15 Most Common Casting Errors
While a link to this DVD already appears over in the sidebar, I thought that I would eat some bandwidth and post a short QuickTime clip—slightly modified—from the video. If you happen to be looking for the new-wave in fly-fishing video entertainment, this DVD isn’t it!
What this DVD is all about is helping casting instructors better visualize and understand 15 of the most common casting errors (determined by a grand committee of two casters, both of whom share the same last name). It was produced under the banner of the FFF Casting Instructor Certification Program.
As it turns out, the DVD has also gotten a following (a tiny one, mind you) among those casters who are just really into casting (i.e. the geeks). It can serve as a self-diagnostic tool (or just further education), as well as helping “casual” instructors up their game a bit.
If I can use one word to describe the DVD it is “focused.” If I can use another word, it is “boring.” To the casual observer, the video is about as exciting as watching cement dry. But, to the instructor, that boredom is actually all about paring errors down to the core, and making solid use of 13 minutes of time (with a bit of extra reading thrown in).
If you want to join the rarified atmosphere of the “15 MCCE Club,” whip out that credit card, sit back, and enjoy! The benefits of belonging are both numerous and exciting, including a front row seat for watching me do some brutally bad—even humorously bad—casting!
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Jason,
I might be seeing why you call this “Humor(?)” again. It is obvious “acts”!! I might get this DVD at FFF museum when I visit Livingston in a few weeks, only if I get time other than fishing.
As for the double haul, I still remember that I ran into a little fly shop way back in Tokyo Japan and asked the manager how I can do it. He pantomimed double haul. Keep doing back/forward cast with your rod hand then add load/haul motion with your line hand for both back and forward, to put it simply. Even now I practice this with my pen or cattle breeding syringe in my hand when nobody is around…
I really like this dvd! I embraced the inner geek a long time ago.
@Satoshi—That opening shot was mostly unscripted. I was just supposed to make a few long false casts and lay one down, then strip back and start again. Enough casting, basically, to get all the opening titles/credits in there, and be all serious and so forth. I just couldn’t go with the overly serious part, so I went with what felt right, and the scene has lived in infamy ever since (some people, unfortunately, just didn’t
“get it”fully appreciate the humor). And no, the “remix” is not on the DVD proper! ;-)Thinking about pantomiming and Japan, I wrote a short remembrance of Mel Krieger (Mr. Pantomime himself) for a Japanese magazine last year (FlyFisher magazine). I think that it might be good to publish it here in English, actually.
@Steve—Thanks. It takes a hardcore caster to fully appreciate the ambiance of the thing. The location is one of my old, favorite Wisconsin haunts, back in the weeds a bit. Not much other than little brookies mid-day, but come nightfall….