First In-Person Meeting of the Free State Fly Fishers (FSFF) in Over a Year

[Mark]

During the pandemic, like many organizations, the FSFF has relied on Zoom meetings to stay connected with club members.

Zoom has worked well to keep us together, but it's just not the same as meeting together in our clubhouse. I'm sure many of us in our work and club settings are suffering from "Zoom-Fatigue".

Last night was a welcome change and a sign that life is returning to normal. We had an actual in-person meeting. It was outside, not indoors. We took advantage of the good weather to hold a casting clinic. We had a great turnout.

Here's a group of beginners learning to toss tight loops:

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We also had target/accuracy casting:

FSFF3 (2).jpg

And we had a kayak set up for those who wanted to improve their casting while seated:

FSFF1 (4).jpg

No need for an anchor even though it was a little breezy!

What a fun evening it was.

[DanMarino]

Very cool Mark. Are you going to start having in-person meetings indoors?

[Mark]

Tom,

We break from general meetings in July and August and resume them in September. As of now, we plan to hold that meeting indoors and it will include a guest speaker.

We'll also have fly tying sessions on select Saturdays throughout the summer. In fact we have one this coming Saturday, our first indoor meeting since COVID halted them in-person.

So...what do you think were the most common fly casting issues we addressed last night?

[DanMarino]

So...what do you think were the most common fly casting issues we addressed last night?

Why Tenkara rods don't have reels?

Why do fish eat pink floating foam spiders?

Why does casting into the wind stink?

[Mark]

Well...we did address one of those three.

The top two issues were:
1. Not allowing the rod to load (flex) fully on the backcast before making a forward stroke.
2. Taking the rod tip too far past vertical on the backcast.

Both result in a weak short cast.

A sound backcast is fundamental in flycasting. It allows the rod to flex properly storing the energy in the rod that eventually propels the line forward.

We showed casters how to increase line speed on the backcast to help load the rod with a technique called a single haul.
We showed them that reducing the arc of the rod tip on the backcast results in a much stronger cast. Most fly casters take the rod tip back much farther than they realize. Muscle memory is a difficult thing to change.

We actually did address casting into the wind. The answer: Cast sidearm so the line stays low to to the surface of the water. It helps tremendously.

We also showed the kayakers how to cast a curve -- a very handy technique to run a fly along a shoreline when when your kayak is perpendicular to it. A twist of your wrist (rod hand) to the right just before the fly lands will cause the leader and fly to turn sharply to the left.

[J. Rentch]

Thanks for your tips on the backcast Wednesday night Mark. I noticed a definite improvement on the speed of my forward cast. Just have to continue working on my technique.

[Mark]

John,

Your casting has improved tremendously in the short time you have been flyfishing. You will continue to get better. It will become so easy, so natural that you won't even think about the process.

But it's OK if you stop catching more fish than me on our outings!

[J. Rentch]

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[clm]

Sounds like tips I could have used...gotta get up and actually meet with you guys. Been a member but usually just read the web postings...I will how ever be practicing and watching my back cast more, and I will try the twist at the end to cast along the banks....good stuff. It is about the repetition and doing it correctly more. Sometimes that extra set of eyes can quickly identify a simple mistake much easier than when alone. For me, the cast that falls short and piles up results in mutterings and then casting too hard the next time....this little circle of bad castings and mutterings is usually when I see a fish rise and really want to get the fly there fast...

I've been a trainer of various topics for years...we've always been taught that your brain is a filing system....put as many good files in there as possible, by good, correct repetition...when you react, you are stacking the odds in your favor that you "grab" a good file out of the folders...to be more successful, I need to adopt that mindset to my casting...actually approach it that way...Mark's bucket casting practice he mentioned in other threads...I normally go fishing to relax, but fighting my casting is the opposite...gotta put in the "work" to be able to relax more I guess.

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[J. Rentch]

Great-hope to see you at our September meeting.

[Mark]

Chip,

Fly casting is incredibly easy with modern graphite rods and slick lines. It requires a little bit of timing but mostly it's letting the tools do the work they were designed to do.

You'll know you've arrived at good place in the sport when you don't even think about the act and yet your line goes precisely where you want it.

P1050448 (2).jpg

Having someone observe and comment on your casting will help you tremendously. The club has already discussed sponsoring more casting clinics this year. If one of those does not work out for you, I'd be glad to spend some time with you. I guarantee you'll leave a better caster. It's that easy.

[clm]

Much appreciated.

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