Study material
The Loop journal
FFI's quarterly journal for casting professionals: mechanics issues, exam articles and what to read first.
The Loop is the quarterly journal of FFI’s Casting Instructor Certification Program, published in one form or another for more than 20 years. It is where instructors argue about mechanics, publish drills and lesson plans, and analyse the exam — which makes it the single best source of background reading around the study guide.
The Loop Journal on flyfishersinternational.org
What it is
A digital magazine — “a medium through which the talents, knowledge, and ideas of our fly casting professionals can be shared” — published electronically and available to FFI members, who get notice by email. Current and older editions can be read online or downloaded as PDFs. Notable contributors have included Bruce Richards, Gary Borger, Mac Brown and many MCIs.
Editorial team: Paul Brown, MCI, THMCI (Editor-in-Chief) · Jim Wigington, MCI · Bintoro
Tedjosiswoyo, CI, THMCI (art and graphics) · Bruce Richards, MCI · Mac Brown, MCI (technical advisor) ·
Chuck Iossi, CI · Audrey Wilson, CI. Submissions: loop@flyfishersinternational.org.
Start with the mechanics issues
These are the open PDFs most relevant to the exam, and they pair with the casting mechanics page:
- Spring 2026 — Does the Anchor Load the Rod?
- Fall 2025 — Is a Fly Rod Primarily a Spring or a Lever?
- Summer 2025 — FFI Physics Terms for Fly Casting
- Spring 2025
- Latest issue
What recent issues covered
| Issue | Highlights |
|---|---|
| Sept 2026 | How does hauling work? (Mechanics Team) · Simon Gawesworth in conversation · strength training for power and precision · salmon micro flies |
| Mar 2026 | Does the anchor load the rod? · a model for effective casting instruction · “freezing” Bernstein’s degrees of freedom · certification journeys |
| Dec 2025 | Marina Gibson interview · Bruce Richards on assessing and correcting tailing loops · spring-versus-lever evaluation · rod and line selection for the exams |
| Sept 2025 | Choosing balanced rod and line combinations for the exams · physics summary from the Mechanics Team · virtual instruction |
| May 2025 | Origins of fly casting (Gary Borger) · the importance of the stop (Bruce Richards) · virtual fly casting instruction · building a casting culture |
| Aug 2024 | Choosing rods and lines for FFI certification tests · avoiding casting injuries · teaching as a distinct skill from casting |
The full archive — back to 2016 — is on the journal page; older editions are member access.
How to use it for the exam
- Read the mechanics issues first: they explain the why behind the Five Essentials, which is exactly what the written exam tests.
- Use the exam-specific articles (rod and line selection, the importance of the stop, tailing-loop correction) as revision before your pre-tests.
- Treat articles as background, not authority: definitions have changed over the years, so check the current FFI definitions when wording matters.
Compiled for personal study from FFI's public material; FFI's original documents remain the authority and are linked from this page.