Fly Anglers Online - Archive of Castwell Articles

James George Birkholm, aka Castwell, died May 19, 2009 at the age of 74 in the Bahama Islands while on a fishing trip with his wife Deanna, The LadyFisher. He died of a massive coronary caused by occlusive coronary artery disease. His columns on casting and other aspects of fly fishing will be greatly missed by the readers of FAOL. A Memorial Bench was dedicated in his memory at Gates Au Sable Lodge at the Michigan Fish-In 2010. You can see it here:

https://www.flyanglersonline.com/bb/showthread.php?37006-JC-s-Bench (If the link doesn't work for you, please cut and paste it into the Bulletin Board page.)

"Keepyst Thynne Baakast Upeth"

Keeping your backcast up may be one of the important 'secrets' of successful fly casting. For more advice and insights, read here. If nothing else, you may find a new thought on some interesting aspect of fly fishing . . .

Previous Castwell Articles

2009
1st Quarter. 2009 Castwell Archive Fuzzy-Buggers PLUCKING A PIGEON, or how not to get. Winter Doldrums The Third Time is a Charm Shooting Rats Book Burning Using Release Tools Brookies for Breakfast Same Old Thing; Basics	2nd Qtr. 2009 Castwell Archive I.C.S. Trout Takes Last Week Another New Chat-Room JC's Last article - Why Cane?

3rd Quarter. 2009
Castwell Archive

4th Qtr. 2009
Castwell Archive

2008

1st Quarter. 2008 Castwell Archive Night Run Operations Anticipation A Tribute to a Friend I Never Met Advertising on the BB Learning Bugs Tunnel Vision Things getting better? It's Alive Keeping Fly Fishing New	2nd Qtr. 2008 Castwell Archive Oranges Are For Christmas Your Money Cane or Graphite The Ignorante Angelr Opening Day '08 Castwell Casting Another New Camera Controlled Slack Which Flies Are Acceptable? Controlled Slack Two "Got Bugs?"

3rd Quarter. 2008
Castwell Archive
LF gets her Quad
Castwell's Tips
Killing Spiders
Working at Casting
Supporters
Prices Are Going Up
Quality
I Was Wrong About Cleaning Lines
One More Time
Volunteering
Another Casting Column

4th Qtr. 2008
Castwell Archive
Idaho Woods
The Man at H. L. Leonard
Why I Quit
Ban Felts?
Shooting Film
Bust Your Rod Lately?
How To Eat Lutefisk
The Perfect Cast
When Out of the Past
Ho Ho Ho, 'tis the Season
Line Control
Fly Fishing and Fishing with Flies
Don Quixote

2007
1st Quarter. 2007 Castwell Archive Art of Fly Casting Why We Cast This Way Just Don't Say No Powerbait on my Waders Been a Long Winter Will It Fly? Great Bargains Should I Buy a New Rod? My Leaders Indulgences Medical Coverage BDFFSP Explaining A in terms of B Poets and Engineers One of My Best Catches	2nd Qtr. 2007 Castwell Archive Wants THE DH A Free Copy of 'Fisher.' Those New Guys Retrieving Fly Line Casting Instructions Spare the rod and... Those Latin Names

3rd Quarter. 2007
Castwell Archive
Va ca tion
The Beadhead Adams
Superman
Which End
For the Want of a Nail Slinging
Education
Start Out Right

4th Qtr. 2007
Castwell Archive
What a Fish-In
Compression Fracture
Start a Group
Elitist Purist
For Sale
A New Organization?
A New Year

2006
1st Quarter. 2006 Castwell Archive Big Box Stores Wings on Dry Flies? Believability Welcome Spring Is Coming How to 'Re-connect' Will they Learn? Hey Newby! Buying Your First Stuff Saltwater Fishing License Licensing Kids So You're New A Fall Morning on the Au Sable	2nd Qtr. 2006 Castwell Archive Ball and Chain Casting Analyzer Looking Back Rebuild The Unknown Fisherman You Are Just Starting Rigid Posts Casting Handcuffed Advanced Casting Cast Where They Ain't Reading FAOL A Word about Drag on Reels Life is Too Short

3rd Quarter. 2006
Castwell Archive
This Is All There Is
A Few Good Things
Carpal Tunnel
Take It Easy
Loops
Which Rods to Take
What a Fish-In!
Down with Kayaks
Blue Cheese?
No Show
Another Casting Column

4th Qtr. 2006
Castwell Archive
Why Me?
Keepeth Thyne Reel Uppeth, Too
Going Back in Time
The Hunt for the October Hex
My New Camcorder
Better Every Year?
Specialized Rods
Upcoming Changes
Charging For Classes
The Generic
Good Rods and Bad
End of Another Year
D.H.D.

