Casting Across Fly Fishing

You might not fancy yourself a teacher. But if you're going to be a "fly fishing guy" there is a good chance you're going to need to pass along some essential knowledge to a friend, coworker, or brother-in-law. And casting is about as capital-E essential as there is in fly fishing.

Today I walk you through what I focus on in my first 45 minutes of any fly casting lesson. The basics are basic, but we all to often fly past them in order to get on the water or into a hula hoop. Hopefully my process will be helpful to you as you prepare to help someone else get out on the water with a fly rod in hand.
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So you want to buy and fish with an old fly rod. Not a collector's item or a rare antique: just a regular, old old fly rod.

Great. I'm a fan. And this week, I've been writing and talking about that very thing.

After putting together an article and video about fly fishing with old rods on small streams, I figured I'd keep a good thing going and explain a few things about the enterprise. In particular, in this episode I discuss finding a fishable rod and pairing it with the right modern fly line. There is much more to it, of course... but that will get you out on the water at least.
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"But why?"

This can be a very obnoxious question. Or, it could be a very revealing question. Do you know why we do what we do when we fly fish?

One of this week's questions was posed to me by a student in a casting class that I am teaching. Innocently, he asked why we reel with our non-dominant hand. So I explained it to him.

And I'll explain it to you... along with two other viewer, listener, and reader pieces of feedback. This includes one that could be considered an accusation!
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So you're getting skunked. All that expensive gear, all that planning, and all that podcast information you consumed... and for what! You're failing fly fishing.

Not so fast.

Sure, catching up on yardwork or taking a nap is all fine and good. But it isn't over until it is over.

Today I share three ways to approach what you're doing to see if you can pull the nose up before a crash landing. There are some days that just don't go your way (I recently had such a day). But with a little patience and conscientiousness, we'll try to get you closer to a fish.
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"I don't fly fish to compete."

That may be. But tell me, if you will, aren't you trying to outwit and then physically overtake the fish?

Even though you may not be into tournament angling (and I am not), we all have goals and challenges that we impose upon ourselves when we fish. In today's episode, I use a familiar angling motif to talk through some of the ways you can push yourself in your normal fishing or to augment your time on the water.

And I promise: you don't need a fancy, sparkly boat to appreciate what I have to say.
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