Fly fishing instruction, lessons, and casting in Raleigh, NC

Just got back from a great weekend fly fishing show in Raleigh, NC. Fly fishing instruction, lessons, and casting in Raleigh, NC is always a great time! Had a great show seeing many old friends and met many new ones too. The Bahamian guides were a real pleasure to chat with about their local waters. Their abilities casting and teaching the concept of “tension” for casting was very exciting for me personally. Most of the specialty casts that we teach over the years deal with understanding tension much deeper than just flinging the line out.

The ideas of constant tension, increase, and/or decrease in tension leads to the ultimate control over the cast. Fly fishing instruction, lessons, and casting is neglected often by the masses yet it is one of the most important attributes for improvement in the sport. This understanding I believe is one of the biggest things we are teaching for improving control. The grail of truly understanding tension is the key to mastering better control. It is applicable for small streams for control of layout to the 30-knot winds of the flats in the Bahamas. Mastering a fuller appreciation of tension during the cast leads to a deeper understanding of fly casting. It is the key in my opinion for progression at some point for your fly fishing journey.

Bahamians and Constant Tension Fly Casting

Here is a shot of Shawn Riley (left), myself, and Prescott Smith (right) outside on the casting pond in Raleigh. Shawn and Prescott work at the Stafford Creek Lodge in Andros Island, Bahamas. Here is a little clip of Prescott discussing “Taming the wind” from his DVD. Here is another shot of Shawn inside on the casting pond. Also a shot of Andy Smith in the background (Prescott’s brother and fellow guide).

Fly Fishing Instruction, Lessons, and Casting

I took this shot on Sunday with a group that was around the casting pond listening to the excellent presentation from Prescott Smith regarding tension and smoothness for fly casting. A very well executed teaching moment for those that heard the discussion. I thought of white sand flats, warm weather, and salty critters the whole drive home Sunday evening after hanging out with the Bahamian guides! All of the various lodges can be found here if you are planning a trip.

Fly Fishing School

This is a shot of my students from the Saturday fly fishing school. They did an excellent job picking up new things for their journey of fly casting. We had a three-hour session that covered loop control, loop planes, negative and positive casts, oval casts, line control exercises, line retrieval techniques, single and double haul, and more! These topics give enough tools for practice now and in the future for their journey of progression as fly fishers.

Fly Tying

This is a shot of my buddies Dave Schmezer (middle) and Dave Brandt (right) from the tying section of the show. We talked about the information a young person interested in fly tying could pick up by watching the masters in action. I know that when I was a kid I could have shaved at least 20 years off of my learning curve if I was exposed to that many great tiers in one location. I always enjoy seeing tips and tricks from the many tiers at conclaves and shows over the years. It is the motivator for me to try out new things in fly design.

Here is a shot of Brad Buzzi at his table. I first met Brad several years ago at the shows in Charlotte, NC. It is always fun to catch up with him and see what new things he is into with his tying. He is always full of humor and more than willing to show techniques to whoever has an interest.

Here is a pic of Enrico Puglisi at his booth. I first met Enrico in the mid-’90s at one of the FF shows. He is always on the edge of bringing new products to the FF scene. I have many new synthetics for tying large streamers that I picked up from him at the show. Have been playing around with them on the vise the past week.

This is a shot of my friend Beau Beasley from Virginia. Beau stayed busy signing his new copy of “Fly Fishing the Mid-Atlantic”. The book is very well done on locations of guides and sport fishing in the mid-Atlantic states. Beau and I first met in the mid-’90s in Valley Forge, PA.

Fly Fishing Artists

This is a pic of myself and Bob Clouser at his booth. Many of Bob’s patterns have crept into my boxes over the years for all kinds of fish species. Great seeing him at the show doing tying classes and casting demos.

Here is a pic of Gary Dubiel and  Michelle at their booth. Spec fever has info on Captain Gary’s trips in the Oriental, NC area. It is always fun learning more about the coastal region of NC! I do not recall how long ago I met Gary because so many of the shows blend together over time. He is one heck of a nice guy!

Here is a shot off of Jim Casada‘s web page. A “native” of Bryson City so we always have plenty of discussions related to the local streams. I moved to Bryson City in 1987. He writes many columns and has penned numerous books related to all kinds of outdoor activities. I first met Jim in my early years of guiding full time in the late ’80s. He has been a good friend for a long time now and is such a resource for the Swain County area.

Fly Fishing Giants!

Dave Whitlock and myself hanging out at his booth. Was great to see him and Emily at the show. It had been a few years since our paths crossed last. Many of Dave’s early books no doubt helped to formulate my ideas on fly design at an early age. He is such an incredible talent with his illustrations too! A true gentleman to the sport of fly fishing! Make sure to check out Dave’s page for some genius tactics of splicing lines together! The splice connection is brilliant for line connections!

Here is a shot of Joe Humphrey that I took off of one of his pages. I first met Joe in the early ’90s and his early writings were a big influence on my underwater tactics on the stream. Time slipped away too quickly as I regret that I forgot to get a pic of him! Joe was one of my big influences as a youngster.  Always great to discuss new and old techniques with him. Getting to catch up with old friends and meet many new ones is one of the main reasons I enjoy shows, conclaves, and gatherings!