You ever notice that fly fishing always looks more magnificent when you view someone else casting. To me it never feels as magnificent as it looks from the sidelines, of course that’s just my observation.
“I have a disease, the only relief for the pain is swinging my arm back and forth with a thin, long stick and standing waist high in water”…Author Known(ME)
[This message has been edited by Newfoundlander (edited 16 December 2005).]
Newfoundlander… maybe because you can’t cast, learn to cast ol’ man, 
I used to fish a neighbor’s pond, and overheard him talking to another man one day. He said, “He’s the only one I let fish here, he just throws such a pretty loop.” And I never, ever thought I cast well.
The one good thing about my presentation is:
It keeps the rest of the anglers a good distance away from me, 
Grab life by the *****, just don’t squeeze to hard.
Sometimes I talk to myself too when I’m having a less than stellar day.
Often it’s about taking up bowling. 
I will fish a few hours and when I find someone interesting I will sit back and just watch … Watching someone that casts well sitting beside a stream …Relaxing … and sometimes i even learn something…
The more time I spend around people the more I like my dog.
Mike
I almost always stop and watch someone else when I see them casting. Even if I’m driving and see someone casting, I’ll stop and watch them for a bit… I always enjoy watching them cast, then the itch starts, lol, I wanna be casting myself…
Spelling and Grammar not subject to judgement… 
Being watched is one thing, And That I do not mind…Ummm Much…lol…It’s when your fishing away enjoying everything that makes this sport it’s very essence…and you turn to see some dolt with a 2 foot long lens trained on you clicking away…That pisses me off… I don’t care for having my pic taken by my own fam…let alone by some jerk I don’t know from adam…this has happened more than once while on a favorite lake…well three times I am aware of…I do tend to get lost out there…lol
“I’ve often wondered why it is that so many anglers spend so much money on,and pay so much attention to.the details on the wrong end of the fly line.If they took as much care in selecting or tying their flies as they did in the selection of the reel and rod,They might be able to gain the real extra edge that makes it possible to fool a fish that has,in fact,seen it all before” A.K.Best
Everyone wants to excel in this sport but at the same time we let traditionalists place restrictions on our tactics, methods, and ideas. I always assumed that fly fishing was a sport that allowed imagination, creation, adaptation, investigation, dedication, education, revelation? : Fox Statler, On Spinners (Not the dainty Dry Fly kind) “Spinner’d Minner Fly”
“Wish ya great fishing”
Bill
My Dad was a fly fisherman for many, many years. Nowadays he is confined to a wheel chair and is very frail.
One of our favorite things to do when we go for a drive is to watch people fish.
We get our selves some sandwiches to go and head to a local river where there is a fly only handicap area.
He can’t fish, but we can get his wheel chair down close to the river where he can watch the action. This area is heavily stocked and the water is clear enough so that from our vantage point we can see the trout in their holding lies.
It’s great sport for both of us to watch the fishermen attempt to catch a fish and imagine we can do better.
Of course, from our vantage point we can see the fish, and don’t have to worry about casting or having the right fly, so we are much more “successful” than those standing in the water waving rods.
[This message has been edited by dudley (edited 17 December 2005).]
I love to watch others fly cast. And yes, their efforts always look prettier than mine feel. Thats because unless they are Orangutans casting with a broomstick, it is prettier.
I taught my self to cast by watching people I thought were good casters then try to emulate what they were doing.
Some people can make a fly line do amazing things with a rod especially in close quarters like Mo trout parks. Some of the old timers there do a sort of roll cast only never bring the line in, just kinda flip it up stream (a technique I have never mastered).
Yup, I do enjoy watching a good caster cast.
I taught myself to cast(use term loosely)by grabbing the pole and just started a swingin’, . The science behind getting a line to move outward via a backward thrust came easy at a short distance, 20 to 25 feet, was casting that much after a few minutes, .
I have obviously made improvements in the last 9 years since I’ve started, but I’m still really conscious of it. 2002 I met fellas who would become my best fly angling buddies, although they say I flick a fine line and not to worry.
I always remain consciously critical of my cast. No matter, I find it easing with age and don’t dwell on it as much but it still looks to me, more wonderful than it feels. Strange how that is I suppose, not the same vantage point I guess, .
There are sweet moments when the elegance and beauty of a good cast absolutely mesmerize me.
A year and a half ago I stopped to watch a truly magnificent flycaster at a lake we were at . I was mesmerized by the beauty and style of His incredibly long elegant casts . When He came ashore about an hour later I realized he was one of our group . I told him I admired his casting and was offered a lesson right there . I no longer actually even owned a flyrod anymore having given it up 40 years hence . My buddy handed me his and said go for it . Chris showed me the basics of casting and offered me lessons as it turned out that he is an instructor . That is how I started to flyfish . I still love sometimes to stop my fishing and just sit and watch a really good caster do His stuff.
I have been practicing casting on the grass at a local park whenever we have a nice enough day . My hope is that come spring my presentation will not scare as many fish as It did last season .
I wish I had a dollar for every person who stops and says Gee I wish I could do that . When I say , it just takes a few lessons and a little practice the reply is almost always “Oh I don’t have enough time for that” .
I also wish I had a dollar for every twit that stops to ask what I think I am going to catch . I used to answer " grass carp! " . But now my answer is this little gem I learned from a fellow FAOL member .
" I’m fishing for Fools! " .
My casting is slowly improving but is still not pretty to watch .
Hey, if anyone thinks they don’t look good casting, have someone videotape you while you cast and then watch it. If you don’t look good, look for the reasons why on the video and fix the problems. Most will be surprised how good it does look. Also, don’t destroy the tape. Keep it until the season ends and then watch it again when the fishing’s off and see what you think then. You could also repeat the taping process, compare the two tapes and see if you’ve improved.
I didn’t do this yet, but I can tell my casting has improved since I started visiting FAOL. Thanks JC!!!
There’s almost nothin’ wrong with the first lie, it’s the weight of all the others holdin’ it up that gets ya’! - Tim
Yeah, sometimes it’s magnificent, but often times, it’s like watching and hearing someone rake their long fingernails down a dirty chalkboard !!!