by Rex Walker, TPWD Volunteer AED Fly Fishing Instructor, FFI Certified Casting Instructor, Dallas Fly Fishers Club

There are ten students standing in front of you with fly rods in their hands and you have one hour to introduce them to fly casting. Now what are you going to do?   

This was the challenge I faced the first time I led a fly casting class at “Fly Fish Texas” at the TPWD Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center. I have taught many classes since then and these are some of the questions that I ask myself when I am organizing a fly casting class and determining a lesson plan: How much time do I have? How many students? What is the experience level of the students? What are the student’s expectations? And, what are my goals as the instructor for the session?   

Class Length and Group Size: I use a combination of group and individual instruction in my classes. I’ve found that a maximum of 10 students and a minimum of one hour are pretty much the limits that allow an instructor to spend a few minutes with each student. Ideally, I prefer a 4:1 or 6:1 student-to-instructor ratio with two hours of class time and that's what I use when I host for fly fishing club members. I've found two hours is the maximum time for a casting class session before students are tired and ready to stop. With all day casting clinics, we divide the day into 45 minutes to an hour casting times with breaks for classroom style instruction between each casting session to give the students a break. The decision for how many students and how much time to allow can be adjusted based the number of students that want instruction and how many instructors are available.  

Student Experience Level: From a lesson planning view, I gear my lessons for one of three levels of experience: 1. Introductory = first time to hold a fly rod, 2. Some Experience and 3. Advanced casting students.

Let’s start the Advanced student. They’re easy to plan for, since they rarely attend group classes and when they ask for casting help, they usually have specific questions. So, I don’t have a lesson plan for Advanced students, I just adjust to the specific student.

The difference between an “Introductory” and an “Experienced” class is that an Introductory class will include some fly fishing tips and I will define some common terms. Otherwise, the lesson plans are similar. I usually call Experienced classes “Critical Casting Skills” and it focuses on Loop Control, a Pick Up and Lay Down (PULD) cast, false casting, using the other hand to hold and control the line, and then shooting line. Obviously, every class does not cover all of these topics. An Introductory level class may not make it past the PULD cast. However, even with a class of experienced level students, I always start with the fundamental skills. I believe that good technique is important to becoming a good fly caster. A class of experienced students may progress quicker and cover more topics. The big difference in my lesson plans is the introduction and ending of each class session.

For introductory students, I start with some basic (OK, very basic) equipment definitions (in a one-hour class, this is 5 to 10 minutes max. and maybe 10 minutes at the end to close the class.)  I define some common terms that they may have heard and I will physically show them what I am describing. The items include;  “Fly Line” = “It’s the thick plastic line”, “Leader” = “Notice that it is tapered. This helps to turn over the fly and it makes it small enough to fit through the eye of the hook”, and “Tippet” = “Every time the fly is changed, a portion of the leader is cut off. Tippet can be used to replace the portion that has been cut off to extend the life of the leader. Loss of 12 to 18 inches is a common time to add tippet”. I keep the definitions short and simple. I end an Introductory class with some fishing tips. I explain what “Mend” means and demonstrate how it is done. I will show how to strip in line and fight a fish with a fly rod. I will also show how to set a hook including the differences in a “Trout Set" (used for soft mouth fish such as a trout) and “Strip Set” (used for hard mouthed fish such as a bass). I ask a student to hold the yarn on the end of the line during the demo, so, they can feel the difference in the two hook set styles. I also show them how to land a fish without breaking their fly rod. For an experienced class, I skip the definitions and fishing tips. Note: I do not include the Roll Cast in my introductory level classes. I have found that there is not enough time in a one-hour class to cover both a Roll Cast and a PULD cast.   

Student Expectations and Class Goals: With my “Fly Fish Texas” classes, my goal is to give the student enough knowledge to successfully go fish one of the hatchery ponds. So, in my hour I focus on a PULD cast, setting a hook, and landing a fish. Let’s be honest, if they catch a fish on a fly rod, they will remember that experience way longer than anything I tell them in a casting class and they are more likely to be hooked for life on fly fishing! For the classes that I host for fly fishing clubs and other experienced fly fishers, I prefer to offer two-hour small group classes on specific topics. The most popular casting class topics are “Critical Casting Skills”, “Double Haul” and “Accuracy”. I have offered other casting topics, but these three classes are by far the most popular classes with students. As described earlier, the “Critical Casting Skills” class focuses on loop control from the PULD cast through shooting line. This class focuses on learning good technique and is appropriate for beginner to advanced skill levels. The “Double Haul” class is an intermediate level class and the students need to know the skills covered in “Critical Casting Skills” class and the first half of my “Double Haul” class is a refresher of those skills. The “Accuracy” class is an advanced skill class. This class covers accuracy skills and it also covers the strengths and weaknesses of different fly casting styles. My primary goal as an instructor for these classes is for the students to have fun and enjoy the class and, maybe even learn something.      

