Archive for the ‘Casting and Line Handling’ Category

The Perfect Cast I

The Perfect Cast I (ISBN # 978-0-9854280-2-0) is the latest book in the Fly Fishing Series by Gary A. Borger.          Fly casting is built on one simple rule: what the rod tip does, the line does. From this underlying principle, Gary builds an amazingly clear and thorough understanding of fly casting, and introduces concepts […]

Ian’s Record Brown

My friend, Ian Gordon, is a teacher of two-hand casting in Scotland, and a very fine angler, guiding for Atlantic Salmon on a variety of Scottish rivers. And what does he do for relation–go fishing. This time in Iceland for huge browns on Lake Thingvallavathn, the largest lake in that country. The browns get enormous […]

Cast/Mend Definitions

As a scientist and college professor, I insist that my students learn definitions. It was not merely an exam exercise, for, without definitions that clearly demark the boundaries of an object, idea, theorem, anatomical structure, and so on, it is not possible to think about their relationship to other objects, ideas, theorems, anatomical structures and […]

Casting Classes

The Fly Fishing Shows are a great place to get half-day casting classes at an exceptionally good price. I offer them as space allows at the shows I attend. This year I will be at Denver, Somerset, Pleasanton, and Lancaster. The casting classes are always fun, and everyone comes away with some new understandings and […]

The Perfect Cast I

My blog has been neglected these last few weeks because of The Perfect Cast I, my next book in the Fly Fishing Series, and a new DVD that I shot this fall. Editing the DVD is a very time consuming process, but a rewarding one as well. The DVD will certainly be ready for the […]

Urban Fly Casting

My good friend, Juergen Friesenhahn, is s very active student of casting.  He is constantly thinking about and practicing a huge range of casting tactics. Last year, at the 2013 EWF Show in Germany, he translated for me. When I was talking about one phase of casting, he seemed to take a long time to […]

Modern Casting III—Arm Casting, part 1

Arm Casting evolved rather quickly in the late 1800s after the advent of fixed rings (guides), rod building techniques that allowed reproducible actions (6-strip cane rods), and high quality, braided silk fly lines. These three allowed the angler to shoot line, something that had been denied to the fly fisher for the first 2,000 years […]

Three Point Grip Variations

There is no “perfect” or “best” way to form the Three Point Grip. The point of the Three Point is to get the index finger up on the handle so that the rod is re-positioned in the hand relative to the forearm, allowing the wrist to be used fully on both the backcast and forward […]

Three Point Grip Part II

The Three Point Grip is not exactly the same one used by Lee. It is the evolutionary end result of Lee’s Tarpon Grip wedded to the other grips that have been developed through the ages and embodies the basic elements of all those grips. First, it reflects the Free Wrist Grip in the fact that […]

Three Point Grip Part I

This grip evolved out of Jason’s experiences with Lee’s grip. Fenwick came out with graphite rods in 1973, and as Director of the Fenwick Fly Fishing  Schools, I had access to “test” models. Several years after the first HMG models were introduced, they produced a 9-foot, 3-weight, which I immediately acquired for “testing.” I was […]