The Department of Natural Resources Outdoor Skills Academy will offer Women in Waders, a fly-fishing class for beginners, Saturday, May 19, at the Saginaw Bay Visitor Center in Bay City, Michigan.

Starting at 8:30 a.m., the class will provide a full day of instruction on the basic skills needed for fly fishing, taught by avid anglers from the William B. Mershon Chapter of Trout Unlimited. The class is designed for beginners, but will provide new information and skills for women anglers at all levels. It will take the novice fly fisher through basic skill-building activities such as knot tying, setting up equipment, angler etiquette, casting, fly tying and access points for trout fishing in the Great Lakes Bay area. 

The cost for the class is $20, which includes small group, hands-on instruction by enthusiastic anglers, as well as fly-tying materials, a take-home fly, loaner fly-fishing equipment, a souvenir T-shirt and a box lunch. Participants who have never belonged to Trout Unlimited also will receive a free one-year Trout Unlimited membership (a $35 value). 

Register for Women in Waders.

For more information, contact Valerie Blaschka at blaschkav@michigan.gov or 989-667-0717.