Flycasting today

... some thoughts about the most elegant and gentle way of fishing

Fly casting has been analysed quite well especially within the last 40 years. This means that only very few new things will be added to our knowledge about this subject in the next years and decades. In Europe we have reached a very high level which will only allow very little further developement, except the tackle would change dramatically. But we have to go on. This forward movement will be determind by the development of new fishing tackle and vice versa. There is also still a lot of space inbetween the different techniques which can be filled. Every single little piece of individuality will make the developement continue. A reduction to only one stile is conterproductive, because it stops the possible enlargement of our flycasting horizon and does not regard the physical differences of our students. New materials used in our tackle and last but not least the different characters of our waters demand a style that is adapted to the situation.

What does this mean for every single one of us?

We have to develop our own but biomechanically correct style of casting  which is adapted to our physical abilities and shows the best results for us. By doing this, stay open minded, to everything that is new, choose, but don't drop your own ideas if you find out that they will help you to improve. Be careful, open your eyes, try to see what makes sense and what is just show to attract attention! Perfection means reducing power and movements by getting still the same optimal results.                                                          

 G. Feuerstein

Present tendencies in flycasting

• Europe

• USA
   

Mel Krieger and G. Feuerstein in USA

Europe:

There have not been too many new things appearing on the flycasting stage in Central Europe in the last years. From time to time "new" casts which are already known are presented by someone else under a new name.  Regardless to say, that a lot of things have already existed in other people's heads before or had perhaps already been practiced, but never been published. However, all these discussions are just a waste of time. Shouldn't we all just try to push the development of flycasting foreward regardless of the person who has found out something new? Shouldn't we -without any wrong pride- honor the work of those pioneers who have and still do develop techniques that help to make fly fishing more effective or more enjoyable? We all should try to give our students the best help to improve their skills.

In Central Europe Europe the "air casts" -as I call them- had been well analysed, perfected and published which was first of all the work of people like Charles Ritz and Hans Gebetsroither, whose casting style and theories had been slightly modified after his death by several fly casters. Roberto Pragliola from Italy has gone new ways with his fly fishing school in using special high speed techniques (TLT technique) for dry flies with very light tackle. In my opinion TLT is the most effective technique for dry fly(only for dries and tiny nymphs) fishing. Some of the "water casts" (term which I created some years ago for the different roll, Spey and switch casts) were not that well known on the continent and more or less unknown in the United States in the early nineties.

The flycasting instructor scenery in Europe is meanwhile very well connected through the EFFA Flycasting Instructor Programme, world's best but also toughest flycasting instructor programme and intends to develope new and better teaching methods which will help to make their flycasting classes even more efficient. The EFFA Flycasting Instructor Program is a very useful mean to make sure that only good methods and techniques are used not only to keep the casting level in Europe high but even to improve it.
 

 
My little contribution to this development:

GF Flycast Design

I have been fishing since my early childhood and if you would ask me what I like more, fishing or fly casting, you will immediately get the answer: "Fishing, of course!" I am a fisherman and the fish I could not get were the motivation for my longlasting trainings on the lawn and in the gym. During these year long exercises I was developping several new casts and technical variations which I spread among the fly fishers around the world in dozens of shows and special fly fishing events and of course in my courses and especially the instructor training courses. In those courses I have taught some of the best instructors of present times which helped to spread these new casts into all corners of the fly fishing world.

I want to explain to several casts/technical improvements now, which I have developped in the last decades and which show great advantage in special situations. They have meanwhile been published in books and videos. The GF Upstream Pick Up(meanwhile aka Snap-T/Snap-Z/Circle Cast) are some of my oldest casts but only became popular after teaching them in the States in 2000 to some enthusiastic instructors from Calgary.

Some of the others I developed in the early nineties. I showed them first officially in summer 1995 at the FFF-Conclave in Livingston/Montana(USA) while casting with Lefty Kreh. After that I demonstrated them in Swalmen (NL, in 1995) at the Chatsworth Angling Fair (GB, 1996), at the Danish Fly Festival in Kolding(DK, 1997) and at Fly Fair (NL, 1998) and within the last decade at dozens of shows in Europe the USA and even in Russia.
 

GF Backhand (off shoulder) Power Haul - Perfect Double Hauling

aka Arrow Haul / High Hauling

My revolutionary backhand hauling technique (based on my more efficient double haul technique for the basic cast) allows better loading of the rod, smaller loops and much longer casting distances.

Well known instructors all around the world have confirmed the enormous efficiency of this cast and many of them use it now and have dramatically improved their off shoulder casting. The rod loads much better and the harmony between rod hand and line hand is optimized. This makes your flyline fly and fly and fly...

GF Vertical Bow Cast

A vertical Air Mend/Bow Cast for nymph fishers. A trick cast only for specialists which makes the nymph sink much faster and easier!
 

The "Dunker"

This is my improved high speed Tuck Cast which makes the nymph sink very fast. It outcompetes all other variations of tuck casts becauses the rod tip movement is optimized to get the highest speed of the nymph when it snaps through the water surface.
 

GF "Magic Switch"(Minimal Switch)

The most elegant and efficient way of Switch Casting. To be seen on the DVD of the special edition 20 of Fisch & Fang " So wirft man die Fliege" on chapter 5 "How professionals cast". Also published in Sedge and Mayfly in 2005.

GF Upstream Pick Up (also known as Snap-T, Snap Cast, C-Spey)

A trick cast for the nymph fisher, which I have created in the eighties, that allows a long distance presentation in situations where there is not much space for common casting techniques. Since I have demonstrated this technique in the States one of my students gave it the name Snap-T. This cast is meanwhile used world-wide for fishing with two handed rods.  

GF airalized Snap-T for single and two handed rods (aka Snap-Z)

A switch cast for special situations which allows to carry more line in the air (larger D-loop) and get a deeper loading of the rod.

Two handed fly casting(videos)