MEET YOUR INSTRUCTOR
40 Years on the Water • 15 Years Competitive Fly Fishing Experience
A System-Based Approach to Fly Fishing
Fly fishing success rarely comes from luck. It comes from understanding how trout behave and how water shapes their feeding lanes.
Fly anglers who perform well in competition do so by understanding and applying multiple techniques rather than relying on just one approach.
There is a common misconception that competitive anglers only Euro-nymph. In reality, success comes from knowing when and how to apply the right technique based on what the fish and river are telling you.
That mindset is what shapes how I teach anglers on the water.
Success in fly fishing isn’t about mastering one technique.
It’s about knowing when and how to apply the right one.
Fly anglers that do well in competition do so by knowing and applying all the various fly fishing techniques. There is a common misconception that all competitive fly anglers Euro-Nymph and nothing could be further from the truth.
You must be able to use dry fly, dry dropper, streamer as well as use tight lining techniques, but most importantly………….you must know when to apply them.
I will teach you how and when to use all these techniques!!
MEET YOUR INSTRUCTOR
Roger Wilson
Fly Fishing Instructor/Competitive Angler
Roger grew up along a trout stream in Western North Carolina, spending his childhood chasing wild rainbows and brook trout throughout the surrounding mountains.
While attending Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina, he spent summers guiding anglers in the Wind River Range of Wyoming. Those early years on the water shaped a lifelong passion for understanding trout and the rivers they inhabit.
Over the past four decades Roger has continued refining his craft, eventually studying the techniques used by competitive fly anglers around the world. Today he is ranked among the top competitive fly anglers in the Southeastern Fly Fishing League and has fished alongside members of Team USA, Team Canada, and several multi-time World Championship Spanish competitors.
Roger’s passion now lies in teaching anglers how to understand rivers, read water effectively, and apply the right techniques based on what the fish and conditions demand.
Competitive Fly Fishing Background
Over the past decade I’ve competed in regional fly fishing competitions throughout the Southeast, fishing alongside and learning from some of the best anglers in North America.
My Approach to Teaching Fly Fishing
Most anglers focus on learning individual techniques — how to tightline, how to fish a dry dropper, or how to drift a nymph.
But success on the water rarely comes from mastering a single technique.
It comes from understanding how trout behave, how currents shape feeding lanes, and knowing when to apply the right method for the conditions in front of you.
When I work with anglers on the water, we focus on four key systems:
The Water System
Learning how to break a river into predictable zones and identify where trout are most likely to hold and feed.
The Trout System
Understanding how trout position themselves relative to current, structure, and food.
Technical Systems
Refining modern techniques like tight-line nymphing, dry-dropper fishing, and depth control.
Decision Frameworks
Developing the ability to adjust flies, depth, and positioning based on what the river is telling you.
The goal of an instruction day is simple:
You should not need me next time.
Anglers Who Shaped My Approach
Learning From the Best
Much of my approach to fly fishing has been shaped by time spent learning directly from some of the best competitive fly anglers in the world.
Over the years I’ve had the opportunity to learn directly from some of the most accomplished fly anglers in the world. Their influence has shaped the techniques and systems I now teach on the water.
I learned the Floating the Sighter technique from Pat Weiss, Fly Fishing World Team Member and World Fly Fishing Championship Bronze Medalist.
I studied the Spanish Dry Fly method under David Arcay, four-time World Fly Fishing Championship Team Gold Medalist.
My understanding of modern European nymphing systems has been influenced by anglers such as Michael Bradley, World Fly Fishing Championship Bronze Medalist, and Austin Shoemaker, Fly Fishing Team USA World Team Member.
Teaching has also come full circle. I’ve had the privilege of working with anglers like Lawson Braun, who went on to win a World Fly Fishing Youth Championship Gold Medal.
These experiences have helped shape the system-based approach I now teach to anglers on the water.