FAQ
Q: I volunteer to take disabled kids fly fishing once a month through my local fly fishing club. Do I need to be certified?
A: AFFI certification isn't intended to be a requirement for everyone who wants to volunteer to work through their local fishing club with disabled people, although it would be great training for them to have. Instead, it is designed specifically for those who contract for service or work in grant-funded programs where a higher standard of care and service are required.
Q: How long is the apprenticeship training program for the Certified Adaptive Fly Fishing Practitioner program and how do I get started?
A: There is no specific minimum or maximum time limit for the apprenticeship training. This is a highly personal and customizable relationship between the mentoring AFFP and the apprentice. The mentor AFFP will decide when a candidate is ready to take the examinations. There is a list of AFFP's on this website that includes brief bio's. To begin the training process, simply contact one or more AFFP from the list and begin the process of finding the right fit for you.
Q: How much does AFFI training and certification cost?
A: The Adaptive Fly Fishing Institute doesn't charge candidates anything to apprentice under an AFFP or take the certification examination for Certified Adaptive Fly Fishing Practitioner at this time. We also don't charge our AFFP's prohibitive membership dues. Certified instructors are free to charge whatever they choose for their services related to this certification. But there is a $75 fee per course for the ACI, FTI, and TAF certifications and the current annual dues are $25. Among professional certification organizations, this is incredibly reasonable!
Q: Why isn't a fishing guide license or some other existing certification good enough?
A: Well, it might be "good enough" for the decision-makers with some organizations. But we have found that not to be the case more and more frequently as adaptive fly fishing programs become increasingly popular. Working with the disabled requires special attitudes, approaches, and skills. Effective teaching, in general, is an acquired art form that must be cultivated over time. There are no certification programs for fly tying instructors in the US and very few for fly casting instructors. Our Advisory Board members and senior instructors hold all of those that are available. And we believe that none of them are completely adequate to the task of teaching or guiding fly fishing therapeutically or institutionally for people with special needs. Coaching fly fishing has its own particular set of nuances and principles uncommon to other sports and hobbies. Our Certified Adaptive Fly Fishing Practitioners are required to have whatever guide license is required by their home jurisdiction in addition to all of our other stringent training and requirements. And we exceed the requirements set for licensed fishing guides in every jurisdiction. And as healthcare providers, educators, and recreational service administrators become more familiar with these subtle program requirements, they become more and more discriminating. But...in the end...ask yourself this question: if your son or daughter were severely disabled and enrolled in a fly fishing program, would "good enough" be an acceptable attitude? Or would you hope that the very best trained and carefully selected instructors and guides in the world were by their side?
Q: I run a therapy program at a rehab hospital and I would like to add a fly fishing program for our patients. How can AFFI help?
A: Our certified instructors are qualified to train your staff to implement a therpeutic fly fishing program quickly and inexpensively. The institute can also manage, coordinate, train, and sub-contract outside part-time professional help in support of outpatient and community-based Outdoor Experiential Therapy programs beyond your staff's capacity to deliver. Some of our certified instructors already have a great deal of experience doing this for healthcare facilities all over the country, with particularly strong concentrations of expertise in VA and military hospitals. One or more of our certified instructors can come to your facility, or we can plan and host an off-site, spend a couple of days of intensive training with 1-3 of your staff members who will lead your program, provide consultative leadership regarding program development/curriculum/and equipment, and even use our own resources to plug you in to the local/regional fly fishing community near your facility to help you network and develop volunteer and professional service resources and support. Follow-on support, training, and other services can be arranged as desired. And we offer a full catalog of assistive devices, fishing gear, and related equipment hand-selected based on collective experience, knowledge, and industry relationships.