Problem students / Fly fishing for pan fish

This is one of the most important topics we have ever discussed ... the ways of handling difficult students. Not because it usually comes up on MCCI exams (which it does) but mainly because it becomes one of the major differences between really successful instructors and those who are mediocre. By sharing our frustrations, successes, and methods .... we all learn. As we do, we gain all sorts of things to add to our bags of teaching tricks.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Gordy and Group,

When faced with a difficult student I have found the best thing to do is throw away the book, get creative and go to “EXTREMES…”

Couple of quick experiences:

Young caster who really would rather be doing something else, flip flop , I really don’t give a S&^% attitude. Had one of these this year, really cool that a father is going to the trouble to build a future relationship with his son and I told him so from my experience with kids and grand kids. We as professionals also have to consider the parent ….He/she came to a FFF instructor, is willing to pay for a lesson and is entitled to the best we can deliver. Also in situations like this I include the parent in the lesson to make sure he or she understands what I am teaching so they will be able to keep the child on the right path during practice.

Anyway there are lots of adjustments with kids, keep changing the game but make sure it is fun all the way, well things were going ok but the spark wasn’t there, he had the basic idea just wasn’t having any fun. So I threw the book away and set up his rod with just the amount of line he could handle, had his dad stand near him I walked out about 15 feet picked up one of my 30” target rings held it in front of my face and challenged him to throw the line through the hoop, that opened his eyes a bit more… Hell…low!, But when I stuck my tongue out at him, the little son of a gun’s eyes twinkled with pure sinister delight!!! And a fly fisherman was born!!!

PS Of course I had my sunglasses on, you’d be surprised how motivated this can make a young caster.

PPS I also let the parent try the exercise just to keep them interested, usually they are not as intent on whacking you.

Have to say this extreme comes from lots of places, father, grandfather, but the idea of casting through the Hoop is one of Lefty’s that I adapt here.

I think these kinds of problems measure and challenge your instructing abilities. Don’t be afraid to be creative and get a bit crazy it keeps things interesting for you and your students. For anyone interested I wrote an article a while back for the Loop entitled Teaching by Feeling, which explains another technique I use with all levels of students to get things going.

Hope this helps,

Jim V

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jim... You were successful, because you were experienced enough to be able to handle the problem by thinking outside the "box".

That's what Joan Wulff did with her young students .... picking leaves. ( Joan Wulff's FLY CASTING TECHNIQUES, pp. 78-79.)

Gordy

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

From Lefty:

If I have a class and a macho male is getting frustrated because he understands what to do--but isn't doing it. It often helps when I ask that person do you know how write with your right hand? And if they are right-handed the reply yes. I then ask them do you know who to write with your left hand. Almost always they say no.

I then explain, you do KNOW how to write with your left hand--but you would need to practice before you could. I point out that knowing something doesn't mean you can do it. As I see it there are two steps to learning to cast. One--is to understand what is required. Two--practice so you you can. The two writing questions I ask seem to relieve the macho guy of pressure he has put upon himself.

Lefty

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lefty .... I'll remember that one ! G.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`

Often we encounter students who are shy .... afraid to perform when others in the class are watching. This can be a real problem.

Tom Berggren has an interesting way of tackling that problem using video (I took the liberty of highlighting an important paragraph on the shy students in red italics G. :-

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`

Hi Gordy,

Regarding videotaping?

I like to share some that I call Video-workshop!

I run various types of courses at my Fly Fishing School. Most of the advanced

students actually expect me using videotaping, so there it?s a normal

procedure. But for the beginners it is different. And I have solved the

implement of using the videotaping as follows:

Right after the students have booked their reservation for a course I send them

a confirmation and course program and now at this point I remind them about

videotaping. Of course I explain that they can say No if they don?t like (no

one have ever disagreed yet).

10 days before the course day I check the payment status and if that is okay I

send the last information, including a short version of Bill & Jay Gammels?s 5

essentials (it saves a lot of time to prepare them).

However!

At the course my assistant videotape the student and we look at the recording

right after lunch on the 1-days courses and at the end of first day on 2-day

course. Those courses are limited to 8 people.

I have found out that it works especially well when I combine the video with B.

R?s Six Step Method. I run it like a short workshop for all, but group them two

and two. First I explain a little about the method and then we watch the

recording all together. With help from me to prioritize, I let the all students

analyze their group partner from top to bottom and then cure it reversed.

I'm always prepared if some student is shy and doesn't like to do this in front

of the group. Before I start the video I ask if some just want to look and not

speaking in front of the group. Some times that happens, but after they have

listening to the first student when I, as their instructor, actually helping

and leading them trough, the shyness suddenly disappear. They learn from each

other and if they don?t get it at first, they do after second or third person.

I usually spend about 1 hour for this workshop.

And then! Out we go for the afternoon hands on. I let them work in same groups

(2?n2) and now they really helping each other and they know quite well what to

do after this video-workshop. During the hands on part I observe, helping and

correcting while I circulate between them.

Can't tell for sure if my video-workshop deserves all credit, perhaps there are

other things to. But for sure I can tell that my students graduate as better

casters since I started using it. No doubt!

So, Gordy!

If you think this can be useful for our colleagues, you are free to share it.

Thomas Berggren, Sweden

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

From Chase Pritchett on fly fishing for pan fish :

Micheal,

Being that there are a tremendous amount of so-called "farm ponds" loaded with Bluegill, Largemouth Bass and Crappie: I grew up fishing these small ponds using 2-4 wt med action 6-7 foot rods. Specifically targeting Bluegill. My preference is

3 wt 6 ft simply due to the size of the fish which is typically around 13 oz's at the most. If I fish a larger pond which may hold a decent amount of LM Bass I may bump to a 5 or even 6 wt rod always using a WF floating line. But when fishing for panfish I take two rods, one for bass and another for small game. Generally using poppers and Dahlbergs. I carve my own poppers from wooden dowels that I got at the local Hobby Lobby. As far as leaders I use trout leaders size 5x-6x when targeting Bluegill and Crappie but when chasing LM Bass I carry some abrasion resistant Bonefish leaders that I let my students use when casting. This all seems to work for me.

I use a standard SA mastery GPX 4wt. Also I do not know of any fly fishing lit on panfishing. I'll look on Amazon, not much hope there though. It would be a good opportunity for one of you guys to write it though.

Hope this helps.

"tight loops" , Chase

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chase.... Looks to me as though YOU would be the best one to write it ! Gordy

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chase Pritchett