Physician
Teacher
Fly Fisherman

Dr. William Black

A lifetime of learning is shared with his students

Dr. William Black, and his wife, Kathy, teach Flyfishing Basics. Dr. Black is a semi-retired surgical pathologist whose passion in life is fly fishing. A native of Colorado, Dr. Black has been fishing New Mexico waters since 1969.

Dr. Black has authored six books on the subject of fly fishing, and he’s one of a few true experts in New Mexico.

UNM Continuing Education students have been enjoying flyfishing lessons with Dr. Black since 1977. His classes welcome beginners and those who are curious. Flyfishing is a traditional angling method in which artificial flies are tied out of materials such as fur and feather onto a hook to imitate naturally occurring food. To the left, Dr. Black ties a fly held by the vice that he was given when he was sixteen. Dr. Black and his father learned flyfishing together on a tough river. As a teenager, he had to figure out ways to succeed and Dr. Black translates that knowledge for his classes.

Rods are generally light while the lines are heavy, providing the weight and momentum for casting. With spin casting, the weight of the lure pulls the line out of the reel. In fly casting, the weight of the line carries the fly to the fish.

Dr. Black’s classes emphasize giving first-time and less experienced trout fishermen a basic knowledge of each aspect of the sport. These basics include:

Understanding the bugs each fly is built to imitate
How to purchase proper, serviceable equipment
How to manage the fishing line
Where to fish in New Mexico
Basics of casting

Years ago, Dr. Black could field the size of the the classes on his own. After the movie “A River Runs Through It” gained popularity, all sorts of new people became interested in the sport.

The novel on which the film is based is noted for using detailed descriptions of flyfishing and nature to engage with a number of profound metaphysical questions, and is recognized as a minor American classic. Just as Norman Maclean writes at the end of "A River Runs through It" that he is "haunted by waters," so have readers been haunted by his novella, and inspired by the film. Dr. Black enlisted the aid of his wife, Kathy, with his growing Continuing Education classes. Kathy’s presence also helped ease the transition for women who began participating in what until then was typically an activity for men. Kathy started fishing as soon as the children were big enough, and the two of them have traveled together to Argentina, Belize, Mexico, Alaska, and New Zealand to fish. All four of their children fish.

Dr. Black says, “I see fly fishing as an exercise in biology. You have an entire ecosystem, and you have to understand a bit about how things work to know where the fish and insects will be. It’s called reading the water.” Moving quietly along a river bank or around a lake is an ideal way to observe wildlife, which is often unaware of one's presence. Fly fishing enables one to get away completely from the stress of daily life. “I like a natural experience,” says Dr. Black.

It’s easy to get “hooked” on the rewarding sport of fly fishing. Dr. Black has been approached by many of his students years after they took his class, and they are still enjoying fishing for trout.


What not to do.	How to fix it.

Above, Dr. Black demonstrates a technique to eliminate bending the wrist too far while casting. Pretty casts don’t necessarily catch fish. The trick is being able to take the fly to the fish many times during the course of a day of fishing.

Teach a class with us

Have you spent a lifetime of learning on a favorite subject? Is there something you can do that nobody else can do? You can teach a class with UNM Continuing Education!

Turn in a course proposal. (PDF file to download, instructions on the file.)

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