the most well known flats guides in the Florida Keys and he takes “tweaking a pattern” to a whole new level. The few times I’ve visited his workshop and the many times I’ve walked in on one of his lessons, I’ve come away with a new trick for fly tying. During Peter’s class you will learn innovative and proven techniques for tying all kinds of saltwater flies. Patterns covered will include flies for tarpon, permit and bones but some of the patterns and all of the techniques will have much wider applications. Check out Peters flies here; www.ssflies.com
Date: January 10th
Time: 9:00am till 4:00pm ~ Full Day Class
Cost: $60.00 per Student, Lunch is included
Students must have at least a basic knowledge of fly tying to participate in this class
Classes are limited to 13 students ~ Payment in full is required to hold a space in these classes
All tying materials (except thread) will be supplied ~ Students need only to bring their vises, tools & thread
*********
SCOTT FISHER SALTWATER TYING DAY Scott is one of those rare people who can find intimate detail in things many people would consider mundane. He has applied that ability to his inspection of all the fish foods he can get his hands on. His photograph database of these fish foods goes back more than twenty years and could fill volumes and I’m hopeful they someday will. Scott was a friend to the late Jack Gartside and shared many fishing adventures with him. Under Jack’s tutelage Scott learned many of the intricacies of making flies to imitate all types of fish food and like Jack, Scott is very innovative in his fly designs and in his use of common materials. With his ability as an artist he brought all of these influences together to create some of the most deadly fly patterns, most of which he’s kept secret for years. I knew Scott for ten years before he showed me one pattern…just one. It was a jaw dropping moment. During Scott’s full day class on January 31st he’ll be “letting some cats out of the bag”. Scott will be teaching students in this full day class how to tie flies for stripers, bluefish, bonito, and false albacore.
Date: January 31st
Time: 9:00am till 4:00pm ~ Full Day Class
Cost: $60.00 per Student, Lunch is included
Students must have at least a basic knowledge of fly tying to participate in this class
Classes are limited to 13 students ~ Payment in full is required to hold a space in these classes
All tying materials (except thread) will be supplied ~ Students need only to bring their vises, tools & thread
*********
FLY TYING JAMBOREES Fly Tying Jamborees are two or three hour classes that are taught by local guides, fly shop employees, production fly tyers, or local tyers who excel at the art of fly tying. They will teach students to tie fly patterns that they have confidence fishing.I’m excited about the line up of tying classes we are offering this year. We have several returning instructors, Tom Gagnon, Jeff Faulkner, Tom Cormier, Nick Allen, Joe Calcavecchia, James Browne, Kevin McKay, and Dave Beattie. These guys have so many killer patterns up their sleeves that their classes never become stale. Each one of them spends almost as much time at the vise as they do on the water. They are constantly creating new patterns or tweaking old ones to fool more fish. Their knowledge of tying materials and flies is surpassed only by their ability to bend those materials to their will and fish those flies effectively in their respective waters. No matter where you fish, around the corner or around the world, our instructors will have something new and informative to contribute to your tying and fishing knowledge.
We’ve added two new instructors to our team this year.
Matt Rogosienski I met Matt several years ago as a customer when he would drive to our shop from his home in Rangeley to buy fly tying material. He is a quiet, humble person who lives to fish and tie flies.
Matt started his fly fishing addiction in high school. When he graduated from college he moved to Oregon so that he could fish for steelhead. He left Oregon to do a year of guiding on the Kenai Peninsula in Alaska and from there went to Ohio so that he could fish for steelhead on the Great Lakes tributaries. Rangeley was his next destination, where he spent over 100 days a year targeting wild brook trout. While in the Rangeley region he found the rivers in that area better suited to Czech nymphing so he began tying beautiful and effective Czech style nymphs and fishing that way. He now lives in southern Maine where he occasionally fishes for stripers, ties flies for our shop and pines for the all too few days that he gets to spend fishing for his beloved wild Maine trout. Matt will be teaching students how to tie a few of his favorite Czech nymphs.
You can view some of his flies here: fontinalisflyco
Dave Parent Dave describes himself as “hopelessly addicted to tying flies”. He’s been coming into our shop for many years and has taken many of our classes during that time. One of my favorite things about working in a fly shop is being a witness to the advancement of the tying skills of the people who spend time here. Dave is one of those fly tyers who now ties patterns that I’d love to have in my fly box. He’s a thinker who loves to tinker. Many times I’ve seen him enhance proven patterns to add attractor triggers and to better match the native entomology of the waters he fishes. His favorite places to fish are the native brook trout waters of northern Maine where he seeks out small streams, spring holes and beaver bogs deep in the woods. He fishes through the winter for browns in southern Maine and rainbows in New Hampshire. Each year he takes annual trips to the Catskills to fish the Beaver Kill and the West Branch of the Delaware. Dave will be teaching students how to tie some of the nymph patterns that have brought him much success.