2005
1st Quarter. 2005 Castwell Archive Casting Reminder Blue Ribbon" Trout Water What the Hell is Mending? The Gurus of Time Gone By Cottage Industry Cut Hackle Ladies Only Presentation Grow Fly Fishing Tying Flies Fly Boxes Who's Reading This? Pride of Ownership	2nd Qtr. 2005 Castwell Archive My Life is a Mess Season Opener Casting Landing Big Ones When Size Doesn't Matter Blind Casting Sinking Flies Fish to Kill Believe it or Not Kudos to Field and Stream Recycle Universal Fly? That Guy Upstream

3rd Quarter. 2005
Castwell Archive
Stay On Top
Discipline
In Love with Cane
Seasons
August
Why Bother To Learn
Is It Too Easy?
Fish-In 2005
The Most Important Difference
Sage Casting Analyzer
The Denver Show 2005
Are Black Bass Stupid?

4th Qtr. 2005
Castwell Archive
Fish-In '05
Bubbles Company
Things Are Not Too Bad Here
It ain't soup yet!
Is The Customer Always Right?
No Guarantee
Winding Too Far
No, They Are Not Very Good
High Sticking
Why Knot?
Tie Your Own Leaders
Field Testers
The 'Good News'

2004
1st Quarter. 2004 Castwell Archive How to Reel Really Good Prehistoric Shrimp-Shape Myth of the 'Purist' A Thousand Silly Hats Fish Hogs Two Ways to Cast I Was Wrong About Cleaning Lines Records Unconditionally Bonefishing Primer Old Casters Line Color Walk down to him	2nd Qtr. 2004 Castwell Archive FAOL Casting Program How to load a fly-line, and survive "How'd ya do?" or, Always ask first! Is it Hype? "Action" The Magic Wand Spine, Spline, Schpline Watching the Old Guy For the Intermediate News Release - T.V. Fishing Shows Swell Book Sales Breaking the Hatch Upside-Down Learn Both Ways

3rd Quarter. 2004
Castwell Archive
James the 'Younger'
Eight Looong Years
Perspective
False Casting
Started Rods
Guys and Bugs
Innocent
Truth or Lies
Seminars/Speakers
Vests?
Fun Time!
Squires of the Stream
HOW TO CAST (r)

4th Qtr. 2004
Castwell Archive
The Perfect Cast (r)
Just Say No to Drugs (r)
Leaders; To Knot or Not!
Left Handed!
Fall
Build Your Own?
Too Fast?
Cross-over Shops?
Who Do You Know?
About The "Magnum Opus"
Card Table Tricks
Hollow Leg
Writers Block

2003

1st Quarter. 2003
Castwell Archive
'Snuff Yer Own' Dubbing K.I.T
Full Circle
Dumb Things I Have Never Done
Grecian Formula
A Different Stance on Casting
The Five-Precentors
It's Just a Stick
Fisherman Shot
Fishing Report
The 'Truth' about Bonefishing!
The Best Fly-Line for Lakes
Commercial Fly Fishing

2nd Qtr. 2003
Castwell Archive
Why Your Roll Cast Sucks
Own a Boat or a Fly-rod
Incompetent
Those Thorax Flies
Central Washington Fish-In
The Blindmen and the Elephant
Slower Rods
MARRYAT CMR ON-LINE
Counterpoint - Horror!
Which Rod To Teach With?
Fringe Benefits
Carp...A four letter word
Flyfishers are NOT liars!

