A. If you have answered yes to that one,
you are a pompous ass and should reconsider
whether there is even room in all of fly-fishing
for you. Think strongly about this one. In fact.
Go away and learn some other sport.
2. Presuming you have made the test this far, do
you believe that it is really important to shock
the crap out of a student by blowing all the fly
line and a length of backing out of the rod during
your first demonstration just to get his attention,
no matter how stupid you really think he is or
whether you may get a hernia during the process?
3. Always make the student use his equipment. That
it may be a hodge-podge of mismatched odds and ends,
hand-me-downs or poorly chosen new gear should be of
no mind and offering any of your fancy stuff would
be out of the question, even though you have charged
the hell out of him for the instruction.
4. After observing the first futile efforts, step
smartly in and scream, "No, no, no. Not that way
stupid. Like this!" Again offering you a chance to
show your great prowess with the long stick.
5. If a students form seems to lean toward casting
with a high arm, bending his wrist on long strokes
and not seeming to understand what stopping the rod
means, ignore these as they will be easily corrected
in your 'Intermediate' casting classes. To stifle
his enthusiasm at this point would not be appropriate.
6. It is always best to have more than one student
at a time because you can create a little friendly
competition between two by little suggestions such
as, "Look, jerk, why can't you make a loop in the
air like Billy over there?"
7. Never use all of your teaching methods (tricks)
as you have worked hard and they are your 'proprietary'
methods. You never know when another casting teacher
might be looking, or worse yet, a student may actually
learn something in your class and eventually go on to
teach casting himself.
8. If you take a break for a lunch it is entirely
proper and fitting for you to regale all assembled
with your tales of great accomplishments about all
of the fish you have concurred over your career.
Newbys are always impressed by this.
9. Taking the time to explain rod and line weights,
leaders, tippets and knots is useless. They came to
learn casting, not equipment. Most don't look like
they would understand anyhow.
10. You are damn good at this and will never teach
for free; never, never, never. And feel free to raise
any of your 'guiding' prices and even charge just
for opinions like the other 'Hot-Shot' professionals
do.
