On Teaching Fly Casting – The Spokane Fly Fishers

This year I have been invited to organize the casting portion of the Spokane Fly Fishers fishing school. This was a great opportunity to review my lesson plans and adapt them for the three day program. The Spokane Fly Fishers is a wonderful local club particularly welcoming to a wide variety of participants including women and children.

In preparation for the school, I drafted a lesson plan for the three day curriculum. To see a copy please contact me at lzickler@ahbl.com. The fly fishing school typically attracts 30 to 60 students. This year attendance is down, undoubtedly impacted by economic conditions.

The club has many fine fly fishermen and some good casters as well. My challenge with 30 students was I needed the help of fellow casters and I needed to craft a curriculum that would provide a consistent format for instruction. I also wanted to recognize that all casting instructors have “discovered” tips and techniques that work for them – and I didn’t want the curriculum to stifle creative instruction – thus my focus on the “substance” of the fly cast.

Some Observations

I continue to notice some universal characteristics of beginning fly casters. First, particularly with folks who have fished with lures or bait, the challenge of over coming the muscle memory of the bait cast can be daunting. I have found that using a technique shared by Don Simonson to be particularly helpful.

Throughout the three days of casting instruction I will visually demonstrate the basic casting stroke. I will start by demonstrating what it looks like to wrist cast and also to hinge cast only bending the arm at the elbow. I ask them to watch the end of my casting “finger” and to describe the path my finger (the rod tip) creates. Yes a nice big loop! I ask them to pantomime these motions.

I then have them pantomime the proper casting stroke by holding their wrists steady and with their elbow at their sides and arms bent at about 10:00 – the path the “finger” rod tip makes if they simply raise their elbows – yes a nice straight line path of the “finger” rod tip!

I ask them to close their eyes and repeat the casting stroke several times – kind of like Mel Krieger’s down-up exercise in teaching the double haul. Very effective! I want the student to begin to develop new muscle memory, different from their bait casting history.

Another observation – many instructors talk too much! I find myself in this boat often! Usually when we instruct too much we end up using negative terminology – such as don’t do this – or no that is wrong. I have to work hard to keep my instruction sessions brief and succinct and positive! I usually like to limit the talking sessions to no more than three to five minute segments. Five minutes is pushing the limits – it is really too long as well!

For me a good rule of thumb is for an hour long session is to limit the instruction (the talking) to no more than 12 minutes (about 20%) of the total class time. The instruction time would consist of three or four brief demonstration “breaks”. The rest of the hour is spent with the students discovering for themselves the joy of the fly cast. I also constantly ask the students if they have questions or comments. Most do, so give the student the opportunity to share.

Finally, one of my assistants came up with a great suggestion. Since many fly fishers’ fish from pontoon boats or float tubes – spend some time casting from a seated position! I have seen Macauley Lord demonstrate the cast while lying on his belly! We are going to add this technique to the curriculum!