Trout University

Description

Trout University Overview

Trout University is your all-access membership to the most complete and immersive trout fly-fishing education ever created. It combines 8 comprehensive courses, 15 expert-led video classes, and 6 on-the-water Streamside Adventures into one powerful learning system. With over 400,000 words of instructional content and more than 60 hours of high-quality video lessons, you’ll master every aspect of trout fishing — from fly selection and entomology to presentation, reading water, and real-time decision-making on the river.

Courses Included in Trout University

Dry Fly Fishing Course

Learn the most iconic and technical form of trout fishing — watching a trout rise to your fly. This 9-unit, 70-lesson course (36 videos, 6 hrs 45 min) covers fly selection, hatch understanding, presentation mastery, gear setup, and advanced dry-fly techniques. You’ll learn how to approach rising fish with confidence and consistency across a wide range of conditions.

Streamer Fishing Course

Discover how to trigger aggressive strikes from large trout. This 9-unit course (35 videos, 4 hrs 15 min) dives into streamer presentation, retrieve methods, water reading, and advanced tactics including swinging and trout spey. Learn how to move your fly with precision and purpose to connect with predatory fish.

Classic Nymphing Course

The most effective way to catch trout, taught step by step. This 8-unit, 36-lesson course (33 videos, 5 hrs 50 min) covers rigging, mending, reading water, depth control, and strike detection. Whether you’re learning nymphing for the first time or refining your craft, you’ll master the techniques that consistently produce fish.

Euro Nymphing Course

Master one of the most efficient fly-fishing methods ever developed. With 9 units, 38 lessons, and 30 videos (4 hrs 45 min), this course teaches you how to control depth, maintain contact, detect subtle strikes, and execute the tactical drifts used by top competition anglers. Learn gear setup, leader construction, and advanced drift strategies.

Practical Entomology for Fly Fishing

Understand what trout eat and how to match it. This 9-unit course (40 videos, 4 hrs 30 min) simplifies aquatic entomology into clear, practical lessons. You’ll learn to identify major insect groups, recognize life stages, and match flies to the hatch with confidence — eliminating guesswork in fly selection.

Top Trout Flies Course

Cut through the noise with a focused breakdown of the 10 most effective trout flies ever tied. This 9-unit course (10 videos, 6 hrs 15 min) explains why each fly works, how to fish it, and when to use it. Build a smarter, more versatile fly box that performs in every condition.

Crafting Your Fly Box Course

Turn disorganized gear into a perfectly structured fly-box system. This 6-unit, 29-lesson course (3 hrs 45 min) teaches you how to build, arrange, and maintain fly boxes tailored to specific rivers, seasons, and fishing styles. Gain speed, confidence, and clarity every time you open your fly box.

Modern Nymph Flies Course

Dive into today’s most effective nymph patterns. This 6-unit course (6 videos, 1 hr 30 min) covers modern materials, designs, and tying techniques behind Perdigons, Frenchies, Walt’s Worms, and other proven patterns. Ideal for both tiers and non-tiers who want to understand what makes modern nymphs so effective.

Video Classes

The 15 video classes in Trout University go beyond the structured course curriculum, adding more than 28 hours of advanced instruction. These long-form, discussion-style classes explore deeper strategy, technical problem-solving, and nuanced decision-making around trout behavior, entomology, fly choice, and on-the-water execution.

Included Video Classes

• Fly Tying with James Carlin – Building Euro-style competition patterns (2 hrs 20 min).
• Fly Tying with Taite Pearson – Guide-tested patterns from Idaho waters (2 hrs 16 min).
• Euro Nymphing Basics – Rigging, casting, and fishing Euro setups (2 hrs).
• Fly Fishing Entomology – Understanding insect identification and hatch fundamentals (2 hrs 11 min).
• Fly Selection Part 1 – The logic behind choosing the right fly (2 hrs 5 min).
• Fly Selection Part 2 – Applying fly selection on the water (2 hrs 11 min).
• Spring Fly Fishing – Seasonal strategies for early-season success (2 hrs 20 min).
• The 3 Pillars: Location – Finding trout in every water type (1 hr 34 min).
• The 3 Pillars: Fly Selection – Choosing effective flies across conditions (1 hr 54 min).
• The 3 Pillars: Presentation – Delivering flies the way trout expect (1 hr 50 min).
• Reading the Water: Part 1 – Finding fish through observation (1 hr 29 min).
• Reading the Water: Part 2 – Understanding depth, flow, and holding water (2 hrs 14 min).
• Reading the Water: Part 3 – Seasonal trout movement and strategy (1 hr 35 min).
• Crafting Your Fly Box – Organizing flies for speed and confidence (2 hrs).
• Fishing Pressured Waters – Outsmarting selective trout on heavily fished rivers (1 hr 34 min).

All 15 Video Classes Included with Trout University

Streamside Adventures

The 6 Streamside Adventures bring your learning to life with over 8 hours of real on-the-water instruction. Each adventure follows Allen Gardner on a different river, showing exactly how he reads water, selects flies, positions himself, and adapts in real time. You’ll see how the pillars of fly selection, presentation, and location come together on actual trout water.

Included Streamside Adventures

• Cough Creek – Cracking the code of changing hatches (2 hrs 13 min).
• Pass Creek (Evening Fishing) – The fly-selection showdown (1 hr 26 min).
• West Fork of the Cimarron River – Reading and fishing tight, wild water (1 hr 6 min).
• Dolores River – Adjusting technique to find the bite (1 hr 9 min).
• Pass Creek (Daytime) – Staying mobile and making every cast count (1 hr).
• South Fork Rio Grande & Pass Creek Confluence – Mastering the approach where two rivers merge (1 hr 42 min).

Real Rivers. Real Fish. Real Application.

Each Streamside Adventure takes you from theory to practice. Watch the full process unfold — from analyzing conditions and choosing flies to casting, presentation, and fighting trout — and see how every concept from Trout University translates to real success on the water.

Join Trout University Today

Trout University gives you the complete, structured system for mastering fly fishing for trout. Learn at your own pace, revisit lessons anytime, and gain lifetime access to every course, video class, and streamside experience in one comprehensive membership. Build the knowledge, confidence, and decision-making skills to succeed on any trout river you fish.