Beginner Fly Fishing Workshop
AT A GLANCE
- Super low price of $490 means anyone can afford to try fly fishing. We also run this course as a condensed, single full day for one or two anglers, on any day of the year for $690 per day.
- A comprehensive course, developed and refined over the past 28 years, will teach you everything you need to get started in fly fishing.
- We have some of the most experienced and personable instructors in the industry.
- We provide all the equipment so that you don’t have to purchase any gear.
- Price includes lunch and drinking water both days.
- We offer a host of follow-on services and trips to assist those who choose to continue on with their fly fishing journey.
- Stay an extra day (Monday) for a discounted full day of personalised streamcraft instruction ($490). Can be split two ways with a friend or with another course participant.
- We have excellent beginner combos starting at $450 – these are good quality, ‘ready to fish’ rod / reel / line package and are available for purchase every day of the year.
- Simply put, we offer the best weekend learn to fly fish program in Australia. This comprehensive and heavily discounted weekend workshop, will see you capable of independently fly fishing for trout by Sunday afternoon.
- Organise your own group of four or more and we will run this on any two days of your choosing (weekdays or weekends).
- Accommodation options to suit all tastes and budgets.
- Read our TripAdvisor reviews to learn why so many people choose our two day weekend fly fishing workshop.
- COVID SECURE is our guarantee that should a trip with us be interrupted on account of Government imposed covid restrictions – all payments are fully transferable to a future date. Learn more here.
Beginner Workshops
Join a small group of budding fly fishers for a comprehensive two-day workshop that will gain you express entry into the sport and cut years from the learning process. We take you through all that you need to know, removing the superfluous and focusing on only the most important aspects.
Everything from gear to knots, insects to trout behavior, casting to fishing techniques; will be explained and illustrated in a simple and practical way.
This is no stuffy workshop with lots of note taking and lots of boring theory. We keep things interesting with the focus on delivering the necessary information in a relaxed and friendly manner.
The workshop commences at 9.30 am on a Saturday (see scheduled dates below) in Alexandra (less than two hours drive from Melbourne CBD and Melbourne Airport), and concludes at 5.25 pm the following afternoon. We provide all of the gear including flies, rods, waders; as well as drinking water, lunch, course notes and all instruction.
All you need to bring is appropriate clothing for the weather, a pair of sunglasses, hat, belt, and a willingness to learn and have fun.
Everyone is welcome to participate regardless of age and/or experience level. While it is a beginner’s workshop in name, many intermediate fly fishers also benefit from completing this course; with some intermediate fly fishers doing it as a refresher.
Our workshop is designed to ensure that you walk away with the necessary skills and knowledge to successfully begin your journey as an independent fly fisher. Every aspect of the course is geared toward this end. We are not fussed about getting you to catch a fish on the first attempt at the expense of adequately preparing you for fishing independently.
Beginners often want to get out straight out on the river and start fishing. While we understand this desire better than anyone, as professional instructors this would be the most negligent thing we could do. We know that while you’ll have our full attention for the duration of the weekend, you’ll most likely be flying solo the next time you’re on the water. So we need to teach you as much as we can in the short time you are with us.
Our mission is to arm and equip every participant with a solid understanding of the key principles to serve as the cornerstone of their future fly fishing journey.
The itinerary below is jam-packed but it’s the the bare minimum we need to teach you over the two days. Please do not mistake the theoretical / shop sessions for being boring. We have been delivering this content for a long time and our instructors use visual aids and humour to bring the material to life.
Read on for a look at the two day itinerary.
ITINERARY
| SATURDAY | |
| 09.15 – 09.30 | Arrival. Meet and greet. (shop) |
| 09.30 – 09.45 | Overview of fly fishing (shop) |
| 09.45 – 10.00 | The 5 essentials to becoming a good fly fisher (shop) |
| 10.00 – 10.30 | Introduction to the gear (shop) |
| 10.30 – 10.40 | Break |
| 10.40 – 10.50 | Overview of flycasting (shop) |
| 10.50 -12.00 | Fly casting session (practical) |
| 12.00 – 12.30 | Lunch |
| 12.30 – 12.45 | Trout biology and behaviour (shop) |
| 12.45 – 13.00 | Anatomy of a trout stream (shop) |
| 13.00 – 13.15 | Introduction to entomology (shop) |
| 13.15 – 13.30 | Introduction to fly selection (shop) |
| 13.30 – 13.40 | Break |
| 13.40 – 14.10 | Knots (shop) |
| 14.10 – 14.30 | Introduction to streamcraft (shop) |
| 14.30 – 15.00 | Hooking, playing and landing fish (practical) |
| 15.00 – 15.10 | Break |
| 15.10 – 15.20 | Fly casting theory (practical) |
| 15.20 – 16.30 | Fly casting session (practical) |
| 16.30 – 17.00 | Introduction to fishing upstream (shop) |
| 17.00 | Day 1 ends |
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| SUNDAY | |
| 08.50 – 09.00 | Meet and greet (shop) |
| 09.00 – 09.15 | Managing line and drag (shop) |
| 09.15 – 10.00 | Fly casting session (practical) |
| 10.00 – 10.20 | Break / drive to river |
| 10.20 – 11.00 | Anatomy of a trout stream (practical) |
| 11.00 – 11.15 | Managing line and drag (practical) |
| 11.15 – 12.00 | Stalking (practical) |
| 12.00 – 12.30 | Streamside lunch |
| 12.30 – 13.00 | Wading safely and accessing the water (practical) |
| 13.00 – 13.30 | Entomology (practical) |
| 13.30 – 14.00 | Demonstrated fishing in small groups (practical) |
| 14.00 – 16.00 | Putting it all together i.e. casting & fishing (practical) |
| 16.00 – 16.30 | Break return to base |
| 16.30 – 16.45 | Etiquette, safety and access rules (shop) |
| 16.45 – 17.15 | Quesions and answers (shop) |
| 17.15 – 17.25 | End of workshop |
| 17.25 – 18.00 | Assistance to purchase/set up gear if required. (shop) |
This is a great way to get a firm grounding in the sport. You will be capable of independent progress upon completion of the workshop; having a good grasp of casting and how to find and fool trout with a fly in the wild.
