False S ure, I dabbled with fly- fishing at my folks’ summer cottage on a lake and unfurled some casts into a locally stocked stream. I even caught several modest bass and trout using flies that I thought looked good or were recommended to me the last time I traipsed into a friendly fly- fishing shop. But my technique was based on emulat-ing the occasional seasoned angler deftly working a pool downstream that somehow looked infinitely better than where I was at. I found it daunting to know when to choose a floating or sinking line, whether to tie a nymph or midge, and how to get that pseudo- insect over the nose of a fastidious lunker looming just under the surface. I made a resolution to stop dab-bling and build a solid knowledge base taught by a master who remembers what it’s like to be a beginner. What better place to begin than at The Wulff School of Fly Fishing located on the “ birthplace of American fly fishing”, the Upper Beaverkill River, in the Catskills of New York State? And what better instructor to lead the classes than Joan Wulff, the first instructor to develop a set of mechanics to unravel the mystery of fly- casting? I took the plunge recently and plunked down my $ 625 for their all- encompassing two- day Trout Fishing Class good for beginners like me and experienced trout fishermen alike covering stream entomology, knot types, reading water, tackle know- how, fly selection, approach and presentation, wading, The Wulff School An In depth Crash Course in Fly Fishing By Steve Mirsky

False casting, landing and releasing fish. In addition to theory and practice casting on ponds and in the river, Joan’s Fly Casting Techniques and Lee Wulff’s Trout On a Fly are provided as text-books. Established in 1979 on the banks of the upper Beaverkill by Joan and her late husband Lee, The Wulff School prides itself on being personal. Not only is the instructor- to- student ratio 1 to 4 but it also doesn’t promote a particular tackle company. Students have the choice of bringing their own tackle or choosing from a dozen different manufacturers. In fact, Joan recommends that if you don’t have your own equipment, you shouldn’t run out and buy it just for the class. Both Joan and her legendary husband, the late Lee Wulff, revolutionized fly fishing. While Lee may have been the most famous fly- angler in modern times, Joan was certainly the most proficient caster, collecting 17 national championships and casting a fly an incredible distance of 161 feet. Joan started in 1937 as a ten year old tournament caster. From 1937 to 1960, she won nu-merous International and National tournament casting titles. In 1951, she captured the Fish-erman’s Distance event while vying against an all- male line- up. Through promotion of mea-sures such as catch and release, she has boosted fly fishing’s image as being environmentally sustainable. School Fishing