Walter & Group............
These are some suggestions to one of our MCCI candidates who is planning on testing in the near future. I thought it would be a good idea to share them with the Group :-
I.) Be certain that your explanations clearly match your demonstrations.
II.) On the accuracy part of the exam, it is not enough to hit the targets. You can still flunk even if you hit every one on the mark, UNLESS YOU CAN EXPLAIN HOW YOU WOULD TEACH WHAT YOU DO. Most examiners want you to show good teaching form as you do this. For them, you will need to have neat tight loops on the back cast as well as on the forward delivery cast.
My method of teaching would be explained this way:
There are 3 variables which should be considered as we go from casting to a close target to a more distant target. These are :-
1. Trajectory (Line plane or, "launch angle").
a.) High trajectory back cast / low forward cast trajectory for a close target.
b.) Medium high trajectory back cast / medium low forward trajectory cast for a target at medium distance.
c.) Horizontal trajectory for both back cast and forward cast for a target at great distance. (Say 55' or greater.)
2.) Application of power (relative rod load and rod stiffness).
a.) "Tip casting" (Small amount of rod load) for close target.
b.) "Mid-flex" casting (Medium rod load) for a medium distance target.
c.) "Butt-loading" (Deeper rod load) for a distant target.
3.) Tip travel (Stroke length + rod arc)
a.) Limited tip travel for close target
b.) Increase in tip travel for medium target
c.) Greater tip travel for distant target.
As we go from a.) to c.), we may teach various options to accomplish the increase in tip travel, These may include opening up stance, change of rod planes, and the use of drift or layback. This will depend upon the casters style.
We may, also, introduce certain tips used by experts in accuracy casting, though not considered mandatory :-
1. Hovering the fly over the target when false casting to help determine distance accuracy, if no wind is present.
2."Drilling" the fly to the target with high loop speed if casting in strong wind.
3. Controlling leader layout by, "squeezing to a stop".
4. Using a fully vertical rod plane for the closer targets. (This may even include having the student turn a billed cap around to wear it backwards to bring the rod shaft directly up between the eyes to help ensure no deviation to either side.)
5. Teaching the principle of the, "accuracy triangle" (Intersection of eye-target line with the hand-target line) for more distant targets.
6.) Teaching to compensate for side winds.
THE ABOVE IS MY PERSONAL METHOD OF TEACHING ACCURACY. AS LONG AS YOU HAVE AN EFFECTIVE METHOD WHICH WORKS WELL FOR YOU, GO AHEAD AND USE YOUR OWN.
III. On your distance cast, be certain that you can make the distance required with minimal effort using tight loops on the forward false casts and delivery cast. BE SURE THAT YOUR LOOPS ARE TIGHT WITH LEGS AS PARALLEL AS POSSIBLE ON YOUR BACK CASTS !
I can't emphasize too strongly that it helps a great deal to watch your own back cast, not only as you practice, but during your exam !
As you practice, do so to an easily seen 85' target. Do NOT determine your distance by the amount of line out of the rod tip as you may well be way off the mark.
Critique your line/leader layout at the end of each practice distance cast. Ideally, it should be straight with no, "fall back" or waves.
As with any casting task, be well prepared to, "teach" your examiner exactly what you did to accomplish the result.
Remember, that one of the most common faults on this task leading to a poor layout as well as difficulty in making the distance, is to carry more line while false casting than you can handle well with good tight loops and high loop speed.
IV. With tasks requiring a specific layout, such as curve casts and mends, be certain that these are obvious. By that I mean that there should be great differences between the small mends, medium sized ones and the large ones. Curves should go out significantlly to the right or left so there is no question about the accomplishment.
When practicing mends at different distances, do so with actual targets, trying to get the curve of each mend around each target chosen.
V. Make sure you can demonstrate curve casts to either side using a least two different methods.
VI. When asked to do slack line presentations, you need to know the reason for each one as used in a fishing situation.
VII. The casting portion of the exam often begins with the candidate being asked to demonstrate wide, medium and tight loops. Of course, he/she must be able to teach how this is done....not enough simply to do it. You should be able to do this slowly to make it easy for a student to see, or to speed up upon command. Make sure you can make these loops with complete control on both forward and back casts.
If you make your wide loops the way a beginner might do it, by, "doming" the entire tip path, it's a good idea to let your examiner know that that is what you are demonstrating. Then be prepared to demonstrate a more controlled wide loop by placing your convex rod tip path near the end of your stroke. You might even be asked to make a wide loop such that the fly (upper) leg is high and the rod (lower) leg is horizontal. (By placing that convexity at the start of the stroke.)
VIII. When demonstrating your double hauls, avoid allowing slack between your line hand and the first stripper guide. Most examiners prefer that you demonstrate a sound teaching method of doing it, even if your style might be different. One method which works well is to have the length of your haul be a mirror image of the length of your stroke. ("Short cast/short haul - Long cast/long haul")
IX. On your change of direction casts, you might consider starting with the way novice does it...by false casting repeatedly with a slight change of direction with each one. You can illustrate the disadvantages of this method. After that, you should have at least 8 - 10 other ways of changing direction including changes of 180 degrees.
X. Be able to teach the principles of handling winds from different directions. When asked to teach various methods of casting with wind from the casting arm side, you should have at least 10 different ways which you can demonstrate.
XI. When demonstrating Spey casts, it's important to remember the "anchor". Of course, you can't demo that well on grass, but you need to know its placement. Don't forget the alignment between the target, the primary casting arm and the D-loop. You must know which side of the river you are on and which casts are used with upstream and downstream winds.
XII. Be ready for your examiners to play the part of a student as they demonstrate various casting errors. You need to make the correct diagnosis of each problem and to come up with at least one method of correction. (Bruce Richard's 6 step method is a good one for that.)
Know what to do if the instructor demonstrates a cast with 2 or 3 distinct errors at the same time.
XIII. We've recently been over the details of the roll cast requirements both on grass and water, so I won't belabor this here. Just a reminder to be able to control the size of your roll cast loops.
XIV. Making a tailing loop on the back cast is a present requirement. I know you know how to do it. There is discussion on changing this requirement for the future in that the candidate may be asked to make tailing loops using three distinctly different methods. That change won't take place unless ratified by the CBOG.
Let me know if you have any questions ..............................
With attention to this kind of detail, and armed with the knowlege that I know you have for the oral portion of the exam, I suspect you'll do well.
Gordy