Rescheduled for August 20--An Introduction to the Contemplative Nature of Saltwater Fly Fishing

Join this four-hour outdoor workshop to immerse yourself in fly casting and fly tying instruction, while exploring the connections between the ecology of the estuary and fly fishing. Learn about baitfish patterns while tieing a clouser minnow, learn to single haul and double haul a fly rod, and develop strategies for catching stripers and bluefish based on newfound knowledge of the estuary. Maximum of 12 participants. Ages 12 and up.

Schedule of Events:  

12:00-12:30: An introduction to the contemplative nature of fly fishing  

12:30-1:00: Explore the ecology of the estuary & develop strategies to catch stripers & bluefish  

1:00-2:00: Fly casting instruction – learn to single haul and double-haul the fly rod  

2:00-3:00: Fly tying instruction – tie a clouser minnow to match baitfish patterns  

3:00-4:00: Fly fish for stripers and bluefish with your hand tied clouser minnow(s)

About the Presenter 

Eric McDuffie, a native of Durham, North Carolina, is working to develop a contemplative fly fishing practice for people of all ages, while fulfilling his greatest passion as a lifelong fly fisher. As a PhD student in the Environmental Studies Department at Antioch University New England in Keene, New Hampshire, Eric continues to honor his families’ wishes to complete his education in order to better serve children, adults and the natural world. McDuffie earned an undergraduate degree in biology with a secondary science teaching certification at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He followed this major with his first master of environmental management degree at Duke University’s Leadership Program within the Nicholas School of the Environment. Eric recently completed his second master of environmental studies degree through the Environmental Studies Department at Antioch University New England. He worked nearly 20 years teaching middle and high school environmental science classes to over 4000 students. He received several Environmental Educator of the Year honors from the state of North Carolina while becoming state certified as an outdoor environmental educator. His passion for all forms of fly fishing extends back over 50 years.  

Eric’s greatest passion now leads him to build a contemplative fly fishing practice for children and adults to experience the sacred art of fly fishing while bonding with wild nature in their home bioregions. Eric’s final PhD dissertation, The Lived Experience of Fly Fishing and Its Significance for Cultivating a Communion of Subjects, will help him achieve this goal. Through this contemplative fly fishing practice, Eric continually honors his grandfather, who began teaching him the sacred art of fly fishing on his third birthday. That day, he gave Eric a brand new Sears & Roebuck fiberglass fly rod and reel and said, “Let’s go fly fishing!”