Good2Great Fly Casting Workshop
Over the past 30 years, I’ve amassed so much knowledge about fly casting that I could fill a book. And so I did. The result is Good2Great, a handbook that serves as the syllabus for an immersive 8-week workshop that turns good fly casters into great ones.
Good2Great is the culmination of years of teaching and coaching hundreds of fly anglers. In the past, I found myself delivering fly casting instruction piecemeal - isolated particulars about fixing tracking errors or the importance of a firm wrist. It’s long been a goal of mine to design a course that distills everything I know about fly casting into a single, focused curriculum. Since 2021, I’ve been fine-tuning the concepts and instruction in Good2Great, as well as developing a highly effective class structure. The result is what I believe to be the most detailed and comprehensive fly-casting course available anywhere.
Good2Great is fundamentally an online course. Once a week, Good2Great participants from around the country gather for a scheduled Zoom call. We follow the curriculum laid out in the Good2Great coursebook, which outlines a progression wherein each lesson builds on the previous one. We’ll review homework from the previous week, analyze each other’s casting in videos, watch relevant clips from my extensive library of demo videos, and practice some handy drills.
One tool all Good2Great students are introduced to is OnForm, a powerful video analysis platform that features a suite of tools for measuring and scrutinizing every aspect of your cast, from casting angle to stroke length to loop size, and everything in between. Armed with these data points, I can prescribe specific corrections to your form and technique. Every week, you’ll video yourself casting your homework assignment and then upload said video to OnForm for review.
A note: if you’re nervous about having your cast dissected in front of a bunch of strangers, don’t be. We’re here to learn, not shame one another. You’ll find that your fellow students are supportive and helpful. I guarantee my classes to be free of snobby jerks. And fun. This is fly-fishing after all, not Supply Chain Logistics.
Every week, I hold office hours where you can sign up for a one-on-one coaching session to review your videos, goals, and progress. Oh, you will see progress from week to week - that’s what’s so exciting about this class. Everyone makes progress. And everyone gets to progress at their own pace.
Not only will you learn a wealth of information about fly casting in Good2Great, but critically, you’ll learn to self-diagnose. When your cast isn’t doing what you want it to do, you’ll be able to analyze your own cast and self-correct - an invaluable skill. If you’re interested in teaching others, this class will give you a solid grasp of the essentials of the fly cast and equip you to give feedback and instruction to fly casting students.
No special equipment is required for the course; most of what you need, you likely already have—a fly rod, reel, and line for starters. You’ll also need a cell phone, computer, and internet connection. A tablet is highly recommended, along with an inexpensive tripod for filming. A tape measure and soccer cones round out the list of required equipment.
Who is this class for? While I believe any fly angler would benefit from taking this class, here’s who I consider the perfect candidates for Good2Great:
Highly-motivated Novices - you’ve been on the water before but find yourself frustrated Intermediate to Advanced Fly Casters
Fly Casters who have plateaued, but are anxious to reach that next level
FFI Certified Instructor (CI) candidates who are looking to pass their test and earn certification
Fly Anglers who want to catch more fish
Fly Anglers who want to catch more fish, who are also incredibly vain and want to look really impressive on the water.
Not everyone who enrolls is going to be at the same level, and actually, that’s one of the great things about the class - regardless of your level, you’ll learn from each other. For CI candidates, this class is tailor-made for you. We cover a lot of material that will appear in both the written and practical portions of the test. This class is also a great way to get familiar with video analysis, which will be a powerful tool to help you prepare for (and pass!) the Casting Performance tasks. An added benefit – you can incorporate your video analysis skills into your teaching repertoire once you have students of your own.
One thing I want to be clear about - this class is a commitment. It’s 8 weeks of intensive classroom learning, along with many hours spent on practice and drills. There are no casual participants. You’ll need to set aside a few hours each week to practice, film, and attend class. While it sounds very intense (we do go deep into the nuances of fly casting), it is also intensely rewarding. Most of you will see a dramatic improvement in your casting. You’ll feel more confident on the water and in the boat. Most important of all, you’ll catch more fish. Honestly, most weeks this class is like a chatty social hour that just so happens to be an advanced fly-casting class. It’s fly fishing, folks. How serious can it be?
Here’s just some of the material we cover in the course:
• The mechanics of fly casting
• The basics of video analysis using OnForm
• The dynamic relationship between fly caster, fly rod, and fly line
• How loops are formed
• How to cast tight loops
• Technical casting - Roll Cast, Reach Cast, Belgian Cast, Double Haul, Aerial Mends
