Lesson plan value ... Sheila Hassan / "pickup" / 2 attachments

For MCCI candidates : I've included two lists of sample questions from one of the European Master written exams and a few answers by one individual. Also, some comments in one of them by Dusty Sprague. Spending a few hours chewing on these and looking up answers in your reference material will prove valuable.

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· I have been reading with interest the latest comments about preparing for the MCI exam and the lesson plans.

One common point was that although they had teaching experience, none of the, had a written lesson plan of their own.

I agree with Jim: the lesson will plan will definitely be smoother and “more Masterful” if it has been thought out in advance.

I feel there is no substitute for putting pen to paper and writing. All the writers I know tell me they learn more when they write.

It helps you see in black and white what you have thought about and challenges you to organize what you think you will or are doing.

I do recall there is an article in a past issue of the Loop which deals with how to write Lesson Plans and their value: Loop Winter 1997 by Floyd Franke.

So I would urge everyone to write their own lesson plans, your development as an instructor will improve.

· Another common area was that none of the candidates had been to a conclave and only 1 had taken a class with a CBOG outside of their local area.

The value of doing this is tremendous and the difference between candidates who are truly well rounded is quite obvious at exam time.

· By the way, I start most of my teaching with the roll cast. The number on reason is that we do not have a lot of good rivers here. Most people will fish ponds or the ocean. In both of the cases the roll cast helps get a straight line to the fish and can be used to straighten the line before a basic cast with line shooting ( really important if your beginner student plans on using a sinking line!).

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That, and other past LOOP issues are available on line from the FFF office. This brings me to recommend that MCCI candidates obtain as many of these issues as they can and spend time studying the many great teaching articles they contain. They can be printed out and saved for reference study material during the years of preparation.

As you know, Joan Wulff's lesson plan begins her new casters with an, "on the water" roll cast. She does this with two objectives in mind... 1.) It breeds the confidence of early successs for the trepid student. 2.) It allows the teaching of one half of a full fly cast without the burden of the second half (the back cast) for a brand new beginner.

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Howdy Gordy and Group

Touching on Michael's question on picking up the line.

The start of the cast and the loop on the back should be 180 degree Rule.

If you start with the rod tip waist high like a spinning rod or plug caster that is only casting the weight at the end of the rod. The fly line is a weight that is 30 ft long. You will find the Fly line often still has slack. This also only loads the tip of the rod.

When starting at the water and accelerating to keep the line lifting off the water you will find you make a Back cast that took less energy to loft and you get a "Up Cast Behind You". Loaded the rod deeper, This is what you really want in an over head cast. To get the line UP behind you. The Rod tip is about 12 ft high at it's peak. This is also where you want the line. You do not need to be lifting the line over your head on the forward cast this is domeing when view from the side.

Second thing is the high starting point will get the fly down behind you and passing you on the forward cast about 'Ear high'. Ofen the Clouser type fly will be 'back' high. Requiring a buddy to remove it.

Start at the water. Lift the FLY LINE off the water add the power late in the cast to sent the back cast loop UP behind you. You will find it requires less energy to make the same cast.

ol Al

Allen Crise
FFF Master Casting Instructor
Hawk Ridge Flycasting School
Glen Rose, TX 76043
254-897-2045
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Al .....

Yes, indeed. You raise an important point which I'd neglected to mention .... that of SLACK. All that line sagging down from the rod tip when you start with the rod high is slack which must be taken up before your stroke becomes effective as the rod begins to load. Thus the effective stroke length and rod arc are shortened even more.

Gordy

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