The School of Trout is proud to announce its third annual Hosted British Columbia Fly Fishing Trip in 2025. 

Event: Hosted British Columbia Fly Fishing trip

DATES: July 17th - July 23rd, 2025

LOCATION:  St. Mary River near Cranbrook, British columbia

Event SIZE: 7 SChool of trout Alumni, plus 3 instructors

SOT INSTRUCTORs: Todd tanner, Kirk deeter & Brant Oswald

COST: $6,950 

DETAILS

Dates:  July 17th — July 23rd, 2025

Overview:  We’ve arranged to fish the waters near Cranbrook, B.C. next July with guides from the St. Mary Angler Fly Shop. This is not a class. Instead, it’s an opportunity for SOT alumni to travel to a beautiful location, enjoy stellar food & accommodations, and fish to their heart’s content with other alumni as well as School of Trout instructors Todd Tanner, Kirk Deeter and Brant Oswald.

The Fishing:  This event offers SOT alumni the chance to fish the exceptional St. Mary river near Cranbrook, British Columbia, as well as the gorgeous Bull River. The St. Mary is a difficult river to access on foot, so we anticipate floating every day in comfortable rafts. SOT alumni and instructors will arrive on Thursday, July 17th, fish for five full days, and then depart on Wednesday, July 23rd. You should expect abundant fish — west slope cutthroat, rainbows, cuttbow hybrids and bull trout — and incredible scenery. While we can’t control the fishing, or the weather, our mid July dates should help us avoid the high water and ubiquitous mosquitoes of the early season, as well as the wildfires and smoke that can be an issue later in August and September.

Attendees: This hosted trip is exclusively for SOT alumni. We anticipate having space for 7 anglers. The trip is not open to the general public. (If an attendee want to bring a spouse, a family member or a close friend, we are willing to explore that option if there’s space available.)

Instructors:  We anticipate that SOT instructors Todd Tanner, Kirk Deeter and Brant Oswald will be in British Columbia for this event. Please don’t hesitate to visit our instructor’s page if the names aren’t familiar.

Lodging:  Everyone will stay in their own private room at the beautiful St. Eugene Resort.

Food:  All meals are included. We’ll be eating breakfast at the St. Eugene Resort, lunch on the river, and dinner at local Cranbrook restaurants.

Drink:  We will provide beer & wine with dinner. 

Floating & Wading: We’ll be floating in comfortable rafts every day. Anyone who is interested in getting out and wading on occasion will have ample opportunity. Anyone who chooses to fish exclusively from the boat can do so with no issue at all.

Instruction: Please keep in mind that we won’t be offering the instruction you’d typically receive at the School of Trout. That said, Todd and Brant will be on hand to answer your questions and talk fishing to your heart’s content.

After Hours: Kick back and relax, explore Cranbrook, or take advantage of St. Eugene Resort’s hot tubs, heated pool, and fitness centre.

Gear:  We recommend that students bring appropriate fly fishing gear & clothing.  We are happy to provide a list of recommended gear, clothing and equipment if that would be helpful.   

Travel:  Students are responsible for the cost of travel to and from Cranbrook, B.C.  The closest airport is in Cranbrook, with connections via Calgary or Vancouver. A second option would be to fly into Kalispell, Montana, rent a car and drive approximately two hours and 30 minutes to Cranbrook. For more info on travel, please click here.

Cost:  We anticipate that the cost for the hosted trip will be $6,950 per person, which is the same price as our 2023 & 2024 trips.  That includes food, drink, six nights of lodging, five full days of fishing, excellent local guides, and the opportunity to spend lots of time with our School of Trout instructors.

Not Included:  Attendees are responsible for purchasing their British Columbia fishing licenses and classified waters permits, along with their travel expenses. We also expect everyone to tip the St. Mary Angler guides and the staff at St. Eugene Mission Resort — and to do so generously. Finally, late night excursions into Cranbrook, or visits to the Casino at St. Eugene’s, are not included.

Recommended Items:  We can send a full list of what you'll need upon request.

Prerequisites: At least one School of Trout class.

Additional Info: The St. Mary and the Bull are beautiful freestone streams in a truly spectacular part of the world. The fishing in July can be outstanding, with large stonefly and caddis imitations tempting fish to the river’s surface. While dry flies are the name of the game, you can also fish a nymph, or swing soft hackles or streamers. We can’t promise how many fish you’ll catch, but we anticipate an absolutely wonderful time in British Columbia. (Our 2023 & 2024 anglers had a blast!)

Golf: The St. Eugene Resort has a beautiful 18 hole golf course. We won’t have time to play during our trip, but if you’re a serious golf enthusiast you might consider bringing your clubs and arriving a few days early or staying a few days after we wrap up.

Attend:  If you're interested in joining us in British Columbia in July of 2025, please drop us a note or give us a call at your earliest convenience. It wouldn’t surprise us if this unique event filled quickly.

Deposits: A 50% deposit is required to secure a spot for our 2025 British Columbia trip. If you plan to join us in British Columbia, please make your check for $3475.00 out to the “School of Trout, LLC” and mail it at your earliest convenience to School of Trout, 178 Wolf Creek Ranch Road, Bigfork, MT 59911.

Cancellation Policy: We require half of the cost of the trip as a deposit when an angler is accepted. Until that deposit is received, your attendance is neither confirmed nor guaranteed. The remainder is due on or before May 15th. All payments, including deposits, are nonrefundable unless the School of Trout is able to secure a replacement to fill the spot at the class. If a replacement is found, SOT will offer a full refund, less a 10% cancellation fee. While we will work to find a replacement in the event of a cancellation, we can not guarantee that we will be able to do so. As a result, we recommend that everyone who is accepted for a class purchases trip insurance that covers their costs in the event of a cancellation or another problem.