For those wanting to expand upon their newly acquired skills, we offer a discounted full day of 1:1 instruction on the Monday following the course. Reduced from $690 to $490 for 1-2 anglers, this can be booked in advance or you can arrange to fish with one of the other course participants to share the expense. We also offer a series of one-day modules on streamcraft, lake fishing, european/czech nymphing, stalking fish, dry fly fishing, small stream fishing and flytying.
As always, help is only a phone call away, as we are always here to answer any questions that arise in the future. We have been in business since 1994 and are always available to assist.
PRICE:
$490 per person for the 2 Day Course. Price includes lunch (both days), tuition, course materials and use of any gear as required. Accommodation is not included in the price but we can assist you to find suitable lodging in the area. A list of recommended places is sent out to everyone who books.
All of our instructors are professionals who guide full-time. With more than 200 years of combined fly fishing experience between us, we will be able to get you up and running in the shortest space of time.
KEY REASONS why you should learn to fly fish with us:
* only $490 per person for the 2 Day Workshop!!
* our instructors are full time professionals who teach fly fishing every single day
* we have some of the best trout streams in the country within a short drive
* GVFFC has been teaching fly fishing full time since 1994
* we have taught thousands of people to fly fish over the years. We can teach you too!
* we offer a full program of follow on learning modules and guided fishing.
* we have excellent beginner combos starting at $450 – these are good quality, ‘ready to fish’ rod / reel / line package and are available for purchase every day of the year.
Can’t find a suitable date for a our beginner’s workshop?
Never mind. We conduct private sessions for individuals or groups every day of the year, at the normal teaching/guiding rate. If you can arrange a small group of friends (minimum 5), we will run the two day workshop at the same low rate on any days of your choosing!
This workshop is also popular with couples with some wonderful homes available to rent if you’d like to make it a weekend away with a group of friends and partners.
Please view our price list by clicking here or phone us on 03 5773 2513 for more information.
Please note the Cancellation Policy before making a booking. ;-) Due to the heavily discounted price of our workshops, payment in full is required at the time of booking.
UPCOMING GROUP WORKSHOP DATES
*Please note: you can still get a private lesson on most of the dates listed below as booked out. Workshops can be run on arrangement (weekdays and weekends) if you can pull together a group of five or more participants.
| MONTH | DATE | SPOTS |
2022 DATES |
||
| APRIL/MAY | SAT 30 – SUN 1 | YES |
| MAY | SAT 7- SUN 8 | YES |
| MAY | SAT 14 – SUN 15 | YES |
| MAY | SAT 21 – SUN 22 | YES |
| MAY | SAT 28 – SUN 29 | YES |
| JUNE | SAT 4 – SUN 5 | YES |
| JUNE | SAT 11 – SUN 12 | YES |
| SEP | SAT 3 – SUN 4 | YES |
| SEP | SAT 10 – SUN 11 | YES |
| SEP | SAT 17 – SUN 18 | YES |
| SEP | SAT 24 – SUN 25 | YES |
| OCT | SAT 1 – SUN 2 | YES |
| OCT | SAT 8 – SUN 9 | YES |
| OCT | SAT 15 – SUN 16 | YES |
| OCT | SAT 22 – SUN 23 | YES |
| OCT | SAT 29 – SUN 30 | YES |
| NOV | SAT 5 – SUN 6 | YES |
| NOV | SAT 12 – SUN 13 | YES |
| NOV | SAT 19 – SUN 20 | YES |
| NOV | SAT 26 – SUN 27 | YES |
| DEC | SAT 3 – SUN 4 | YES |
| DEC | SAT 10 – SUN 11 | YES |
| DEC | SAT 17 – SUN 18 | YES |
We run Australia’s most comprehensive guide service with everything from beginner lessons to the tuition of advanced specialist techniques; all the way through to drift boat fly fishing and adventures to the South Island of New Zealand, Montana (USA) and Patagonia (Argentina).
We are available to speak from 8am – 10pm every day of the week, and are always here to help you on your fly fishing journey.
Phone 03 5773 2513 book or learn more.
The completion of this course will open up the door to world of fly fishing opportunites with follow-on services and a multitude of trips for those keen to explore.
GOULBURN RIVER DRIFT BOAT TRIPS
