Paul Arden | Tuesday, 3 June 2025
A question that is always asked in my Zoom flycasting coaching is how long should the gap be between lessons. Typically I suggest 8-10 hrs of training between lessons. It can be more, it shouldn’t really be much less.
Initially when starting out with a new student, I want to see them around two weeks after the first lesson. This is very important because it’s not uncommon to find that the direction taken isn’t as intended! In fact it’s so unpredictable that I don’t think teaching actually starts until the second lesson. As someone who has given many one-off lessons in the past, it has been very interesting to learn this!
After this I expect improvements every lesson, and these lessons can and should be spread to 3-4 week intervals. It doesn’t seem to matter if there is a longer interval. In fact that can often be advantageous.
It’s around lesson 10 +/-2 where I find that the caster is a different animal. It’s like a skin is shed between one lesson and the next. It’s not a small improvement; but a transformation. It is, quite frankly, amazing.
The four cornerstones for me are Accuracy, Speys, Distance and Presentations. But what I see is fluidity of movement, control and a connection through the body. That is then what I consider Advanced Level. Yes it’s somewhat subjective and while I can put some numbers around it, I won’t, because it will just start an argument on the Board!!
The interesting point about this, is that ten lessons, which usually takes about a year, will mean that the student will have had at around 100 hours of structured training practise, and usually more. If they were not outstanding flycasters by this point, then I should hang up my teaching hat and take up another profession!!!
So that’s what I look at: ten lessons over a year with approximately 100 hours of training. Which is how I nowadays structure my courses. After this point you will be a very fine caster indeed. For some it takes longer than a year, but the ten lessons/100 hours still applies (winters/fishing/life can get in the way). And it doesn’t matter if it takes one year or three years; it’s not a race. I have seen it done in eight months several times.
Many of my students after this point continue with me of course. After this point I offer 5 lesson packages and we meet every couple of months or as requested. There is always more to learn. More than a few go onto be instructors (or MCI if already CI), others go onto compete, a few become guides. Coaching advanced level flycasting is what I personally enjoy the most, and so the more people I can get to be advanced level, the more fun it is for me!!
So yes, about 100 hours of training. I think that applies to a lot of things. But it does need to be structured. I think the job of a flycasting coach is to structure training and to analyse movement.
Now it’s very important to state that all of the above applies to typical students who have been fly fishing for many years. Typically they have a 70’ cast to begin with. They already practise. Beginners to advanced level does not take 100 hours! Beginners to intermediate level takes at least 100 additional hours. I have not yet taken a complete beginner right through to advanced level. Generally there is a big gap from starting out to deciding to become an excellent fly caster. That gap is often about 10 or 15 years. In some cases it’s 50 years!
And I think that too is understandable. A beginner wants to learn to fly cast to go fishing. Their primary objective is fishing. And there is so much to learn in fly fishing at this point. It’s a vast field and flycasting is only a small part of that. It’s later, once someone has actually learned to fish, and usually extremely well because they are obsessed, that the interest in becoming an outstanding flycaster can appear. Particularly in the case of saltwater of course.
So it’s of no surprise, I think, that I haven’t had any students go right through yet. I’m sure at some point it will happen. I’ve been coaching for almost 30 years now. But it’s always going to be the exception; it’s a very select group of anglers who decide to take their casting to a truly advanced level. And besides, most of my students have always come in at Intermediate level.
Anyway just some thoughts there. Today there is a video on Drift for the manual. My current thoughts.
Now is a good time to buy Sexyloops rods. We have almost caught up. Not quite but almost. And I haven’t been in that position for three years. Maybe… drum roll… we even get to put some rods in stock!!
Have a great week!
Cheers, Paul