|
Walter & Group...
[GH] Peter Morse sends what I'd consider an excellent outline for a course of instruction on aerial mends. This would easily be converted to a timed lesson plan by simply adding the time intervals for each event :-
Teaching aerial mends..
Firstly Explain and demonstrate what an aerial mend actually is.
Why an aerial mend rather than an on the water mend? Less effect on the fly after it has landed whereas an on the water mend is most likely going to move the fly and that could be at the moment a fish is about to eat it.
When and where. Aerial mends are used when we’re casting across a tongue of slower or faster current to avoid the fly being dragged by the current’s effect upon that line.
What should it look like? The mend we throw in the air needs to be a mirror opposite of the effect the tongue of current would have on the line if we were to cast straight across the current.
I would lay this out on the grass and demonstrate it showing the effect on the fly.
Second step
Precursors to being able to throw aerial mends are being able to cast slowly, and to have an understanding of and ability to control trajectory.
Aerial mends are best leaned and practised with a slow line speed and at least a level trajectory, preferably slightly up.
The third step is getting your reaches right, early reach and you have a line straight to the fly from the rod tip, add the reach a little later and you have a line layout that is straight at the front then angled in the back half.
How do we do this? The line reacts to what the rod tip does, stop, pause, reach and we get an angled layout. The later you reach the closer to you the angle so the layout is affected by how early or how late and by how much we move the rod tip.
Fourth step, stop, pause, reach, bring the rod back to the centre and we have an aerial mend.
Using a count method to place the reach (stop one reach back puts the reach out toward the end of the line – stop one two reach brings it closer etc) and learn that the slower or faster you make the move is going to affect the size and shape of the mend.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[GH] Bob Stouffer completes our lesson plan:
CHALLENGE:
You have two 18 Yr. old fly fishermen who have asked you to teach them aerial mends. They have mastered basic straight line overhead fly casting, can shoot line, and know how to haul and retrieve. They know how to make basic upstream on-the-water mends.
Now they want to know how to make and the reasons for using aerial mends and how they can be used for effective dry fly fishing.
I'll start our lesson plan. You complete it :-
Lesson Time: 3 hours.
Lesson objective: Teaching aerial mends and their uses.
Lesson Goal: Having these students able to perform and properly use aerial mends, including their use for dry fly fishing.
Venue: A local trout stream with moderate flow, large rocks, pocket water and tongues of current.
Tackle: # 5 rods with WF 5F lines, Tapered leaders 10 - 11" and dry flies.
Gordy
Hurriedly
Prior to the lesson, review Advanced Fly Casting ("fishing the clock") video by Doug Swisher and Jason's modular approach.
A. Assumption
1. The two students will not have the same learning curve.
2. The two students will not have the same learning style.
3. The best use of my time is to teach one at a time, leaving the other student to practice.
4. A good tactic for me to begin with is to bring the students together occasionally for the introduction of new material, then separate them so that they cannot easily see each other. Adjust to their style and pace. Stand in the middle where I can see both well when I am giving them self-discovery time.
5. That I know the stream.
6. Put their cell phones in a waterproof bag and hide it. Really
B. Skills to be treated - mends and casts from both sides of the stream, all positions. Dry-fly only - by arrangement.
1. Reach (review)
2. Reach out and back (current mirror) - Different shapes to match currents. Upstream mirror for current match, downstream and back for below rocks.
3. Pile cast up-stream and up and across.
4. Roll cast - reach and pile cast
5. Wiggle mend - across and downstream
6. Hump cast - up and across for current tongues.
7. Curves if we can get to them.
C. First Hour
1. Together: Ten minutes review of reach cast. First five minutes from one side of stream, second five from other side of stream.
2. Observe strengths and weaknesses in each caster.
3. Watch for repositioning skills. This is crucial. If necessary, teach repositioning casts. Time will not be wasted. Take the first entire hour with repositioning if required.
4. Introduce "reach-out-reach-back" on a tongue. Separate the casters. Decide on corrective action for weaknesses or faults.
5. Separate. Work with the less skilled caster first (if apparent), then spend time with the other.
D. Second Hour - Skills Building (slack water)
1. Roll Cast straight line off both shoulders - upstream and up and across, both sides of stream
2. Roll Cast Reach, right and left - across stream
3. Roll-Cast pile cast
4. Roll-cast PU, Lay-down
5. Review and look ahead.
E. Third Hour
1. Go as far as I can with skills, working towards curves
2. Under-powered curve (tracking sweep)
3. Powered curve
4. Powered curve with reach
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[GH] Frank Harford takes the plunge into the lesson plan challenge:
I Evaluate the students' casting ability . Hauling is not necessary to make the mends , but consistent loops are .Help with any problems 10- 15 min
II Define the ariel mend (movement of the rod tip after the stop , but before the line hits the water) and discuss its uses (making the mend without danger of moving the fly,avoiding obstacles .on or in the water , counteracting the effect of different currents on drag free drifts)
Go to the stream and demonstrate these on the water . 15 min
III Move to grass and demo the ariel mend made close to the caster and then further away .There's nothing magic about 15 25 and 35 foot distances , but they're as good as any to start out with Use cones .Demonstrate how the mends can be made wider and longer by varying to he length the rod moves and the rapidity with which it does so . 15 min
IV Have the students make the mends at 15 feet to the left and right with long and short and broad and narrow mends , helping when needed . Follow this with self-discovery time. 30 min
BREAK
V Move to the cones at 25 and 35 feet and have the students work on these distances .The timing for these distances takes longer to develop in my experience . 30 min
VI Move the cones to random spots on the grass and have the students cast around them .Use a second cone as a target for the fly. 15 min
VII Demonstrate and then have the students make mends around cones with the roll cast 15 min
BREAK and question period
VIII Go to the stream and have the students demonstrate how they would use these mends fishing I would put a dry fly on -all the more dramatic if they catch a fish !
If the water is clear enough I would put on a wet fly or nymph to demonstrate the effect of drag on sinking flies as well . 30-45 min
Frank
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[GH] Bob & Frank,
Glad you were specific on the number of minutes for each item. Without that, the instructor is likely to run out of time without meeting the goals and objectives.
Of course, once the instructor knows the starting time and the time allotted for the whole lesson, this can be easily converted to real time. For example :
Event 1. 8:00 am - 8:15 am
Event 2. 8:15 am - 8: 30 am
And so on.................................
Gordy
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
|