California: Where women learn about nymphing, bugs and more

Fly-fishing courses for women in remote parts of northeast California teach them how to master the art of throwing bugs and tricking fish.

Outfitters in the Mt. Shasta area say summer classes draw beginners who want to pick up skills as well as bond with others.

“Women enjoy learning with other women,” Michelle Titus, fly-fishing enthusiast and owner of Clearwater Lodge in Fall River Mills, says in a statement.

Three- and four-day vacations teach nymphing, casting, knotting and rigging, as well as the basics of bugs, otherwise known as entomology. Participants also work on mastering how to tie a fly.

Aside from the skill-building, trips also offer a chance to discover places like the lower Sacramento River, the McCloud River, Hat Creek and Pit River, areas of the state’s lesser-known backwaters. Stays in private fly-fishing lodges come with chef-prepared meals and fully appointed rooms.

Price and dates:
-$1,065 per person, double occupancy; $1,495, single occupancy for a three-day Women’s Fly Fishing School run by the Fly Shop, with lodgings at Antelope Creek Ranch, Aug. 22-25. Group size limited to 12. Redding-based the Fly Shop operates 11 other private lodges as well.

-$1,545 per person for a group of three to 12 women for a four-night Mastering the Art of Fly Fishing at Clearwater Lodge on customized dates.

Prices for both fly-fishing schools include accommodations, meals and instruction.

Info: Fly Shop, (800) 669-3474; Clearwater Lodge, (530) 336-5005

mary.forgione@latimes.com
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