Ending: I end my group classes by passing around a fly box and letting the students pick their favorite color of a foam spider fly. I don’t care how old you are or how long you have been fly fishing, receiving a free fly makes everyone leave the class happy. However, the real reason for handing out the flies, is that it signals the end of the class. Students often stay to ask questions and handing out the flies tells the other students that they are free to leave if they wish. 

(Photo by Jere Anderson)

by Rick Kagawa, BSA Certified Angling Instructor, BSA National Fishing Committee Chair

What can be better than teaching people how to fish and sharing your passion with others? Teaching a bunch of young people and their friends to fish. You may be the one who introduces a young person to a lifetime passion. That is an easy task when you are teaching a bunch of Cub Scouts, Scouts BSA, Venturing Youth or Sea Scouts. Let me define these groups: 

     Cub Scouts

• Girls and boys age 5 to 10

     Scouts BSA (Formerly Boy Scouts of America)

• Girls and boys age 11 to 18

     Venturing

• Young women and men age 14 to 20

All of these groups want to fish. It is one of the most popular activities in Scouting!

The Cub Scouts love to catch bluegill in A Bear Goes Fishing. We have a ready to use Basic Fishing program called Worm Drowning 101. It includes the use of cane poles. All the other groups have fishing awards they can earn by passing the required skills and knowledge. Scouts BSA have Fishing, Fly Fishing and Fish and Wildlife Conservation Merit Badges. The Venturing group has the Ranger Award and one of the electives is for Fishing/Fly Fishing.

When working with Scouting groups, BSA asks  volunteers to take the Youth Protection Training (a free online video training). It will teach you about the requirement of two-deep leadership where an adult can't be alone when working with a youth. 

The Scouting.org website has some great resources for angling educators. There are PowerPoint presentations about the merit badges and Worm Drowning 101. Recently, many people have been teaching the basic skills online before the scouts go fish.

If you would like to get more information about additional training for teaching fishing, and how you can help scouts learn to fish, check out the BSA Certified Angling website. This website is for Scout leaders who have been trained to teach fishing and you can get your fishing questions answered from that site.

(photos by Robert Porter SHAC )

Karen Marks, TPWD Aquatic Education Manager

Happy New Year! Wow, who would have guessed 9 months later, we all would still be living in a world with a pandemic? But our staff and amazing volunteers have persevered and continue to find new ways to safely share their passion of fishing with others. 

We have continued to offer online Instructor Certification workshops. Largemouth Bass, Flounder, Rainbow Trout specialty online classes and Family Fishing Basics online classes have also been a hit. A White Bass online class is scheduled for February. Our friends in State Parks are developing a future virtual fishing – stay tuned for more info.

Staff have also been hosting regional Instructor and Area Chief online "meet-ups" – I hear the Pictionary games have been lots of fun!

We have re-tooled our Fish IQ Test/scavenger hunt for the Take Me Fishing Exhibit Trailer, and will be converting the paper quiz to an online quiz linked to a QR code that people can complete on their smart phone as they view the exhibit. This will reduce contact between participants and staff/volunteers.

Thanks to our dedicated volunteers, the program has remained afloat and continues to move forward. Nearly 500 people completed their Angler Education Instructor certification. Incentives were sent out in December to all volunteers who reported their service. We even had 24 Top Lures (volunteers with 100+ hours for the year) – all Top Lures receive a special 100-hour pin. A few packages were returned for incorrect mailing addresses, so make sure your volunteer profile is up to date.

Your health and safety, and of those that you serve, are our top priority. Each of you is a representative of TPWD, and we rely on you to make good choices that will reduce the risks of transmitting the coronavirus. Please remember to check with your city or county authorities for local guidelines; if ordering supplies or requesting volunteers please submit a COVID Protocol form for any public in-person class or event.

Finally, it is with a heavy heart that we remember three  of our dedicated volunteers who recently passed away. Area Chief Al Hillman (Dallas), Instructor Joe Nelson (Houston) and Instructor Billy Whitehead (Waco). Please keep their family and friends in your thoughts.

Congratulations to H.C. Grimet, District Coordinator for the Katy ISD Health & Physical Education Department, and TPWD Volunteer AED instructor on earning the Honor Award with the Texas Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation & Dance (TAHPERD)! Grimet has served the profession for 30 years and has incorporated a robust curriculum of health education, physical education, recreation, and/or dance. Read more about his career and this award.