MCI Preparations

I neglected to mention that the CBOG does have an MCI prep course at the International Conclaves such as the one we just completed at Bozeman. These do help to give an idea of the scope of the exam and a rough draft of what we are looking for.

Problem is that this is only a 2 hr. to 3 hr. session. Many candidates don't attend, either. These sessions cannot begin to get into depth of teaching. There is no time for individual casting coaching or in depth coverage of topics. As it now stands, the candidates have to seek those things out on their own. Of course, they also have to do the reading and view the pertinent videos.

Even with the detailed courses such as those Tom White and I have given, we recommend that the candidates who took the course go home and spend AT LEAST 6 months of additional study and regular hands-on teaching of fly casting putting in to actual practice what they have learned.

We also strongly recommend that these candidates seek out MCI's and/or CBOG's in their own areas....(or anywhere, for that matter) for additional help and coaching. I feel that a, "pre-test" is extremely valuable before going ahead with the actual exam. I know that most if not all CBOG's will be happy to do this on a 1 to 1 basis. I will do that for any MCI candidate who is willing to make a trip here. Studying, casting and teaching with other candidates is extremely valuable.

At the MCI brief course at Bozeman, one candidate said that he couldn't study with anyone because there was no one nearby for that.....I reminded him that Rick Whorwood and I had studied together using e-mail and phone calls.....and he lives in Canada, and I in the Florida Keys. For a 2 year period of time, we sent one another e-mail quizzes. Each response was with, 1.) A standard long answer. 2.) As brief an answer as possible.

We read everything we could get our hands on.....and spent lots of time actually teaching fly casting. We took two different MCI prep courses. I spent a few days taking Joan Wulff's Course for Instructors. (She doesn't give that one any longer.) I also drove up to Maryland and spent a whole day with Lefty strictly to study his teaching techniques. (This completely apart from the fact that we'd fished together.)

Those candidates who have actually done these things are the ones who have passed. It's a lot to go through...but the journey makes it all worth while.

When I actually took my exam, the first thing I told my examiners was that pass or fail, I'd had a great experience getting ready.....and it was THAT which was more important than anything else.