How to become a badass singlehander.

Unless you are one of the lucky ones who are oozing with natural ability, you are going to have to work hard at it to become a ninja. Although there is no shortcut to the goal there are a few things that can help speed up you ETA to badass status

In no way am I implying that I am a fantastic caster, I have however reached a place where I am comfortable with my abilities and can hold my head high in most situations. I still run into scenarios where I am in over my head, humbled and disappointed at my lack of delivery.

Nearly a decade ago in preparation to get my CI (casting instructor) with the FFF. A local CI had put together a preparation course covering all the topics and skills involved in becoming a CI. It happened over a few weekends and I took away a lot from the course that has been extremely valuable in both my personal and professional career. I was nearly 20 years a fly fisherman and I wasn’t able to explain what a fly cast was, what made it happen or how to do it. My casting took a drastic leap for the better and I was left with the tools to take it as far as my dedication and practice would allow. I was living a little lean those days. The cost of certification and maintenance cost of the designation of casting instructor seemed steep. I was so excited about my new knowledge that I figured I had taken enough value from the course and never did get the certification. I am excited to be Back in the path and hope to do my test sometime in the next year.

I will identify some important things that helped me become more proficient.

Practice off the water- Everyone talks about it but few actually do it. I feel that outside of fishing scenario practice is essential to becoming badass. you are only ever gonna get so good if all you ever do is fish. it doesn’t take much. A few minutes a few days a week is plenty. In fact, a few minutes a few days a week is far more beneficial than an 8-hour binge session. When I was fishing permit 3-4 weeks a year I would make cardboard cutouts of permit and put them out in a snowy field in the winter. I like the actual cut out as opposed to a hoop or a frisbee. I find that it gives the target more perspective. If you throw at a frisbee and land within 3 ft of it you’re are pretty pleased with yourself. what happens if that frisbee was moving left to right and you put it 3 ft behind him. Give the cutouts a try I promise you will find it a much better use of your practice time.

Take a lesson- your Uncle Bill showed you how to cast back in the day. You’ve had some success on your own and can get a fly to the spot well enough to catch a fish sometimes. Your leaders get nubbed out due to shortening from wind knots and you are not sure why. You’ve been on a few guided trips and had success but what happens on that day when a 10-15KM wind shows up and you are rendered ineffective. What about when you head to the flats for your first saltwater trip and get owned by all elements salty. Your broken English guide has a panic casting lesson that makes you get worse when faced with approaching fish. It’s too late now. You’re in it. You’re unprepared and you are humbled and pissed with yourself. Take this as a sign and source a local instructor to do a lesson with and have them show you a practice regiment and learn how to properly cast.

Mentoring- I am very fortunate to have over the years to have surrounded myself with a number of very talented casters. I can’t think of one who wasn’t extremely happy to take a few minutes and meet with me at a park, field or lawn and throw a line around for a few minutes. It sometimes doesn’t take long to gather some important data from them. Such things may include their own practice regiment, how they got to be so proficient, key points of the cast to focus on, and some of their priorities related to casting. If you show them interest, follow their instructions and they can see improvement which is linked to their instruction, they can’t help but be stoked and will be happy to go to the next level with you. Most good instructors will give you little bits at a time like the layers of an onion. If you don’t get to the place they showed you the last time you likely won’t get to peel back the next layer as you haven’t put the work in. This is especially true when you are trying to do it Pro Bono. Paid instructors are happy to take your money and teach you the same stuff over and over but they also would be happier if you put in the work and came back with your homework finished and made them obsolete. Money in pocket is satisfying but seeing the fruit of their labour is far more fulfilling. There aren’t many (if any) instructors who went into it for the dough.

Videos- Another great way to touch up your casting and look for ideas to explain certain situations is through YouTube videos Sometimes you have to filter through them a bit but if they have a pile of views its generally for a reason and worth the watch. Filter through them and take the bits that stand out for you. We live in an amazing time and access to information is at an all-time high, take advantage of it.

Video yourself- Everyone walks around with a phone, right? It has a camera, right? You probably have hours of boring videos of you waving it around at a Lynyrd Skynyrd concert. make some vids of your casting so you can go back and check for faults.

Throw good casts not long casts- you need to throw good loops before you can throw long casts. Be realistic about how long the casts required while fishing are and practice those lengths.

These are just a few ideas and examples of things that come to mind to improve your casting. Best of luck and feel free to reach out for any more info.