A bit of background for those I have not met: I used to do a bit of flyfishing a few years back: I am just coming back to the sport and think it is best to start from ground zero plus I am bringing my seven year old son and soon after five year old daughter along with me in the learning game (if they both like it and stay with it). I am going to check out a couple of clubs that I did not know were around and hopefully join one or both
I know there is nothing better than to have someone knowing what they are doing working with you. I am going to take a few lessons from the guide service on the Nessannock in Pa. but until then…
First: Do you think that casting instructional videos are worth the time?
Second: If Santa were to bring Just one to my kids and I which one?? I have a fair amount of coaching background so I think I will be able to translate adult instructions into fun games for kids that will not bore them senseless. So the video will mostly be for me, but I am sure the kids will watch at least some of it from time to time.
thanks in advance for your time and thoughts
David
Our club just viewed Mel Krieger’s “The Essence of Flycasting II”. The spey casting may be a little much but the general content on casting technics and roll casting is very informative. Anyway I’d recommend that DVD for any flyfisher’s library. My penny’s worth. If I haven’t said it before (I’m old and have CRS) Briney Dave, Welcome to FAOL and Merry Christmas to you and your family. Jimsnarocks
You can check out Joan Wulff’s video on this site.
They have been running portions of this over the past couple of months. http://www.midcurrent.com
I have the DVD and all I can say about it is I wish I had bought it sooner.
Of course the BEST Instruction is to attend a Fish-In where Ladyfisher and JC are offering the Greatest teaching you would want:D
Great, thanks for the link. I will be sure to check that out, I also saw some A.K. video clips on their site as well. I don’t want to down load any video files at work so I will have to wait until evening though
Good evening Dave,
PLEASE …
consider Mel Krieger’s “The Essence of Flycasting II”.
Mel’s work, love and enthusasum for fly fishing will live forever, even thought the fellow has now gone to where there are big fish to catch in the sky and the casting is easy.
His understanding of the facts, for someone trying to learn and understand fly casting appeared easy for him to describe, the key points that make the cast.
Mel might not have been the World’s best caster
but
he sure was considered one of the World’s Best instructors.
Maybe the best.
We those people who are still on this place called Earth can enjoy, take a refresher, sharpen up a point or two with the legacy that Mel has given to us ALL !
Thank you for the reccomendation, I love to hear and read people’s recountings of memories of great teachers. Its what drives me to continue to get better as a science teacher. Clearly this man was much more than a casting instructor.
To answer your question…“Do you think that casting instructional videos are worth the time?” YES
Are they to be used in place of a competent casting instructor… NO.
It’s one thing to watch a video and try to grasp a particular concept. Implementing that concept may require more understanding than the video can provide. i.e…the value of having someone who is a competent casting instructor SEE what YOU are doing and showing you how to recognize and correct your own imperfections goes unsaid.
In other words, don’t use the videos in place of professional instruction. Use them WITH professional instruction. They helped me to understand more clearly what my instructor was trying to get across. I have a lot of casting videos. Interestingly, there is no single right way. The right way is to find what works best for you. One of the best example I can give is, for a long time, I did not clearly understand everything that went on in the “stop” phase in the cast. This might sound a bit anal retentive to worry about one piece in a cast but it not, as far as the stop goes…that’s probably the most important bit in a cast. Anyway…it wasn’t until I was watching Joe Humphreys (in video and in the flesh) explain it, before I really got it. He broke it down in small enough chunks that it finally sunk in. It changed my whole casting style from then on. That’s just one little bit from one persons concepts.
Add to that, videos by Joan Wulff, Lefty Kreh and Mel Krieger (all excellent)…you have a pretty good library to work with and pick from. I learn something new every time I view a casting video. The more concepts I grasp, the more I understand…the more I can pick out from a video. Watching them once is never enough. I go back and watch all of them at least once a year if not more. I learn more with each pass. I also know more about my own casting style and where my weaknesses are. It helps me to know what I need to ask at my next casting “tune up” with an instructor.
So, most important, get hands on instruction. They can see and help you see what YOU are doing. Watch the videos to help you to understand. Also watch a variety of videos to understand that there is more then one persons way of doing things. No one professional is more right or wrong than another. It’s up to you to figure out what works best for you.
In the end… for me, it’s more about fishing and catching fish. Sure I want to look like I know what I’m doing, but I don’t worry about it too much when I’m getting a fly wet. I worry way more about what I’m doing to my body…shoulder, elbow etc. Proper technique WILL save you from major ills down the road. It’s worth the time to get it right. Practice without a fly. It’s too distracting. Practice is practice, and with instruction, you’ll do it right before you teach your brain to do it wrong. That’s hard to fix. Practice is meant to teach the brain to do things on auto pilot. The more you PRACTICE the less you have to think about casting while you are fishing.
