Appendix C — Lesson plan examples

Demonstration of the entire cast: Silently perform the cast 2 – 3 times.

Describe the Purpose of the Pick-up and Lay Down Cast is to simply present the fly to a fish or to slightly change the direction of the cast. The Pick-up and Lay Down Cast is a fundamental cast when learning to fly cast and all other overhead casts use the elements found in this cast. (FYI – This last sentence is called an “anticipatory set” or “hook” in teaching and gives the students an incentive to learn this cast. All good casting lesson plans have a “Hook.”)

List the Steps of the cast (while performing the cast): 1. Start 2. Accelerate to a Stop 3. Pause 4. Accelerate to a Stop 5. Drop

If necessary, provide a few more Details for any of the steps:

A proper Start requires the line to be straight out in front of you with no slack and the rod tip in the water
Start by slowly lifting, then without stopping:
Accelerate smoothly
Pause to allow the line to unroll in the air behind you
The Drop positions the rod tip and line on the water for another cast or to catch a fish!

Have the students Pantomime the cast with just their index finger while you say the steps as you cast.

Make any Adjustments to the students’ pantomime technique as necessary to confirm their comprehension.

Ask the students if there are any Questions.

End by giving the students their Assignment: Now pull out enough line to make a 35’ cast and make 20 Pick-up and Lay Down casts using the 5 Steps you just learned.

After the students complete their assignment, gather together to cover the most frequent Faults & Fixes.

Lesson plan provided by: Willy George, MCI, THMCI

B. Example 2: Lesson Plan for a Reach Mend without Slipping Line – (1 hour lesson plan)

Term clarification - 5 minutes a) Discuss the difference between a presentation cast and a presentation mend. i) A presentation cast is the result of rod motion during the casting stroke. ii) A presentation mend is the result of rod motion after the casting stroke.

b) Difference between on water mends and aerialized mends i) water mends reposition the line after it has landed on the water ii) aerialized mends reposition the line before the line lands on the water.

Move into Reach Mend specific information - 5 minutes a) Tell purpose of Reach Mend i) to position the fly line and leader upstream of the fly.

b) Tell benefits of the reach mend i) main benefit - creates a longer drag free drift due to the line and leader being upstream of the fly ii) positions the fly to land in the fish’s feeding lane while the fly is in the air iii) mend is not spooking a fish due to lack of water disturbance iv) line is mended before water currents have affected the line. v) casting fly past target area to aim and then pulling it back to the target. (i.e. casting over feeding lane, upstream of the fish, the mend puts fly in the feeding lane to float down to the fish)

Teaching Reach Mend - 15 minutes a) Demonstrate mend to students b) Teach steps of mend i) loops should have straight fly leg

c) cast in a more vertical plane i) slower casting speed ii) slightly higher trajectory in front allows more time to mend iii) on presentation cast, after normal stop, reach the rod tip straight left or right (upstream) by drawing the line from the stop position directly to water level at a 90degree angle iv) drag line straight in the air while making the mend to ensure the line lands straight

Practice - 25 minutes a) with pool noodle as a group (optional) b) pair up if larger class c) cast without line by holding the line against rod d) cast with line to targets. Have contact with every student as they complete the cast. Praise, Prompt, Leave.
Main faults a) not having a defined stop prior to reach movement. b) too low of a trajectory that does not allow time to complete the reach c) too small of a reach angle that does not get the line and leader behind the fly d) not allowing for the shorter casting length due to line being taken up by the reach movement, resulting in the fly being off target. e) reaching rod down, then across to make the mend instead of just across. This reduces time to make the mend. f) not pulling the line straight in the air on the mending movement, which results in slack in the line as it lands on the water and creates drag.
Summary - 10 minutes a) Review steps b) questions or problems

Lesson plan provided by: Trisha Campbell, CI