3rd Quarter 2003
Castwell Archive
Guides Wanted
Smooooooth...
Better Backcasts
Better Doublehaul
Tie the Fly to the Leader
Buttery Smooth
Pick Up and Lay Down
The Real Cost of FF'ing
Shake it Baby!
Castwell and the Wulff
Veneration
Identifying Insects
Castwell Has Entered the Camp

4th Qtr. 2003
Castwell Archive
Drift - 'negative actually'
Catch and Kill
Exciting Stuff
Tennis Elbow
Troops of Our Own
I'm Back
Kits
The Dreaded Double-Haul
Mole Fur
Darn TV Shows
Grandfather
Casting Full Circle

1st Quarter 2002
Castwell Archive
New to Fly Fishing?
Opinions
It's Winter Now
Old Fly Gear
The Board Room
Silly Things
Respect
Jake Fanortney
Rod Guides
Searchin'
Used Fly Rods
Free Fly Fishing Help

2nd Qtr. 2002
Castwell Archive
Bad Knots
Trappings
Casting Faults
A Fable of Fishies (A Bedtime Story )
If . . .
Better Fly Casting
Here I Go Again
Multi-Use
J.C.'s New (Pack) Broom-Rod
Win a Sage Fly Rod
RegFly.org
Wet Cameras and Fly-Fishing
FFA

3rd Quarter 2002
Castwell Archive
Uncle John
D H Casting or Not
The Ultimate Dry Fly
The Ultimate Dry Fly, conclusion
Foot-Prints
Five Years
Your New Rod
Major Media
This Is Silly
Membership in FAOL
My 'New' Favorite Rod
Neat Toys
State Record Brookie
Fig Newton

4th Qtr. 2002
Castwell Archive
Op Ed Piece
Fun With Knots (Nots?)
Competition
Why You Lose Fish
How To Fly Fish
Castwell's Great Adventure
He Made a Difference
Buy a Thermometer
Yet Another .Org
What IS FAOL?
Twenty-Twenty
My Favorite Fly
Fly Shop Attitudes

2001

1st Quarter. 2001
Castwell Archive
Little Things
What the *%@# is Modulus?
Twenty-five Years Ago
Worth What?
Immunity
The Guest Book
Letters to the Editor
The Privilege
Cheap Rods
Rod-Repair, from the 'Inside Out.�
Forgotten Method
In the Big Inning
Puberty
2nd Qtr. 2001
Castwell Archive Archive
Fencing Montana
The Test
Goodies
Stop the Rod!
Is This a Good Rod?
Loading the DH*
Leader Fix
Vision
New Stuff
Learning
Free Stuff
The Double Haul
Broken Hooks And Shattered Dreams

3rd Quarter 2001
Castwell Archive
Twin Rods
It�s Still Upstream and Dry
The New Guy
Stages In Casting
The Wall
Fish-In 2002
Casting Events
Short Strokes
The Way It Is
Faster Fly Rods
Salty Stuff and Castwell's Pick
WAR
Remember the Maine
4th Qtr. 2001
Castwell Archive
Used Dry-Fly rod, $44.95
Welcome To The Chat Room
I Don�t Know
Graduate From Cane To Graphite?
Circle Hooks
The Judges
The James Castwell
Chico Chum
Narative Hook
Fly-line Backing
Looking Ahead
Hum-Bug
Christmas 1947
Don't Put Your Hands Up Your Butt!

2000

1st Quarter. 2000
Castwell Archive
The Best Rod?
Of Flared Hackles and Memories
Welcome to Fly-fishing
Lip a Trout?
Wall Street Journal
Negative Drift
Bugged
FREE LUNCH
Backing
Whatever It Takes
FLY-CASTING with STYLE
The Perfect Cast
To Whom It May Concern
2nd Qtr. 2000
Castwell Archive
Mike Tyson
NOT Just Another Hook Column
How Could I Have Been So Stupid
What�s In A Name?
We All Win
Report from the Fish-In
The Slip Cast
Pick Up Lines
Casting Can Be A Picnic
Fluorocarbon
It's Your Turn
Indian Joe
KISS

3rd Quarter 2000
Castwell Archive
Treasure Hunt
Cell Phones
Long and Short of It
Just Say No to Drugs
Bits and Pieces
Nationalism
Hats Off to Our Hosts!
TV Fishing Shows
Rose Garden
The Salt Lake City Zoo
Fitting In
Anglers, Control Your Fish!
Hot Tips
4th Qtr. 2000
Castwell Archive
Tip of Castwell's Hat
Alternate Teaching Method - (Not)
Wonder Rod
Changing Times
Thanks!
Wrong Fly Line
Respect
Thumbs Up
Caster the Younger
He Lied
Post Thanksgiving
Winter
Pinkie Out

