Legendary journalist and avid fly fisherman Tom Brokaw once said of fly fishing, “If fishing were a religion, fly fishing would be high church.” What more could we ask for in a sport? My fishing friends and I would even suggest, by Tom’s analogy, there are often legitimate reasons during the trout season to skip a few regularly scheduled brick-and-mortar Sunday church services without the fear of eternal damnation.
The Michigan Trout Unlimited Fly-Fishing School (TUFFS) is one of the most respected fly-fishing schools in the nation and is celebrating its 55th anniversary this summer. The school will be held June 12 through 14, 2026, at Ranch Rudolph near Traverse City. We would like to invite you to join two dozen accomplished instructors from across the Midwest who volunteer their time and expertise to teach students during a fun-packed instructional weekend.
We are there as enthusiastic mentors of a sport that has the power to change the way you perceive nature and immerse you in a sport that will bring joy to your soul. The school’s organized approach will guide you through an engaging, fun curriculum while teaching you the fundamentals of fly fishing. Lodging and three hearty meals a day are included in our all-inclusive weekend fly fishing school package.
The school offers instruction for beginners, intermediate, and advanced level participants. So, whether you are just getting started or would like to up your game, we have a program that will enhance your skills.
The objectives of our school are to provide students with a comprehensive step-by-step process to learn to fly fish through expert instruction by a dedicated team of Trout Unlimited instructors who possess hundreds of years of accumulated fly fishing and instructional experience.
While the emphasis of the school is on fishing for trout in freshwater, fly casting is used to pursue species from small panfish to large saltwater fish such as tarpon. Fly fishing is a sport of finesse and skill, but not necessarily strength. It is a sport enjoyed by both men and women, young and old, and a wonderful way to gain an appreciation for the magic that happens when launching a fly into the sky with a fly rod.
The school’s unique venue at Ranch Rudolph includes two casting ponds and the Boardman River which flows through the property. The comprehensive itinerary includes casting instruction, knot tying, classroom instruction, and an introduction to streamside entomology with live insects harvested from the river. There are optional introductory fly-tying lessons available in the evening for interested students as well.
The final sessions of the school are spent primarily on the Boardman River, including a session wading down the river with your instructor in small groups to 5 stations where instructors demonstrate streamside presentation skills such as dry fly fishing, nymphing, and streamer fishing techniques.
One of our students’ favorite exercises is held Saturday evening when instructors take interested students out on the Boardman River to wade and fish through the Boardman River’s braids and pools and put into practice the new skills they have learned in their training sessions.
The Sunday afternoon graduation ceremony is always gratifying as an instructor watching our students receive their diplomas and begin their journey through the cathartic currents that flow through their lives as newly minted fly Anglers. Hope to see you there!
For more information, visit www.tuffs.org, or you can contact the school coordinator, Perry Piccard, at perrypiccard@gmail.com or call 269-384-9006
All proceeds from the school go towards Michigan Trout Unlimited’s efforts to preserve cold-water fisheries for future generations.
