I got a fly rod at a real “fire sale” several years ago (a sports store in hattiesburg MS literally burned down and the rest of the inventory was being liquidated by the insurance company) for dirt cheap. Its been taunting me from the corner…
Does anyone know of a good intro class or instructor that can teach fly casting technique? I want to check it out, but the only one I found so far is quite expensive. I see some “seminars” listed on here from time to time, but I haven’t made it to one yet and I get the feeling that they are more targeted towards experienced fly fishermen… if there is no inexpensive alternative, can anyone recommend which of the local options they would pursue in my situation?
If you go schmooz with Josh at the CA in Wesh Ashley he will probably be willing to go out back w/ you and give you a few pointers. If he does, you should probably throw him a bone by buying some stuff… just sayin. He did that with me and was really helpful
i wouldnt pay for a class…i took some fly fishing books out of the library read them and then took my setup to the nearest pond and practiced…after a lil while i was cathing bass and some nice sized bream…i dont have the best setup(it was extremely cheap on amazon) and i can cast pretty good now…but i def plan on getting a better setup soon
Books and video’s are great tools, but there really is no substitute for one on one help, either from a freind or from a class…
Also just because someone is a good caster, it doesn’t mean they can TEACH it well. In order to teach casting you have to have a pretty good understanding of the mechanics of a cast and why the rod does what it does… just like a car mechanic, I can’t tell you whats wrong with your cast unless I know how a cast works in the first place…
On another note… I was pretty much self taught, a little help from my father, but mostly learned on my own as a kid and teenager. I thought I had a pretty good grasp on casting until I started working at a shop, with guys who really were good casters… turns out, I didn’t cast well at all. But with the help and time of some good guys, and instructors I’ve worked with over the past 7 years or so Ive improved, though I’m always working on it…
Come by one of the shops anytime, we will gladly spend some time outside casting with you to get you dialed in. Or take one of our classes… I know $75 seems like alot, but we pay and instructor and buy your lunch as well as supply all the materials (you get a full on book/manual to take home). The shop doesn’t make any money on it, we just have to charge that to cover our losses really…
Learning on your own is a good way to develope bad habits… habits are easier to avoid than unlearn…
I took my new rod to the county park in a huge field and practiced (you may want to set up a video camera too and have someone else analyze). The fields there are huge and if noone is around you don’t look too much like a fool!. Bonus you can also turn 360 and cast with wind at whichever direction. You don’t need a hook on the end at first just toss and build your rhythm.
I was making beautiful 40-60 foot casts. I felt quite comfortable, and muffed a 15 foot cast at a cruising hog the following day, so practice your short shots too!
“Unless you have a ritual for getting your tackle box ready, no one will regard you as a serious fisherman”
Mike is dead right. Practice is important but you may be grooving a bad cast. It is all about muscle memory so getting it right to start with is the best way to go. Go see him or other instructors, if that is inconvenient to where ever you are go to the Federation of Flyfishers website and search under “find a certified instructor.” http://www.fedflyfishers.org/Default.aspx?tabid=4465
Some certified instructors of course are better than others but some of us go to many workshops on analyzing casts, etc. They may be able to help guys who are actually better casters than themselves because they are trained to pick up causes of problems. I have had problems I couldn’t figure out until I video taped myself or had another instructor watch me.
18.5 Baycraft Flats Edition
Johnson 150 Oceanrunner
Wood Driftboat
I was what I thought was an average caster. I took a lesson from Tuck and realized that I sucked once I saw him throw a fly line. After the lesson, I gained 20’ and I have a much better understanding on how it suppose to be done. Now I consider myself an average caster.
Granted, you do not need to throw it 80’ to catch a red, but I have caught more fish becasue I can and throw it more accurate at 50’. There are times when I get in a hurry and it all goes out the window, but that is my own fault.
chris.
Mad Mike hit he nail on the head. I taught myself with books and video and I struggled a lot. Once I got back here I went to the CA and met Josh, I had a few bad habits that he shook out of me after I talked to him and learned what I was doing wrong. I am not the best fly caster in the world but I have been known to teach a few people how to do it now. Stop by the CA and we’ll get ya rollin in the right direction. I tried to learn how to double haul by reading about it and I learned the hard way I was doing it all wrong… 3 minutes with Mike and I saw where I was going wrong and was able to fix it prety quick before I really developed a bad habit… Nothing like another person to help ya out. Makes it easier and it’s always fun to have another fishin partner…
