KINES 004 Booklet

Principles of Fly Tying and Fly Fishing for Trout

PSU Spring 2019 - Gregory A. Hoover, Department of Kinesiology

A course designed to enhance student's knowledge, skill, and performance in fly tying and the sport of fly fishing for trout.

Kinesiology 004 is a unique course designed to give PSU students of all experience levels an introduction to the lifetime sport of fly fishing. The purpose of the course is to present the students with the many aspects of fly tying and fishing for trout so that they can enjoy fishing success for the remainder of their active adult lives.

In the course the student will acquire the knowledge, skills, and tactics that they will use to problem solve in the constantly changing natural environment.

Instruction/participation will include, but is not limited to, the following topics: conditioning, basic fly tying, tying local patterns, conservation techniques, equipment use/care/selection, fly casting, aquatic entomology, stream hydrology, interpretation of fly fishing opportunities, fly fishing-tactics, basic knots, and field trips to local streams.

This is an active lab course where students will participate daily. There are several unique features surrounding the fly fishing course that should be noted. Because of the geologic location of the University, we are located near many of the premiere fly fishing streams in the eastern United States.

These streams have made the university not only a destination for fly fishing minded students but also provides an outstanding opportunity for discovery by other students of a positive, new activity. We use these streams as our labs for the field trips to apply what is learned and enhance the basic understanding of the sport.

This is not a new course but a new model of the first accredited university fly tying and fishing course started in the 1930s by Mr. George Harvey. George's early teaching and innovations are so well thought of by the fly fishing community that he is known as the dean of fly fishing and Penn State as Fly Fishing.

Students will be evaluated by a combination of techniques. There will be a written exam, skills testing for casting and fly tying, and subjective evaluation of performance. Students who successfully complete KINES 004 will possess a command of fly fishing knowledge and skills. They will be able to approach every fly fishing situation with critical thinking that will allow them to be confident that they can be successful. Students will find that they have enhanced their quality of life now and for the remainder of their lives.