practice

[Ty]

Hey guys,

I am interested in knowing what kind of practice routines you have for improving your casting and keeping it sharp. What kind of practice exercises do you do? How do you structure your practice sessions and how many hours a week do you like devote to practice? I am especially interested in some input from you FFF certified instructors out there. Thanks for your help.

Ty Goodwin

[fish]

I don't practice casting, I just fish alot. http://www.georgia-outdoors.com/ubbngto/wink.gif

Seriously, to get ready for my test, I practiced a lot. I got myself 100' of rope and set up the course I would be casting for the test. I would than go through each cast required and would not move onto the next cast until I could get it right three times in a row. To say the least, it sometimes took me a while to get through the entire course.


I use the same technique to this day when practicing. The casts required for the test are casts every fly fisherman uses and should try to become adept at.

I tend to keep my sessions a bit on the short side and vary it a bit between heavy saltwater rods and lighter freshawter ones and modify the casting course accordingly. I figure if I stand out there all day casting a heavy rod and try to get creative, I'll eventually screw something up. To give you an example. I spent a lot of time practice casting a 400 grain sinking line on a ten weight. I got pretty good. Built up some muscle memory for the outfit and off I went casting the big rod session after session, fishing trip after fishing trip. Next time I picked up a five weight, I could not stop throwing a tailing loop. I was overpowering the heck out of it and double hauling every cast. It took me a bit to get rid of it and it stills shows up from time to time. Now when I go out, I take a heavy and light rod and switch back and forth between the two.

Hope ths helps.

[This message has been edited by fish (edited 01-06-2004).]

[Scott Swartz]

Ty,

Good to see you on the board and still practicing. I hope our private lesson last month has proven fruitful.

I second all Fish has said except I would only practice with the rod you are going to test with for the last couple of months before the test. Multiple rods are best for general practice but your testing stick should be like a second skin as you get ready for the big day. I would add that you should set up your course in different areas and directions. As you remember my casting area is very protected and can be like casting in a vacuum. When I got to Gulf Shores to test we had 22 mph winds with gusts to 30 mph and the flags were standing straight snapping in the wind. Hitting a 15 inch radius target cross body at 55 feet was an exercise in gauging windage. Practicing in all conditions and directions will also keep you from becoming too accustomed to your course. Good luck and let us know if we can be of any more help.

Scott Swartz


[This message has been edited by Scott Swartz (edited 01-06-2004).]

[Ty]

Thanks for the responses guys. Really appreciate the help. Right now I am doing most of the things that you are recommending. My practice sessions center around the casting requirements for the basic FFF certification and I am using only the rod that I will test with. Normally I do practice with multiple rods, but right now I figured I better stick with the test rod until I take the actual test.

Scott, your instruction from the private lesson has helped me tremendously. You really opened my eyes to the parts of my casting that needed improvement. I would like to schedule another two hour lesson if possible in the next two or three weeks. What would be a good week for you?

Thanks again for the help.

Ty

[Josh Barnett]

One thing that I really like to do, when practicing, is to set targets. A cheap and easy way to do this is to buy a bag of paper plates and set them at different posistions and lengths. Then see how often/not often you hit the targets...

Joshua Barnett

------------------
Joshua Barnett
caddisfly08@yahoo.com
1-706-354-8500

Call me for all your flies!

[Scott Swartz]

Ty,
If you want another lesson let's try to book it before the 15th. We have a group going Peacock Bass and Payara fishing starting the 16th. Call me on the school number.
Scott

[Robert Hafner]

I'll second what Scott said. I also took my test in those kind of winds and would reccommend that you find out where the test will be held and use a rod that will help you overcome whatever weather conditions will be for that particular area. In other words, In Gulf Shores where I took my masters, a five weight would not have been my rod of choice.

[Ty]

Thanks again for the responses.

Josh, That's a good tip. I have a similar exercise routine that I use a lot. I take a handful of frisbees and toss them out in various directions and distances. Then I cast to them.

Robert, Thanks for the advice on the wind. This is something that Scott has emphasized to me as well. I am trying to practice as much as possible in windy conditions, which isn't hard to do this time of year with the fronts that come through here every week.

I have another question about the distance cast to 75 feet that is required on the test. Last night I was practicing this cast and was casting into the wind. My flyline would straighten to 75-80 feet, but the wind usually kept the leader from straightening. The yarn fly I was using would only land 2 or three feet beyond the end of the flyline. Sometimes, in the stronger gusts, the fly would be even with the flyline or even behind it, with the leader piled up around it. To what degree does the leader need to straighten during the actual test if you are testing in windy conditions? Thanks for your help.

Ty

[Scott Swartz]

The examiners understand the difficulty wind presents. I can't speak for others but when I give the distance test in windy conditions I expect to see the fly land at a minimun 75 feet. I'm not concerned if the leader is not straight. There are plenty of other casts during the exam that will tell me if you know how to stop the rod to lay out a straight leader.

Scott