First, I love the Lefty quote on your signature line.
I whole heartedly agree and that was exactly what I am aiming to do. I am looking to schedule lessons in March. I want to join the local club and ask around as to who teaches and what their temperments are like. I think it would be good to get at least one lesson from a couple different people with some stream time in between to practice and work out what they taught (plus plenty of lawn time). Then stick with the person who seems to be on what I am doing right and wrong the best and get tuned up correctly.
I intend to use the videos as you suggested to add and re-teach the lessons the live person teaches.
Even before the operations on the arm and shoulders I was never a great caster, not that I cared what others think of it but want to be able to put a fly where it needs to be and to correctly pass that on to my son and daughter if they stay interested
and arm too; Having gone through 2 rotator cuff surgeries and now still having a problem, I highly suggest you find a casting stoke which will allow you to keep your casting arm ‘in’ close to your body. The further you extend the arm away from the body, the more stress you put on the rotator cuff muscles, and you can cause what is called “a recurrent tear.”
The old ‘european’ style of casting was taught by holding a hardcover book between your body and elbow, with the elbow of the casting arm. It was the method my grandfather used to teach me - and I’m frankly really glad I know how to do it. I don’t think I could cast now
without it.
I only had one rotator impingement issue. the other was a mess of torn tendons and a A/C joint failure. too much weight lifting.
I looked great though LOL
but I will be sure to keep that arm tucked in close.
tore the bicepts tendon last Jan on MLK lifting a bucket of waste water from cleaning an aquarium in my classroom. I had lifted that weight a million times but that last one was the final straw.
Good afternoon.
"The old ‘european’ style of casting was taught by holding a hardcover book between your body and elbow, with the elbow of the casting arm. "
The above brings back deep memorys from about 50 years ago.
The wonderful man who taught me fly casting, taught me the above rules also and roared at me when the book fell.
(Bill was the Australian Fly Casting Champion at the time, I think, hey, its long ago now.)
His roaring at me served me well, as over all the years I have never had a arm problem, never once.
Todays big open cast is looking for trouble with arms and shoulders !
Dave, if you have a body problem with casting, then a suggestion, think, what about sharing the casting load with two arms ?
Take a look at the magical Trout Spey range of Doubles and if you can go fishing with someone who owns one.
Two hands, two arms half the load and twice the fun.
This tid bit saved my shoulder or rather this and 6 months of physiotherapy to undo the damage I had done over a few years. (stuffed rotator)
You can use the “book under the arm method” or try Joe Humpreys method. It’s very simple. He teaches his students by putting them down on one knee. If you’re older this can be a chore, but sitting in a chair (with arms) will do quite nicely. He has them put the elbow of the casting arm on the raised knee or you can put it on a chair arm. Muskoka / Adirondack chairs work great for this. Beer goes on the other chair arm. (just kidding)
The whole idea is to take the arm out of the equation. It’s not about distance. It’s all about line control. Once you start using your arm to push the rod, you get into trouble.
Raise the rod hand up and stop when the rod is pointing straight up. (12:00). That’s the back cast. Then let your rod hand drift forward and “tap”. (sometimes he says “shock it”) His word for a squeeze with the bottom two or three fingers and a push of the thumb. If your patient…he gives a demo about a third of the way in on this video… His’ “keys to the kingdom”.
I’ve watched him lay out a whole fly line this way.
It’s also about the Black Canyon of the Gunnison. Anyone looking for that fly fishing trip of a life time? This is it.
For the novice:
Take the arm out of the cast! (as per above) While using this method: Basic Cast and just add a little squeeze!! That’s it.
You don’t have to wait for spring either. A yarn on the end of the top half of a fly rod works fine…or you can buy or make an indoor casting rod.
I have an Echo Micro. There’s also the Joan Wulff “Fly-O” but it’s not hard to make your own. An old broken fishing rod and some fat yarn works fine. You could even use a broom stick…just watch the furniture.
For me that would be life time and a half trip.
I loved seeing him cast and will try my best to put that to use. The weather is killing me right now. zero tonight, wind, blowing snow, and all I can think about is getting out and casting in the yard.
Good morning BDave,
What do you mean ?
“The weather is killing me right now. zero tonight, wind, blowing snow”
The weather is heavenly for me right now, here at 9.06am today.
I just looked out the open window here and only saw blue skys with about 10% cloud cover, wind just a soft breeze, the temp being 79degress.
Sitting here in shorts and a light polo shirt, without shoes,
AND thinking of a swim in the pool before coffee.
BUT
I just cannot see any snow, anywhere.
Kind regards,
UB
ps, what colour does snow come in, as I cannot find any here.