On June 4 nine club members and a friend of Clayton's attended the club-sponsored casting class lead by master caster Molly Semenik. It was a spectacularly successful event, with nothing but praise for Molly's knowledge and teaching skills and excitement over the casting improvements we all felt we had made.
The day began with a class for beginning casters. I signed up because, though I can cast satisfactorily, I know my technique is poor, and energy efficiency low. I hoped Molly would be able to help, and I was not disappointed. Tips to keep my wrist straight on the back cast, not to let my rod move so far back on my back cast, and to delay my wrist snap on the forward cast to help the rod load made my casting seem much easier and my presentation better. Now it's up to me to remember and practice those tips.
The afternoon session was designed for advanced casters, but it wasn't surprising that Molly began with a review of the basics she'd concentrated on in the morning. Again, everyone benefited from Molly's help, and the time spent on these basics made the later work on double-hauling and accuracy more successful.
Molly also announced a new feature of the Fly Fishers International website devoted to training. The material already there is wonderful, and there are plans for more material to be added. It's all prepared by experts and is worth your review. Look for a link to the site on the Links page of our website.
In closing I want to thank Molly for her time and effort and thank those who attended for making the event such a success. Check out the photos in the slideshow above.