*January 3rd ~ *3 hours ~ Tom Gagnon ~ Dry Flies ~ 12pm till 3pm
*January 17th ~ *3 hours ~ James Browne ~ Striper Flies 12pm till 3pm
January 24th ~ Nick Allen ~ Nymphs
February 7th ~ Matt Rogosienski ~ Czech Nymphs
February 14th ~ Kevin McKay ~ Smallmouth Bass Flies
February 21st ~ Joe Calcavecchia ~ Striper Flies
February 28th ~ Tom Cormier ~ Streamers for Trout
*March 7th~ *3 hours ~ Jeff Faulkner ~ Pike & Musky Flies ~ 12pm till 3pm
March 14th ~ Dave Parent – Old Nymphs with a Fishy Twist
March 21st ~ Capt. Dave Beattie ~ Striper Flies
March 28th ~ Eldredge Bros. Fly Fishing Expo!!!
Time: 1:00pm till 3:00pm on Saturdays *unless otherwise noted*
Cost: $10.00 / per student
Students must have basic knowledge of fly tying to participate in this class
Students must sign up and pay in advance to secure a seat in class
Open seats are available on a first come first serve basis
Students must bring their own tools, vise, and thread
Demo vises will be available for students who wish to test drive a different vise
Eldredge Bros. will supply all tying material except thread
**********
PRIVATE CASTING INSTRUCTION Most fly fishermen never take a casting lesson when in reality we could all better our casting greatly with just one lesson. If you are just learning to fly fish, a casting lesson will get you started on the right track before you’ve accumulated years of bad habits. One lesson can also save years of frustration and bad casting. If you’ve been fly casting for a long time but you just can’t seem to increase your casting distance or you constantly get knots (wind knots are not caused by the wind) in your leader or maybe your fly always hits the water behind you, a one hour lesson could work wonders for your casting and fishing. You will not just learn how to cast, you will be shown the mechanics of fly casting and how and why it works. Our goal is to have you come away from your lesson with an improved casting stroke and the ability to diagnose mistakes that may arise in the future and correct them using the knowledge gained from that lesson.
COST: $50.00 / Hour / Per Person or Group
~ By Appointment
**********
MITCH KALTER SPEY CASTING Mitchstarted teaching our spey casting classes last year and came to us with high recommendation from Topher Brown. He has been spey casting for salmon and steelhead for more than 20 years and is as passionate about teaching spey casting as he is about chasing fish with the long rod. If you are interested in enrolling in this class please call or email our shop to sign up. Payment in full secures a space in this class.
Date: Sometime in April & May (to be announced)
~ More information coming soon
**********
*INSHORE FLY FISHING WITH LOU TABORY This is one of the best saltwater flyfishing schools on the east coast. Whether you are a beginner or an old salty pro, you are sure not to walk away from this class without increasing your knowledge of saltwater fly fishing. Lou Tabory is the author of Inshore Flyfishing, Guide to Saltwater Baits & Imitations, and Stripers On The Fly. He is second to none when it comes to chasing striped bass along the coast. During this class he will offer all of his knowledge to you.
DAY ONE: Lou is not only an expert fisherman; he is also a professional photographer. This will be evident during his slide presentations in which he will show you how to read the water, identify bait, present your fly, fight, land, and release fish. Another aspect of flyfishing in saltwater that Lou will teach is knots. He will show students how to tie the essential knots needed to fish for striped bass. If you are just after a few schoolies or trying to break an I.G.F.A. record, Lou will show you the knots and leader configurations you will need. Several times during the day students will adjourn to our casting area where Lou will instruct you on the techniques of flycasting, of which he is a master.
DAY TWO: The second day of this seminar will be spent on the water with Lou putting the previous day’s theories to practice.
*Due to circumstances beyond our control at the time of this release, we are still uncertain if we will be able to hold this class in 2015. We will be in a much better position to make that decision later this winter. For now we are taking names of those interested in signing up but will not be accepting payment until we are 100% sure that this class will happen. We are sorry for any inconvenience this may cause you.
Date: June 13th & 14th, 2015
Cost: $300.00/student*
Day One: 9:00am till 4:00pm
Day Two: Early am till noonish
~ Class Size Limited to 10 Students
*Includes coffee, muffins, & lunch for both days