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The free fly fishing program that has introduced dozens of young anglers to the sport on one of the country’s premier trout streams is entering its third year with its largest enrollment yet.
Dry Run Creek Academy founder Steve Blumreich announced the program has more than 100 students registered across its four class levels and has graduated its first 10 students since launching in 2024.
The academy teaches youth ages 9 to 15 the fundamentals of fly fishing on Dry Run Creek, a world-class trout stream next to the Norfork National Fish Hatchery that is reserved exclusively for children under 16 and mobility-impaired individuals. The creek is fed by roughly a million gallons of water per hour flowing out of the hatchery, and its pools, riffles and structure were designed by legendary fly fishing artist and conservationist Dave Whitlock.
“Here’s what we need. Here’s how we need to build it,” Blumreich said of Whitlock’s original hand-drawn plans during a recent tour of the hatchery grounds. All of the large rocks in the creek were brought in and placed according to those drawings, which Whitlock completed on paper before computer-generated design existed.
Experienced mentors lead small groups through hands-on instruction in the hatchery’s visitor center, where students learn fly tying and knot tying before heading to the creek for casting, mending and fishing. The academy has even developed its own fly pattern, called “Steve’s DRC Bug,” which students learn to tie and use on the water.
“We try to connect these with the Friends of the Rivers’ missions, and so the science that we teach is macroinvertebrates and water chemistry so that kids make a connection between protecting water so that they’re going to have good places to fish in the future,” Blumreich said.
The curriculum is structured around four levels named after trout species: Brook, Rainbow, Brown and Cutthroat. Students begin at the Brook Trout level, where they learn to identify local trout species and aquatic insects, understand creek regulations and master basic casting techniques using tenkara rods, a Japanese-style rod without a reel that simplifies the learning process for beginners.
As students advance through Rainbow and Brown levels, they tackle more complex skills including fly tying, knot tying and rigging their own equipment. Graduation requires completing the Cutthroat level, where students must catch all four species of trout using a fly rod and a fly they tied themselves.
Ten students have now accomplished that.
New this year is the Dry Run Creek Jr. Academy, a class designed for children ages 6 to 8 that introduces them and their parents to the basics of fly fishing.
All equipment and supplies are provided at no cost, including tenkara and traditional fly rods, nets and polarized youth glasses. The program is funded entirely by sponsors.
Brook Trout level classes for 2026 are scheduled from 1 to 4:30 p.m. on the second Saturday of each month, April through November. Class sizes are limited to five students on a first-come basis. Rainbow and Brown Trout classes are scheduled throughout the year, and parents of registered students will be notified by email when those sessions are set.
Registration and more information are available at www.dryruncreekacademy.org.
Blumreich also serves as president of the Friends of the North Fork and White Rivers and sits on the board of the Friends of the Norfork National Fish Hatchery.
