Skip to main content

The Manual may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site.

Visit the Official Orvis Saltwater Fly-Fishing School at This Massachusetts Inn

Chatham Bars Inn

Cape Cod is best known for world-class whale-watching, the freewheeling, come-as-you-are lifestyle of Provincetown, and miles of family-friendly beaches and resorts. But there’s one more thing the “arm of Massachusetts” offers that many outsiders are unaware of: Amazing fishing. Now, Orvis – one of our favorite outdoor brands at The Manual – has partnered with one of the Cape’s most famous inns to offer the state’s first and only official Orvis Saltwater Fly-Fishing School.

Over the course of one or two days at Chatham Bars Inn, the unique, professionally led school will provide newcomers with the hands-on experience necessary to fly-fish like a pro. The class teaches saltwater-specific methods and tactics, starting with tackle and fly selection and rigging before moving on to fly casting, fish fighting, and proper release techniques. Students will also receive tutorials in advanced fly-fishing skills and planning like striper feeding habits, essential knot-tying, and how to read the currents and tides.

Recommended Videos

As one of the world’s most recognized outdoor brands, Orvis and its elite wilderness experts are a fitting lead for this unique school. For more than 150 years, it’s promoted, taught, and fostered a great community around fly-fishing and wingshooting. Plus, Orvis stands behind its products with a bulletproof lifetime warranty and is no stranger to killer cross-promotional partnerships like this epic Land Rover restoration with Barbour. What’s not to love?

The century-old Chatham Bars Inn is a quintessential New England inn in every way. First opened in 1914 as a luxury lodge for wealthy Boston hunters, it’s since undergone a $100-million renovation. It retains much of its original, turn-of-the-century charm, however, including a breezy ocean-inspired decor, tastefully designed rooms, and a relaxed, seaside vibe.

For sportsmen, however, it’s the inn’s Chatham location that’s likely to be of most interest. The town straddles the border of both the Atlantic Ocean and Nantucket Sound and serves as the perfect backdrop for some of the state’s best striped bass fishing and flats fishing. It’s often regarded as one of the best places on the planet for sighting striped bass in shallow water. The abundance of other fish species includes bluefish, false albacore, and bonito also doesn’t hurt.

Chatham Bars Inn

The Orvis Saltwater Fly-Fishing School is now available for booking. The one-day school (USD $279) will be hosted on select dates from now through August, while the two-day school ($489) is open on select dates from June through October.

If Massachusetts isn’t “exotic” enough for your fly-fishing vacation fantasies, maybe a once-in-a-lifetime trip to this remote Alaskan lodge is what you need. You just have to promise to take us with you.

Mike Richard
Mike Richard has traveled the world since 2008. He's kayaked in Antarctica, tracked endangered African wild dogs in South…
Topics
This Yosemite campground is finally open after a 3-year, $11M renovation
Yosemite National Park, California

Tuolumne Meadows Campground, originally constructed in the 1930s, has been a staple for Yosemite visitors, accommodating up to 2,200 guests nightly and serving over 141,000 overnight stays annually. However, the campground closed in 2022 to undergo a huge rehabilitation project funded by the Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA). This closure was necessary to address more than $11 million in overdue repairs to Yosemite, including Tuolumne, since most of this campground's infrastructure dates back to the Civilian Conservation Corps era or Mission 66, and it wasn't designed for today's surge in visitation.

The campground was completely off-limits to the public due to extended construction on key areas, including updating utilities and repairing environmental degradation along the Tuolumne River. But finally, it is open and ready for the 2025 season. Here's what you can expect:

Read more
Ovrlnd gets “girthy” with the new, extra-wide Chubby truck camper package
With more sleeping and standing room, it's one of the most livable-yet-compact truck campers we've seen.
Ovrlnd Campers' Bivy Chubby truck camper mounted to a green Toyota Tacoma parked in the woods.

Truck campers are the ultimate streamlined solution for overlanders. But the svelte, trail-friendly form factor means trading agility for living space. Ovrlnd Campers wants to remedy the typically cramped living quarters of most truck campers with a wider, more livable interior.

New for 2025, the Flagstaff, Arizona-based brand is adding a Chubby package to its lineup. By extending the width of any of its existing truck camper models by 3.5 inches on either side, the interior width expands by a full seven inches. That might not seem like much. But if you've spent any time living in your car or out of the back of a pickup truck, those extra seven inches feel downright luxurious.

Read more
Ford Bronco gets its first-ever, fully integrated pop-up rooftop camper tent
It's lighter, more streamlined, and better integrated than (almost) every other rooftop tent on the market.
A Ford Bronco with an Ursa Minor B30 rooftop camper installed.

Since its debut five years ago, the latest-gen Ford Bronco has taken its place alongside the Jeep Wrangler and Toyota 4Runner as one of the greatest overlanding rigs. The problem is that, until now, no one has developed a fully integrated rooftop camping solution. Enter: Ursa Minor's all-new B30 pop-up camper tent.

Get the low-down on Ursa Minor's Ford Bronco B30 pop-up rooftop tent

Read more