How often do your students practise/train?

[Paul Arden]

Bizarre. I wish I could learn to play the guitar without practising. In fast I wish I could learn it with practising.

How often do you train your casting, Rickard?

[VGB]

You can play the right notes but not necessarily in the right order

[Rickard]

How often do you train your casting, Rickard?

As much as possible.

What that does mean in reality. During winter time I regularly train between 0 and 2 times per week. When the sun is up between 9-15 it can be hard to fit in a session during the work week, but sometimes that can happen to. So that leaves the weekends but storms do happen so then I might not get any training done. And sometimes I have better weeks where life cooperates and I work from home I can bump that number up.

Now when there is some light outside even after work I guess that I average on 5 sessions per week. Life still happens. But I realised that I can almost always squeeze in 15 minutes. So 5 minutes to get in and out. 5 minutes accuracy and 5 minutes carry goes a long way.
During the peaks of fishing season the pure casting practice does probably drop. Even though I end up doing somethings just for practice every fishing session. I don't like to fish bad casts.

Length of session is between 10 minutes and over 2 hours and I think the sweet spot is somewhere in the middle of that.

[Paul Arden]

I’m not sure I can even play the right notes, Vince!

That’s crazy that your guys don’t practise. Lessons are no substitute for practise, as we all know. I see lessons as partly about teaching and helping to mould things along, and very much about structuring training. It’s what happens between lessons that matters most.

I guess I’m very lucky that through SL, I have the crazy people that want to really progress and will stand naked in a field if that’s what it takes. I think the important thing to stress, is that going out into a field, or garden, or park, with a flyrod, is thoroughly enjoyable! If we can help make it fun, with games and challenges, then these guys and girls get to follow our footsteps.

I’ve derived huge enjoyment from training fly casting over the years. It’s certainly nothing to be embarrassed about. We’ve grown up. We are adults. Looking a bit daft is to be embraced! And not many people look more daft than me

The people that you teach for CCI, that regularly train their casting, are very similar to the people I teach. Many candidates take the CI to improve their casting skills. Those people that you are getting are the same people that I’m getting, but mine don’t necessarily want the certification. Personally I’d rather they didn’t use the certification for this purpose, because it’s ultimately a bit restrictive. Can do both of course, and I like that.

I get a few beginners of course, which I really embrace. Then I think there is a large gap of nothingness until we get to the next level, which is then really quite serious. Just like us really. Fish for 15 years, never have a lesson, or one to begin with, if we are lucky, and then decide to learn to cast “properly”. Which can mean many things, but will often mean to become an outstanding fly caster.

I personally believe that there must be a lot of people out there who want to learn to cast really well. It’s definitely niche, but with 10 million fly fishers globally, even niche has its size. It also takes a certain type of person, who is truly honest about their current abilities. But it exists and it’s people just like us. Isn’t that wonderful? I certainly think so!

Incidentally, my beginners do practise. Not as much as the others. But why would they unless obsessed by fly fishing? Beginners postpone lessons if it’s raining. Long term anglers usually only postpone if the fishing is on fire.

Incidentally I think what you have going there is really interesting Vince. Stream fishing and stream flycasting is a great combination. I think that the combination of casting, guiding and teaching fly fishing is very important. That’s what I try to do and I think it’s a winning combination.

Cheers, Paul

[Paul Arden]

Hi Rickard, how many hours would you hazard a guess that you spent flycasting training in the last 12 months?

Cheers, Paul

[Rickard]

Hi Rickard, how many hours would you hazard a guess that you spent flycasting training in the last 12 months?

Cheers, Paul

I got structured and started taking lessons in May last year. Before that I did training but less than now. And last 12 months we start from March at that time I guess I trained 1-2 hours on average per week March and April.

March, April: 16 hours
May, June, July, August, September: (5 hours per week x 4.3 weeks x 5 months) ~108 hours
October - February: (2 hours per week x 4.3 weeks x 5 months) ~43 hours
That sums up to 167 guessed hours. Sounds much and little at the same time.

Edit: Enough training to make me an inventory at the jetties in the nearby docks and fields.

[VGB]

IMO there's certainly a problem in that we have an industry that promotes the ability to buy skill and instructors that support that view. A lot of anglers don't see a strong connection between casting ability and catching fish, although that could be a confirmation bias. I thought I was adequate until I fished somewhere difficult with someone that could cast very well and that opened my eyes. Since then I have had my arse kicked in various environments by many people and have learned something new every time and adjusted my ambitions accordingly. Some people just want to watch the river go by and drink coffee.

regards

Vince

[Paul Arden]

It’s amazing that people will spend thousands of dollars to go on a SW fly fishing trip, but not be able to make fast accurate shots or cope with the wind.

Good numbers Rickard!

Cheers, Paul

[Mangrove Cuckoo]

It’s amazing that people will spend thousands of dollars to go on a SW fly fishing trip, but not be able to make fast accurate shots or cope with the wind.

Good numbers Rickard!

Cheers, Paul

Paul,

I see the same thing but quite the opposite.

I hear guides constantly complain about "good" trout anglers who cannot make the casts you mention when they try the salt. But those same guides come back with their heads hanging from their rare trout fishing attempts... because they cannot mend to produce drag free drifts.

[VGB]

The biggest thing I struggled with when I transitioned to guided saltwater fishing was casting to the guides directions. I've had a lifetimes worth of conditioning that has me making sure I have eyes on the target before making the cast and it meant I was always behind the drag curve Shooting a fly into a big blue hole at distance was easy in comparison.

regards

Vince