Great Story on Faculty of Fishing

by Doug

If you really want to learn about fishing I thought you might be interested in an article on one of our contest sponsors.  The article is written by Gord Pyzer.  You could win free training from Faculty of Fishing just if you win the Geo-Adventure contest www.gdexx.com

My home town of Kenora, nestled up here in Northwestern Ontario, along the shore of Lake of the Woods, is famous for many things.  For starters, it’s the smallest city ever to win hockey’s prestigious Stanley Cup.  Granted it was over 100 years ago, but who is counting?

Another feather in our cap is home town boy, Mike Richards, the current captain of the Philadelphia Flyers who is tearing up the NHL.

And though we’re only 25,000 or so hardy souls, we even have our own Fishing University. 

It is called the Faculty of Fishing and it is the brilliant brain child of good friend, Terry McClymont.

Terry’s a passionate tournament angler who, when he isn’t fishing is a full time pilot with Air Canada, flying jumbo jets all over the world.  He is also a pilot trainer, teaching other pilots using the highly sophisticated flight simulators at Toronto’s Lester B. Pearson International Airport, Canada busier centre. 

The reason I mention all this is because Terry is equipped, from a training perspective, unlike any other “fishing educator” in the world today. 

Which makes his Faculty of Fishing such a unique online resource.  It provides comprehensive and structured programs to help anglers gain the knowledge that will help them catch more fish in ways they’ve never before attempted.  

In setting up the mammoth program, McClymont consulted with some of the best anglers in the sport today, as well as expert biologists and meteorologists, and leading fishing tackle manufacturers.

But I can read your mind.  I know you’re thinking: The internet is loaded with fishing information. How can the Faculty of Fishing be any different?

Well trust me, it is.

For starters, Terry has built the content using a combination of modern aids like videos, animations, narration, high quality illustrations and photos.  The same kind of teaching aids he uses to instruct pilots flying huge jumbo jets!

The different mediums optimize the understanding and retention of information, so anglers – just like seasoned pilots – can take the knowledge they’ve gained and immediately apply it when they are out on the water. 

“It has been really exciting to see the momentum we’ve gained,” Terry told me the other day when we met up for a coffee. 

The meeting gave me an opportunity to ask him a bunch of questions, including who is best suited to take the course.

“We’ve had everyone from beginning anglers to professional anglers that have  competed in the Bassmaster Classic go through the Faculty of Fishing programs,” he told me.  “The feedback from the beginning anglers is that this program has helped them immensely, to quickly build a strong foundation for fishing and become smart consumers.  They’ve also learned about the different choices in rods, reels, lines, tackle and electronics. They learned how to choose the equipment that best suits their needs and how to use that equipment effectively out on the water.  Some of the more accomplished anglers, on the other hand, have told me that the program is a great review and has provided them with “inside information” that they could use in upcoming tournaments.  One of the pros that completed the Professional Angler Program told me that he reckoned there was 10 to 15 years of knowledge and experience in the course.  All the stuff he learned from the “School of Hard Knocks”.  I wish I could tell you who the pro was, because everyone knows him, but he said, “Terry, I sure wish I had this available to me 30 years ago, when I was first starting out. ”   Feedback like that really makes me feel good.”
So, according to McClymont, the Faculty of Fishing is for anglers at all skill levels. 

He specifically highlighted what he called, the Advantage Angler program that is specifically gear to recreational anglers. I really like that concept, because most anglers today just want to learn how to catch more fish and have more fun out on the water.  They don’t aspire to become full time touring pros.

However, for the serious anglers who want that level of detailed knowledge, or who are hoping one day to work full time in the fishing industry, the Professional Angler program offers the most in-depth fishing program available anywhere.  

I’ve actually had a chance to review the content online and I must say I was impressed.  It offers everything from biological information about the fish themselves, their seasonal habitats and environment, the equipment you need to catch them and different on-the-water patterns and presentations.   

I was equally impressed with the partners Terry has gathered around the program.  Folks like Pure Fishing (Berkley), for example, who have provided exclusive access to their top research scientists and engineers.  (By the way, the Pure Fishing folks have also provided some great graduation gifts.) 

And get this: Army Bass Anglers and Canadian Collegiate Bass have both made the Faculty of Fishing’s Professional Angler program a prerequisite for their pro-staff.  That tells you how much they believe their members will benefit from the program. 

As far as the individual anglers working with the Faculty of Fishing, the list is star studded and includes folks list FLW pro Jim Moynagh, 2007 Bassmaster Classic competitor Chris Novack, The Next Bites’, Keith Kavajecz, Army Bass Angler Pro Jason Blackmon and Canadian pros Gord Ellis and Jeff Gustafson.  And that is just a few of the quality anglers involved in the program.
 
So what is next, I asked McClymont.

“Well, we offer two core programs,” he said.  “Professional Angler and Advantage Angler.  Additionally, we offer specialty courses designed to focus specifically on one aspect of fishing.  So an angler can take one of our complete programs or just a course on, say, understanding and interpreting SONAR.  Over the new few months we are going to be releasing our species specific courses.  These courses have been developed by top named professional anglers and focus on specific species, specific techniques and specific hot topics.  So, if an angler wants to become an expert on catching smallmouth on deepwater structures or using a dropshot rig, or fishing for walleyes in current conditions, or locating largemouth quickly when they arrive at a new body of water, they’ll be able to sign-up for one of our species specific courses.”

Which leads to the final and obvious question.  How does an angler join up and get started?

“All they need to do,” McClymont told me, “is go to our website www.facultyoffishing.com and create a free account.  They’ll get an activation letter that will allow them to access their free account and pick from a choice of five free lessons.  This allows them to try one of our  lessons before buying anything.  They will also be able to access our newsletter and download some super free items like fishing checklists, knot guides, and a bunch of other things.  Then, when they know what fishing program or course they want to take, they can simply enrol from the account management page.  It is as simple as that.”

Hey, folks, it is state-of-the-art fishing instruction and you can try it for free!  It doesn’t get any better than that.