Casting styles / Lefty's letter

Walter & Group........

From Jeff Barefoot:

Group,

I'm a member of the FFF and have utilized it's casting program as one of

many resources. With that said, I do not advocate any particular style. I

have gathered and incorporated into my teaching, pieces from every

instructor [and student] that I have come in contact with.

 

When I share a

lesson with a student I teach what makes a loop happen and take a freestyle

approach on how one may use his/her anatomy to creat these loops in

different conditions. I try to pick and choose various tactics based on the

students own comfort zone before my own. This means that all lessons shared

may not be the same.

 

What I did take the most from the FFF program is it

taught me to be a student first before an instructor. I can see Lefty's

frustration years ago with the stagnation of casting instruction as it was

and commend him and others for further evolving it , but as time goes

on it has progressed exponentially further w/the advent of the internet and

more organized gatherings.

 

Has Lefty and other popular well established

instructors joined in on the ongoing progression of instruction and become a

student first [before teacher] or have they felt that they have crested the

summit, anchored a flag and feel they have something to defend? Lefty

mentions the "Core Group" of the FFF, I'm always looking out for the dangers

that collective thinking can produce so I do not fall within this so called

core group. A question that I have is who among you that belongs to the FFF

organization feels like they belong in the "core group" and how would you

define what it is that defines the criteria to belong to this core group?

 

Jeff Barefoot

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Jeff ..... As a master instructor, I know you are and have always been a free thinker.  Some of your teachings have seemed, "outside the box" to a few other instructors ..... yet I have studied and worked with comcepts that you gave us in the past and have found them valuable.  I remember well you introducing us to te concept of loop planes and the value to teaching the Roman Moser grip, etc., etc.

I don't feel that we have the same kind of "core group" regarding the thoughts behind fly casting as was present years ago when Lefty and Ed J. decided go their own way.  One of the main issues at the time involved casting style.  That, however, is a statement made in retrospect since the concept of style wasn't really known then.  There was a "right way" to teach casting and a "wrong way" as many saw it during those years.  When Lefty presented his way it was felt to be radical departure from the "way fly casting is taught."  Lefty fought back with comments in print such as, "The trouble with flycasting today, is the way it is taught."  All this provided what was seen as a basic division of opinion which only recently began to be reconciled as the present concept of casting style developed.

Fortunately, as I work with Lefty and put many hours a year into FFF teaching and deliberation I see light at the end of the tunnel !

Gordy

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From Jerry Puckett :

Gordy;

 

In watching the world series I focused on the many different styles of pitching, one pitcher was throwing so close to the ground I thought he was going to scrape his knuckles.  If one really is a student he will learn from all sports, notice and study the many different styles.  Certain sports lend them selves to one particular style, such as running hurdles, more so than others.

 

I made my mind up early that I would try and learn as many casting styles as possible and fish with them.  Why? I do strongly believe that one should explore and find what works best for him/her.  It is part of the joy journey for me! The main caveat: is this a natural motion in keeping with sound body mechanics as is the case with Lefty and Ed.  I have studied and read everything that they have produce!-- Awesome, very sound, and beautifulI would have no trouble teaching this style as a beginning style if I think it would work well for a student and have done so. 

 

I have keep hoping Ed and Lefty would be at a Conclave.  I have this desire to learn from them in order to be a more complete caster and a teacher.  I encourage them to get involved and share with us!  I think they would find what I have found, a wonderful group very open to learning from them.  So Ed and Lefty, come on and make us better people and teachers!

 

To me being a good teacher is helping one to learn what works best for him/her.  The old saying, "there are many ways to skin a cat!"  This applies to styles as long as is does not create injury.  Wish I could say the same for the cat!

 

Love this learning, tell Lefty and Ed they are very much appreciated.  Cannot wait to read Lefty's  new book!

 

Thanks, Jerry Puckett

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From Mack Martin:

 

Gordy:

 

I will not repeat the overview that many have given regarding the casting mechanics dealing with tailing loops. We all agree that tailing loops are caused when the rod tip is forced into a concave path. Moreover, I believe that FFF certified instructors promote teaching casting correctly and do not teach a student to employ any band-aids when they have problems with incorrect casting techniques. If after teaching the essentials of fly casting correctly, a student cannot perform a cast correctly then an alternate solution to fix a defective cast may be appropriate. However, in the case of tailing loops we should never avoid defining the "cause and effect" to a student. When that is done effectively the student understands what has caused the problem and should know how to modify their cast if we have explained the casting mechanics correctly.

 

Regarding the question raised about what we see as the predominate causes for tailing loops, new students almost all cast tailing loops from non-uniform application of power and more experienced casters creep on their forward cast. In addition, we also notice that when many experienced casters get fatigued they begin to creep and in a short time they begin to throw tailing loops.

 

We have never advocated teaching a casting style and I think that would be presumptuous to attempt to do that. We concentrate on teaching the substance of  fly casting by employing six basic essentials and we leave the style to the students choice. This approach is consistent with FFF and has proven to work well with hundreds of students every year.

 

Thanks for sharing this information with us.

 

Regards....

Mack Martin

Atlanta FF School  

 

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Mack .....  Thanks.  I took the liberty of highlighting your paragraph on casting style.

 

As I study the way various effective instructors teach new casters I note two basic ways that casting style is handled.  I'll use three examples:

 

1.) Joan Wulff teaches one basic style to new students and takes the position that the they will either embrace that or drift to their own styles at a later date.

 

2.) Bill Gammel doesn't teach any particular style to these new casters.  He allows them to gravitate to what works best for each one right off the bat.

 

3.) Lefty teaches his default style with full realization that his students may change to a different one if it doesn't work well for them or for particular casting or fishing circumstances.  As we get older (Lefty being no exception) he has changed this default style slightly to include the incorporation of more body motion.  He has also changed from his position on hauls from one which taught a short snappy haul for all casts to one in which the length and power of the haul more closely matches that of the casting stroke.

 

Gordy 

 

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