Hey everyone it has been way to long since I posted anything. Well my son turns six this week and has been asking me for about three weeks to teach him how to “throw that fly rod thing” I have a great little seven and half ft four weight rod for him but I have no idea how to teach him. I learned from reading books since my father was not an outdoors man. Do I let him watch me and then see if he can repeat or what. Any help would be great I need a fishing partner.
I have seen a book on teaching kids to fly fish. You might look for that. If he doesn’t see this and answer here send a p.m. to Jim Flamming. His boys can both cast well for their size (or lack thereoff) so it can be done.
The book is called FIRST CAST. Amazon should have it. It is terrific. I’d send you mine but it has already been packed, Montana in 31 days and counting.
A great exercise for kids, or adults, is to have 12 feet or so of line and simply direct them to “play” with the line, moving it back and forth with the rod, up and down, in circles, etc. with the object of the game being to keep the end of the line from touching the ground. Quickly they get the concept of “feel” and also learn to look at the line to see when it needs to be “flicked” again to keep it from falling to ground. I’ve had great success with this little game-- rather than trying to move kids at once into attempting the traditional overhead cast, which is what I sought to learn from a book 40 years ago with disastrous results.
There is a book by called Learn to fly fish in 24 hours by Bob Sousa. It has a good section on how to fly cast. It works for kids. We successfully use it with kids in our program.
Basically its you laying out the line. Have them bring it back, stop and then throw it forward as in a roll cast. Focus on the stop at the end of the cast. Then add a back cast. Then put it all together. Buy the book as it gives a good approach for teaching or learing how to fish.
jed