Reel Women Guide School
Dates:
July 15-21, 2023 Ennis, MontanaPrice:
$3,495We have been teaching this course since 1998. It’s one of our all-time favorite things to do… share our heart and soul for the love of rivers! A fly fishing intensive that will take you to your fly fishing and rowing ambitions. Some women want to become guides, some women want to row their friends, family and themselves! This course is open to women anglers who have a desire to learn to row a drift boat safely and become better anglers.
The school will be held in Ennis, Montana -just west of Bozeman, MT on the Madison River. Your participation will provide a solid platform for expanding your fly fishing life. You have been warned!
We’ll spend the first day discussing the following topics: Successful professional guide outfitter relationships, angler/guide communications strategies, entomology, guide etiquette, wade fishing strategies, river rescue and safety workshops, how to back up a trailer and of course rowing the drift boat! The next two days are spent rowing and fishing; two ladies with a guide in each boat. Day 4 we add to the mix while floating and fishing; topics on how to teach anglers while guiding are brought on board. On day 5, we put you to the test as a guide with other group members as clients!
We welcome Anni Shores as our Guide School leader! She guided for us in 2022 and will lead our RWFFA Guide School in 2023. She has been guiding for thirty years on the Madison River – her home.
Anni has a strong, quiet way of getting necessary information to the rowing and fly-fishing student. Her stories and leadership are welcomed by angling participants. And there is no better test of respect from the local guide community than at the boat ramp – where everyone greets Anni with a big smile and fish story.
Reel Women Guide School 2023 – Ennis, Montana
6 nights lodging, 5 day intensive fly fishing course.
Price: $3,495 per student
Dates: July 15-21, 2023
Arrive: July 15
Lodging: July 15-21, Rainbow Valley Lodge
Guide Course: July 16, 17, 18, 19, 20
Depart: July 21
“At the Guide School we spent, in- depth hours in the world of bugs, knots and boat management which was beyond enlightening. After fishing in the mornings, we’d switch places with the guides and row them while they talked us through the drill. The school taught me so much about reading water, where fish hang and river safety -it truly launched my fly fishing story!
Had I not signed on for the Reel Women Guide School I’m not certain my life would have taken the path it did. A seed was planted which has bloomed and grown into the best part of my life -helping women fighting a life threatening disease, experience the ‘letting go’ of fly fishing.”
—Peg Miskin, Casting for Recovery
“In 2004 I attended the Reel Women Guide School. I had developed a true passion for fly fishing and wanted, more than anything to pursue guiding as a full-time endeavor. The class was everything I could have imagined. The interaction with the other students and the knowledgeable instructors made for a perfect combination. I walked away with a new found confidence. Using the knowledge gained, I purchased a ClackaCraft drift boat, hung out my Southern Brookies shingle and I’ve been in business ever since. I give it my highest recommendation and full endorsement.”
—Susan Thrasher, Southern Brookies
“I strongly encourage you to not only attend, but fully immerse yourself into what fly fishing has in store for you. This intensive program, along with the patient and helpful instructors helped to form the foundation and paved the way for me to chase my dream of becoming a full-time guide. Each of us has our own path, and it begins when you are willing to step out of your comfort zone. Grab hold of the knowledge, skills, and confidence that Reel Women Guide School offers, and go chase your dream. There is no better place to start!”
—Anita Coulton, Cross Current Guide Service, 2019 Orvis Endorsed Outfitter of the Year
We’ll be staying at Rainbow Valley Lodge in Ennis, MT.
On the edge of the Town of Ennis, Montana, where the sweeping Madison River Valley opens wide, you’ll find the Rainbow Valley Lodge. Warm, welcoming hosts will make your visit to the Old West Town of Ennis, Montana a special one.
Surrounded by world-class fishing and must-see attractions like Virginia City and Yellowstone National Park, the Rainbow Valley Lodge is perfect for a RWFFA fly fishing trip! Rainbow Valley Lodge offers a friendly, fun-filled, western atmosphere for a memorable Ennis, Montana vacation experience.
We’ll have great homestyle, Montana cooking for breakfast and dinner. Lunches are packed for you on the boat or on the river each day. Beer and wine included.
$2,995 includes all lodging, instruction, days on the water with guides, 3 meals per day and use of all fly-fishing equipment, trucks and trailers and drift boats. 6 nights, 5 days fly fishing intensive/rowing course. In addition, you must have a Montana fishing license which can be purchased online: https://app.mt.gov/als/index/index.html
Fly into the Bozeman, MT airport and drive about an hour to meet us just .7 miles south of Ennis, MT. We are also 70 miles out of West Yellowstone, MT. West does have some daily flights but isn’t as big as Bozeman. If you’ve never seen the park and would like to extend your trip, this is an easy drive and great experience!
The vision of Ocean Academy is to create an environment where students are welcome to come and learn, regardless of their previous academic achievement or socioeconomic status.