When you want to learn something well, hire a teacher.

The Science Behind the Teaching

At Trout Psychology, we teach you with the confidence of a decade’s worth of applied teaching experience backed by a behavioral science degree.

Kristen Bufe’s programming is what happens when 25 years of angling experience meets a degree in Behavior Analysis and a decade teaching students on the autism spectrum. Along with her partner in life and business, there is a combined 40 years of angling experience and knowledge to be shared.

Her understanding of how people (and trout) learn and obtain new skills sets her apart from all other instructors in the region.

Complex skills like casting, mending, line management and more are broken down into bite-sized pieces that are taught thoroughly through positive reinforcement. When the student shows mastery of the current skill, Kristen and her instructors then build upon that skill until the entire process is known comprehensively and confidently. This process ensures that every student understands the why behind each skill, and is capable of troubleshooting their own questions on the water.

As a behavior scientist, Kristen understands that trout are organisms that follow the same laws of learning. The environment that trout live in shape their behavior and help anglers create on-water strategies that increase their chances of being in the right place, and the right time, with the right fly. And, of course, with a deadly set of skills.

And the cherry on top? Kristen and her team know that joy, laughter, fun and human connection are the driving forces behind learning. As one student put it best, “You learn best when you’re laughing.”

Here’s how those experiences have shaped the way we approach fly fishing:

• We teach 100% on the river on a majority of our offers. Lawns are for casting obstacle courses at the Casting Camp.

• Workbooks, whiteboards, and teaching materials come with us on the water.

• We teach you how to keep detailed river journals, so you learn to observe the surroundings that impact trout behavior.

• Custom curriculums. Not all students learn the same, and our instructors know that.

• Lots of one on one instructor time. Our retreats and group experiences are 3:1 student to teacher ratio with a 4 to 6 student maximum.

• Flow charts and strategy blueprints help you think through problems on the water instead of relying on one-size-fits-all answers.

• We teach you to think like a trout. When you can think like a trout, you can fish like a pro.