1999

3rd Quarter.1999
Castwell Archive
Lady Fishers?
Which &%@# Hand?
Wait for The Turn
Bigger Loops?
Victory
Leaders
Hook Keepers
Casting Instructors
Cheap Reels
The Castwell Switch
The Dreaded Tailing Loop
Salt Lake Show '99
Getting it On
4th Qtr. 1999
Castwell Archive
Busted!
The Summer Blues
Ramblings
Another Diamond
I Knew You Would Come
The Gentleman
Reading Water
Grasshopper
Some Things Make Me Sore
New Saltwater Chat
Double Haul for Guides
Age = Discount
Do The Experts Practice?

1st Quarter.1999
Castwell Archive
Casting Fun
'Experts Unite'
It's Here Now
Left, Right, Left
L.R.L. The Rest of the Story
Casting Shows
Mastereye
The Best of the Bones
New Fly Rod?
2000 Ways to Break a Rod
Universal Fly
Someone Cared
2nd Qtr. 1999
Castwell Archive
Defending Worms
Castwell Cleans Up!
What You Missed
Lefty Kreh
Could You Learn From A Fly?
The Truth?
Starting Fly Fishing
By Saving Fly fishing,
Have We Lost Something?
Standing Tall
Now Drop Your Right Foot
How To Shred a Fly-Line
Are Native's Stronger?
'Super-Slick'

1998

3rd Qtr. 1998
Castwell Archive
Unnamed to Protect the Innocent (or Guilty)
The World's Worse Rod
Gulp!
Shoot More, and Shoot More Often!
The Blond
Swing-Time
REPLY
Old dog-New tricks
How to Hook 'em!
Research Proves It
Gatti Team-USA
Never Happened To Me?
4th Qtr. 1998
Castwell Archive
Whoa Dad!
Is Fishing Bad?
Street-Casting
The Roll-Cast
Being There
Being There. . .Again
Not the Same
'just old flies'
New Club; Send Lots of $$$
THE DREAM
Leaders
The BIG Leader Formula
Creative Writing

1st Qtr. 1998
Castwell Archive
"Lighter"
"Want to Start a Fight?"
"On The Nose"
"Elbow Bending"
"Get a Grip"
"Take A Stab At It"
New Fly Lines For Saltwater
A Few Lines On Cleaning
Big Names in Fly Casting
Rhythm
LONGER IS NOT BETTER
HOW TO CAST
The Echstreamist
2nd Qtr. 1998
Castwell Archive
The "DAP"
A Rose By Another Name
True Confessions of a Chum Fisher
How Much is Enough
LINE-TO-LEADER
Enough is Enough
The Buddy System
The Curve Cast
Why You Can't Cast
Pin-Point Presentation
Cheap Fly Lines
The Quiet Sport
Friendly Conversation

1997 Castwell Archive
"Keepyst Thynne Baakast Upeth"
"The Perfect Cast"
"Is There A Doctor In The House?"
"PLUCKING A PIGEON, or how not to get."
The "Chuck 'n Duck"
"Off-hand Casting"
Casting Video Review:
2001 COMMON CASTING FAULTS
"Yellow-Jacket or Me and Joe"
"OH, What A Line!"
"A New Reel Story"
"JUMP CAST"
"End of Season? NOT!"
"Are You A Flailer?"
"Spare the Rod?"
"Tear Yer Shorts?"
"Fisher"
"The Great Mr. Lynneslinger"

Current Castwell Article
Till next week, remember ...

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please feel free to post your views on the FAOL Bulletin Board!

1999

3rd Quarter.1999 Castwell Archive Lady Fishers? Which &%@# Hand? Wait for The Turn Bigger Loops? Victory Leaders Hook Keepers Casting Instructors Cheap Reels The Castwell Switch The Dreaded Tailing Loop Salt Lake Show '99 Getting it On	4th Qtr. 1999 Castwell Archive Busted! The Summer Blues Ramblings Another Diamond I Knew You Would Come The Gentleman Reading Water Grasshopper Some Things Make Me Sore New Saltwater Chat Double Haul for Guides Age = Discount Do The Experts Practice?