Quote Originally Posted by Big Bad Wulff View Post
The idea is to catch fish. I don't give a hoot what my (or your)cast LOOKS like but I sure do care if you CATCH more fish than I.
Put things in their proper pespective.
Reminds me of the people that go skiing and wear the latest fashions and can't ski worth a hoot.
I agree wholeheartedly. I teach fly casting and my philosophy is to provide students with a sold foundation. After we're done, if they can deliver the fly from Point A to Point B and it results in a hookup, then we both feel pretty darn good.

I have guided a number of fly fishers, ranging from beginners, to first-time saltwater fly anglers to world-class fly-fishers.

One day, I had a guy out from Chicago. We were on a load of fish, so I had him anchor the kayak about 30 feet away from the fish. Only trouble was he could only cast 25 feet maximum. I didn't want to go back to shore for a casting lesson, so I thought about the problem.

I told him to "lift the anchor, take one paddle stroke forward and drop it again." That put him five feet closer and solved the problem. He ended up catch 15-20 fish.

One of the things that I experience quite a bit is anglers from trout country who have real difficulty getting the necessary distance. Combine that with strong wind and we've got a big dilemma. Though many of them have fly fished for 25 or 30 years, they are rarely required to make a long cast.

Fly casting for one angler means an entirely different thing to another.

At any rate, if most anglers can get the fly out 50 feet, they're in good shape in my neck of the woods.