Teaching groups / "TOYS"

When co-instructing with other instructors, and as students do given exercises with instructors rotating, I generally strike a conversation first with the student. Not long, a minute or so, to find “what is the student focused on?” The student’s response (what is said, the tone, and what is not said) will give ‘how’, I (the instructor) can best guide improvement, at the moment. If a student is already or near a state of confusion, it is best to give clarification rather than additional coaching; students all learn differently, some have more rocks in the road that others.

Key is the student’s perception of the exercise at hand, the student’s perception of what their arm/hand is doing and how the fly line responds, and the student’s perception of the previous coaching or correction.

To create immediate change, it is best to know where all things are (in the moment). A few quick questions (discussion time short and controlled by the instructor) will give an idea where the “student is” and to content of prior coaching (what you as instructor need). For the student, a short discussion breaks the ice, warms the following discussions, and opens an opportunity for the student to voice any frustration. Most importantly, allows the student to open the door to thought and improvement.

Assessing any correction or coaching to make improvement within the task at hand is easy; however, how advice is given will affect the student’s acceptance and commitment to make change and should be done in a planned approach. Applying advice to create change is best received if the student is receptive and willing to make change. Do this by getting the student to become open before advice is given. Have the student describe their cast (avoid any hit of error); thereby acknowledging what is happening. Then, after establishing what is really happening, new ideas and action can be introduced. The student will then perceive change as improvement, not as an order from the instructor. [very much like Bruce’s ‘six-step’ but with importance to the students understanding of past action, thereby instilling a desire to make change.] In this way the student understands why and wants to make change, verse change is as per the instructor’s advice.

Having an agreed plan advance to how and what is taught is the best approach. Acknowledge all students learn in different ways and rates, as well as instructors have different approaches. Greeting a student with a short, warm “How is it going?” is a good first step to maintain a smooth flowing class.

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G'day Gordy, We use a bunch of toys and tools, pretty standard stuff,
hoops and cones, a long rope upright hoops and a cross bar to get
flies under, but one of the most popular is an old fiberglass rod and
a set of quality scales. Most of the guys we teach are either already
saltwater anglers or anglers who want to move on to the salt.

One of the big issues is fighting fish correctly, learning how to put maximum
pressure on a fish effectively AND without breaking either a rod or a
tippet.

When its time for a break - we usually do this one in the
afternoon, we pull out the rod and demonstrate the the amount of
pressure you are and aren't putting on a fish with various bends. Its
an eye-popping experience for many when they realise that with this
old 12 weight and a high "tip bend" (that would break most graphite
rods), they're actually only putting on a couple of pounds at the
most. Everyone gets a turn to see how much pressure they can exert
through this rod AND the effects of high and low flat bends as read
through a set of scales. Its most important to have a fiberglass rod
and a quality set of scales that won't fly to bits - good connecting
knots also help although we did once rip a reel clean off its reel seat!

Peter Morse

Peter ... I love your term, "TOYS".... for that's what they are. When props and aids are used correctly they are effective and fun !

Even though I'm in a different hemisphere, we salties have the same problems as you do down in Oz as we try to teach fly fishers how to properly use their tackle to efficiently land large fish. This teaching includes proper strike techniques, the setting of the "strike drag" and ways of maintaining sufficient pressure on the various salty pelagics which will differ radically from one species to another. (Very different techniques for large tarpon than for tuna, etc.)

Most of us now fight these fish very differently than we did years ago. We now feel that it is in the best interest of the fisherman and certainly that of the fish to land it as quickly as possible without damaging the fly rod. This way, "catch and release" can be realized. So often in the past, we'd take so long to bring in a fish that it couldn't be successfully released ..... or would be eaten by sharks.

We have gotten away from trying to be "heroes" by landing big fish on frog hair tippets. That's another story except to say that when fighting a 50 Kg. + fish with a 20 lb. tippet using max. pressure, you MUST use good technique to avoid breaking the rod.

Our salty fly tackle has gotten lighter and lighter, even with the heavier tippets. We rarely break rods now, becuse of these techniques we've learned as well as the advanced designs of the fly rods to suit the task.

