Day 2: knots, flies & casting 101
The second day of the Academy is when we get down to business. Here's a glimpse into this action-packed day.
Posts by bbriveracademy
Jun 12
Day 1: What we knew, what we forgot, what we didn’t anticipate
As I type, Mission Lodge is buzzing. Forks are clanking, students are laughing. Someone just asked, "where are you from again?"(New Stuyahok, he answered). It smells like pizza, and I'm slurping down a Coke knowing we have a night of activities ahead - and the long days of June in Alaska will allow for them.
’16 Mission Lodge planning underway!
We had a record number of applicants for this years' Academy. Each of the last few seasons we've seen more and more Bristol Bay young people apply for the program and with that, the coordinators are both thrilled with the incoming class and disappointed to have to turn away so many qualified applicants!
2016 Academy: apply today!
We are so excited to announce that the application period for the 2016 Bristol Bay Guide Academy is OPEN!
Small creeks spawn big memories
We loaded the float plane shortly after 8:00 am. Sharolynn and David, two students from the Bristol Bay River Academy, were scheduled to spend for the entire day with myself and a guide fishing a small creek deep in the heart of Katmai National Park.
Day 3: Fish on!
early all the students had caught at least one fish and were exchanging ideas on what flies worked, or didn't; joking on how important the knots were to landing the fish; sharing with their peers where they found the willing fish and of course, embellishing things just a little bit...(they are after all fish stories).
Day 2: Knots and flies
Students broke into two groups to learn essential knots and how to tie the flies they’ll need for the week. While this can be tedious work, the urgency was clear: if their leaders aren’t prepared and flies aren’t tied, they won’t have anything to use for fishing.
Day One: You can be great guides.
“You’re here because you have key knowledge that will make you excellent sport fishing guides on your home waters,” they were told. But they were also forewarned: being well-versed in many components of guiding and the industry are needed before making that a reality.
2015 Academy by the Numbers
As the instructors finish up lesson plans, students are en route to the Academy. Before we get started, here's an overview of a few Academy stats and figures.
A Day at the Academy
Want to know what we're up to at the Bristol Bay River & Guide Academy? Here is what a typical day looks like.
Bristol Bay Fly Fishing & Guide Academy 