Learning & Casting

Recently I made the decision to take the test administered by FFF to become a certified casting instructor.
The jargon is mixed.  I've heard  "go out to test,"  "go out for the CI,"  "test for the CI," and every variation thereof.  I can't tell you what's the cool way to say it, being clearly the most uncool caster ever to hold a rod, but I can tell you that it's no simple process.  Emphasis on process.

Between making the decision and taking the test – meaning the performance part of the test, where you have to demonstrate casts – is a whole mess of work.  I know this because I made the same decision about 5 years ago and never could get behind it because of the work involved.  I only wanted to test because I knew that one way to get good – really good – at something is to teach it.  So I wanted more teaching.  In order to do more teaching, I thought I should be a better caster -- and so on and so forth.  All of that did work, to some degree.  I improved my cast, I got more teaching chances by volunteering for various schools, clinics, retreats, and demonstrations. My first teacher (see Practicing Spring blog post), John Breslin of Flyfish Ireland, had said to me way back when that I should volunteer to help teach, or just help in any way, at local classes and events.  I think that's about when I started to volunteer at Reeling and Healing Midwest retreats, and I also helped out a little at a clinic or two put on by Flygirls of Michigan. I went to clinics and social gatherings with my local TU Chapter.  Through these events, I met some really great teachers (Cathy Sero, Rich Knowles, John Waters, Jim Craig), and was able to improve my own technique for teaching and casting.  I got up more nerve to ask bigger names if they could give me a "private lesson" in the hours before a flyfishing expo's opening time.  Lori Ann Murphy was particularly helpful at the now defunct Memphis Flyfishing Show.  It snowballed, in other words.  And along the way to becoming a better caster, I found that I really do love teaching it.  How much more fun it is, and rewarding too, when teaching people something they want to learn, as opposed to surly, self-important, spoiled, lazy college students who can't imagine they don't have all the answers already.  But I digress.

I promised myself this would NOT  be a long insufferable blog entry, so I am going to cut to the chase right here and say the following:  I asked Jim Craig, Certified Instructor, guide, and fellow instructor at the Trout Unlimited Flyfishing School(TUFFS.ORG) if he would coach me as I prepare for the test.  He lives closer to me (about an hour's ride) than anyone else I know who's available, plus we have similar demented visions of the world and laugh at the same things.  This is almost more important. 

Last Monday night Jim rounded up a couple of other casters who want help and we all met up at a municipal park in Adrian (Michigan).  The wind was up, but we were undaunted.  I was using my TFO TiCr rod 7wt rod that is faster than what I'm used to (Bamboo and an older Winston graphite), but lighter than what I had been using (and injuring myself on).  There's a Scientific Anglers' "Expert Distance" line on it.  These are the limits on the equipment you can use when you're testing:  9 foot rod, 7 weight line.  You cannot change the equipment during the test, either.  If it's a windy day, cope.  Since I plan to test next summer, it may very well be windy, so I figured I should work with the stiffer, faster rod, though I've also received advice to use an overlined 6-weight rod.  We'll see.  I'll probably write another blog on this issue alone.

Jim got on me right away about my speed.  I was too fast, he said.  My job was to slow, slow, s..l..o..w down the cast.  Quit worrying about hitting the grass behind me.  Just ssslllooowww it down.  No hurry, no rush.

I worked on that while he went off to work with the others.  No, he said, when he came back later.  I could go even slower.  See? (He demonstrated).  It looked like casting in molasses, but boy was it pretty.

I got to work again, pretending I was casting under water.

The next time he came back he didn't say anything.  I guess I'll have to figure that out as we go along. He did, however, look at my haul.  Too much haul, too big.  Shorter and closer, was what he wanted to see.  Again, making everything more economical, using less energy.  The haul hand was to move only a short distance, kind of like swatting away a fly, and stay close to the rod hand.

This is quite a challenge for someone who at 5'3" on a proud day feels she has to muscle through life in order to get anything done on par with normal-sized folk. 

But as far as slowness, I've been working on this every day since last Monday with the exception of the days I actually fished.  (My hand was sore from heaving streamers at bass and it was murderous hot out, so I gave myself a rest.)

Tomorrow we meet again, and I'm sure I'll have more to say about how much work I have in front of me.