Gone are the days when I'd spend 3 hours or more on a fish. I'll never forget the time, years ago, that I hooked an enormous tarpon on a 10# tippet at 6:15 PM and didn't get him to the skiff until 1:15 the following morning .

The quest for World Records is another thing. Every fly rod record I've gotten has been broken except one. This quest can reach maniacal proportions. Once I hooked a swordfish on 30# test line (trolling tackle, not fly). ... thought it was surely a record. The fish weighed 503 lbs. It wasn't a record after all .... but I spent a full 15 1/4 hours fighting the creature and landed him almost 100 miles North of where I'd hooked him in the Gulf Stream off Miami !

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Al Kyte made me realize the value of having students hold an object. Similar to the old bible under the arm, trick- A foam football held in the crook of the elbow will stop elbow motion and cause the student to properly raise their arm at the shoulder. I have also adapted to having them clamp an ordinary kitchen sponge between the ulnar aspect of their wrist and the rod butt. Stops wristing if they keep from allowing the sponge to drop away.

All such objects held in place prevent motion, they are motion limiters, if you will. By stopping motion at one joint, the others begin to move a bit more. Most of this motion occurs at the nearest adjacent joint and less so as you move away from the isolated joint.

The old bible (or gin bottle) under the arm brought the arm down, and induced elbow then wrist motion. Might be used on a short cast with alight rod, I suppose.

To get students to see their entire back cast, I may have them clamp the mini-football between their chin and the casting shoulder.

The mini-football can also be used to limit line hand movement, too. I have put it under a students arm to get them to use their elbow more effectively in a haul.

An inexpensive form of "wrist limiter" is the velcroed neoprene bands they sell as pants keepers for use under waders or the hold the bicyclists cuffs out of the chain. I have also cut detachable neoprene gravel guards into strips to use this way. The old stretchy tourniquets we used to draw blood are an ideal alternative.

I never use these limiters for more than a few casts in a row. They are to teach a point, NOT to replace good motor discipline.

I have also adapted Tony Vitale's Roll Cast Tool. It is a tube sticking up about 10 inches from a solid base. There are slits cut into the open end of the tube that the caster slides the terminal leader into as an anchor. This is a very realistic anchor for simulating water on the lawn. ( I have also used a kid's slip-n-slide as a mini pool). Not wishing to interfere with Tony's commercial enterprise, I suggest interested parties contact him to acquire the real deal. I have made a few "crude" copies that serve adequately.

Preparing for my tests, I used a 30 inch wide strip provided in nearly every suburban neighborhood - The Sidewalk! It tears up lines quickly. A six-foot wide alternative is the grass area between sidewalk and curb (curb strip)- much easier on the fly lines.

I painted six inch diameter targets on the sidewalk at accuracy distances and a line at my distance goal. I placed a little mark at the mend distances, and voila - NO set-up time!

When I used the curb strip, a cone, hoola-hoop, or Frisbee lay across from the marks on the sidewalk. CBOG Dusty Sprague uses the little marking flags available in garden shops and tool outlets. They have a thin wire "pole" and are quite portable. MCCI Jim Rogers dabs target distances with grass and weed killer to give bare spots to cast to.

I started with upright soccer cones from a big chain store. They also have a very short disc type that I now favor. They are less than a dollar per cone. I use them in my classes as targets, markers, and obstacles. Local businesses that give away promotional flying discs may be viewed as providing free targets.

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I agree that Tony and Marilyn Vitale have come up with a great "roll cast tool".

For refining roll casting loops, I use a simple practice set-up. The leader is placed between the pages of a large book to anchor it. A folded bath towel is then placed on the leader next to the book. The caster then repeatedly makes roll cast loops at varying distances from the book. Advantage is that you don't have to retrieve line and set up for each cast, so you can make several casts per minute as you critique and "tweak" each one.

Some of our Florida Keys grass is full of little stickery growths which catch fly line leaders. Tom White came up with the idea of spreading long sheets of plastic and wetting the sheet with a hose. This stuff is durable, cheap, and can be re-used again and again.

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