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Walter & Group...
[GH] Interesting teaching ploy from Peter Minnick :
Gordy,
What a great exercise Dennis has initiated!
The responses have just about covered every scenario in the play book but I'd like to add a few at this stage of the game.
When I teach the student has his/her rod and I have mine. With a rod in hand the student won't feel so antsy about "getting the rod back" and it speeds up the pace of the lesson without having to pass the rod back and forth. [It also spares the student of having to listen to this BS before he gets the rod back.]
Dennis also points out the importance of REALLY,REALLY listening to the student in order to proceed. Really listening is a skill that is too often forgotten in the scheme of instruction.
I hope there will be more of these exercises and it would be worthwhile for FFF to develop a video library of such....
Peter
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>From Don Pendleton :
Gordy,
At this point I would have the caster work with a shorter line than he now has out, say 25' of fly line.
Tie a loop in the line near the reel and have him hold the line at the loop with his line hand. (He thinks it is all about shooting or letting go of the line. I would hold him back from that for a bit.)
Tell we need to sharpen up his back cast stroke. Ask him to make a back cast stroke starting with the rod low to the water, raise his hand and the rod butt by bending at the elbow with a firm wrist.
Ask him to stop the stroke as soon as the fly line has come out of the water.* Work this two to three times to develop his feel of speed. If you can't get him to control his speed I will often just adjust the line length a few feet either way. Often the student doesn't even notice that I do that but it seems to get them feeling good about their loop formation and cast quicker.
I tell the student to imagine that they are trying to throw the line straight up in the air. At this point they will keep the wrist firm and bending at the elbow. The adjoining forward cast, which so far is all this guy sees now suddenly will become a much improved and a more pleasing lay out quickly. He will be happy that following your short little couple tips has already made a difference.
Much more to come but this is where I would spend the next 3 minutes with the altered ego poor caster.
He has spent many years with a spinning reel and believes the fly cast is the same motion. Sometimes is almost impossible to make this caster a proficient fly caster. This guy is the reason I'm studying toward a Master level. I want to get through to this guy. It's obvious he's a lifelong fisherman and loves the sport of fishing. But a good fly cast has forever eluded him.
Don Pendleton
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[GH] Don,
I have been waiting for a reply containing more on the back cast pick-up.
* For years, Joan Wulff has taught this by having the student get the idea that, "the back cast is finished when the fly leaves the water".
It is amazing how a new caster will get that in mind (true or not) leading to a smoother pick-up and the rod stopping sooner with a high trajectory back cast. It also helps lead the caster to have almost 180 degrees between the pick-up and lay-down.
In order to help teach smooth acceleration, I have the new caster repeatedly make these pick-up & lay downs on WATER.... not grass. I make a big point of making a smooth pick-up so that there is precious little disturbance on the water.
"Bubbles and foam = poor pick-up"
"No bubbles and foam = good pick-up".
Once done well several times in a row, I have them try to make the lay-down with the same smooth action.
Sometimes well worn teaching phrases help along the way .... like "start slow and end fast" and "smooth acceleration to a STOP". " Feel smmooooooth "
I was impressed by the way Lefty Kreh taught this to Sarah Gardner who played the role of his student in his video, LESSONS WITH LEFTY. That is where I got the idea a few years ago. **
''Lessons with Lefty'' Fly Casting Video - DVD. Features fly fishing expert Lefty Kreh. 20 individual lessons that teach the viewer both basic and advanced ...
www.basspro.com/.../Product_10151_-1_10001_77065_175003000_ 175000000_175003000_175-3-0 - Cached
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