It’s about time that the School of Trout put together a stand-alone web page for our SOT alumni. You can think of this page as a bulletin board/newsletter/notebook that I’ll update occasionally — and I’ll use it to share whatever information I think you might need to know going forward about SOT. You’re welcome to check back from time to time to see if anything has changed. Oh, and if you have any suggestions to share, or photos you’d like to post, feel free to let me know. — Todd
2026 Wrap Up
The School of Trout held two classes in 2026, along with two hosted trips. We had our first-ever Next Level class at TroutHunter in May and, based on the comments we received, the students — who were absolutely wonderful — really enjoyed it. The instructors, though … not so much. (We’re going to hold the class again in 2027, but we’re going to reconfigure the class to include more casting, and to put less stress and strain on the individual instructors.) In any case, serious kudos to John, Donald, Dan, Sue, Eric & Bob for all the hard work you put in on the Henry’s Fork!
In September, we held our annual Dry Fly class at TroutHunter and while the river conditions weren’t quite as good as we experienced in May, we had a great class with a stellar group of anglers. (7 new fly fishers and 5 returning to SOT for another bite at the apple.) Bob was back for his third SOT class, Chris, Dan & Sue were with us for their second, and John, Jeff, David, Christy, Jerry, Sharon, John (we had two Johns) and Thad joined us for the first time. A special shout-out to Sharon, who, upon breaking her hand early in the week, switched to her non-dominant hand and continued to both cast and fish beautifully without dismay or complaint. The instructors — John, Brant, Mac, Pat and myself — were blown away and Sharon showed us all how to handle a very difficult situation with an incredible amount of grace. I’m not exaggerating in the least to say that she was a true inspiration to all of us.
For the fourth year in a row, Brant hosted us on his stellar home waters in the Paradise Valley. We ate too much at Chico Hot Springs, we fished four days on Armstrong and DePuy Spring Creeks — with a handful of anglers heading to Nelson’s Spring Creek as well — and I think it’s safe to say that a good time was had by all amid some of the most beautiful scenery in the Rockies.
Upcoming Classes
We’re currently planning to hold four School of Trout classes in 2027.
Our Next Level class, for more experienced anglers, will take place on the Henry’s Fork from May 16th to 21st. The class, which will be held at the Scovel Center on the Henry’s Fork, is limited to 10 anglers. While you’re welcome to click here for more information, please keep in mind that this particular class is for folks who are reasonably confident in their abilities but want to continue growing as anglers. If you struggle with your casting, this particular class might not be your best bet.
Our foundational The Tao of Trout class — Tao sounds like “Dao” — will take place at TroutHunter on the Henry’s Fork from October 3rd to 9th. The class, which is a great fit for beginning and intermediate anglers, will be limited to 12 participants. Click here to learn more, or give me a call if you’d like to talk about whether this class would be a good fit for you. (This is our most expensive class, as we bring in a bunch of extra instructors. That said we’re offering both single and double occupancy options for 2027, and the double occupancy option drops the price below $10K per person for the first time ever.)
We plan to hold our annual Dry Fly class, which will be limited to 10 anglers, from September 26th to October 1st, 2027. We hope to hold the class at the Scovel Center, where we’ll hold the Next Level class in May, but the State of Idaho is not allowing me to book those dates just yet. We’ll post more information once we finalize the dates and location.
We’d also like to run a new Tailwater class, which we would hold on the Missouri River near Craig, MT, in 2027. We’ll post additional info on this class shortly.
