Anyone Can Teach Fly Casting

picture from amff.org

In one way or another, I’ve been teaching fly casting for over 20 years. I’ve taught it on river with clients I’ve guided. I’ve taught it with classes of 20 students. I’ve taught it with friends and family. I’ve taught my own boys. I’ve personally taken classes, read books on the subject, and watched plenty of YouTube videos. With great confidence, I can say there are good ways and bad ways to teach fly casting.

But don’t let not being the best keep you from showing someone how to enjoy fly fishing.

With that in mind, I’ve put together the seven steps I use when I’m first introducing someone to fly casting. The goal here isn’t to produce a competition caster. It isn’t to provide an outline for a formally certified class, either. My intention is to equip you: the dad, the friend, the volunteer with  a few ideas and with some confidence as you put a rod in someone’s hand for the first time.

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Podcast Ep. 412: So You Have to Show Someone How to Cast

You might not fancy yourself a teacher. But if you’re going to be a “fly fishing guy” there is a good chance you’re going to need to pass along some essential knowledge to a friend, coworker, or brother-in-law. And casting is about as capital-E essential as there is in fly fishing.

Today I walk you through what I focus on in my first 45 minutes of any fly casting lesson. The basics are basic, but we all to often fly past them in order to get on the water or into a hula hoop. Hopefully my process will be helpful to you as you prepare to help someone else get out on the water with a fly rod in hand.

Listen to the episode below, or on your favorite podcast app.

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VIDEO: Fly Fishing Illustrated

There are few books out there that appeal to anglers of any age, at any skill level. But I’m confident that The Fly Fishing Book by Steven Weinberg happens to be one such book.

Between the endearing artwork and the humorous take on the pursuit we all love, this is a title that experts and those with only the slightest interest in fly fishing will enjoy. Beyond that, it truly gives the reader everything he needs to know to get out on the water and have success.

This is a book that anyone teaching fly fishing should own. This is a book that anyone who fly fishes and has kids should own. Honestly, this is a book that you should own.

Watch what else I have to say about the book and find out where you can pick up your own copy below:

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Fly Fishing Small Streams… & You!

If I had more time, energy, and effort, I’m sure that I could make the thousands of posts on Casting Across more accessible and attractive. There are tweaks that I could make to the website and optimization tools I could utilize. But that is not how I want to fill my hours. All that said, there are a few things that I do want to make easy to find for those clicking around on the site or Googling away on the internet.

For over ten years, small stream fly fishing has been one of the primary aspects of fly fishing I’ve written about and one of the major reasons why people find their way to Casting Across. Recently I put together a page with some of the most read articles and watched videos that pertain to fly fishing on small streams. Instead of using the in-site search bar, links to all the best are all right there on one screen.

In the last few days I’ve expanded the Small Stream Fly Fishing page significantly. I’ve added some beginner materials, put up a few more podcast episodes, and rearranged things to make it a bit easier to navigate.

I do hope that this will be helpful to  beginners or to those who are trying to hone their skills on tiny spring creeks or on high-gradient streams up in the mountains. Check out the link below, and then don’t hesitate to let me know what other kind of small stream fly fishing content you’re looking for.

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Podcast Ep. 411: A Few More Thoughts on Old Fly Rods

So you want to buy and fish with an old fly rod. Not a collector’s item or a rare antique: just a regular, old old fly rod.

Great. I’m a fan. And this week, I’ve been writing and talking about that very thing.

After putting together an article and video about fly fishing with old rods on small streams, I figured I’d keep a good thing going and explain a few things about the enterprise. In particular, in this episode I discuss finding a fishable rod and pairing it with the right modern fly line. There is much more to it, of course… but that will get you out on the water at least.

Listen to the episode below, or on your favorite podcast app.

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VIDEO: Small Streams & Old Fly Rods

I’ve reviewed countless new, shiny 3-weights. The vast majority of them are well-designed, feature-packed, and a lot of fun to fish. I’ve added a handful to my arsenal and have encouraged you to do so as well.

Today, that is not what I’ll be doing.

The fact of the matter is that you might already have a great small stream fly rod in your closet. Or, you could be a few clicks on an e-marketplace away from acquiring such a piece of gear at a reasonable price. Because even old fly rods work really well when fly fishing on small streams.

In this video I show you three rods that came into my possession through three different means. They are three very different fly rods. They are from three different decades. But each is a lot of fun to fish on small streams.

Check out the video below:

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Old Fly Rods & Small Streams

With all the high-tech, high-priced modern fly rods out there, no fly fisher is immune from the allure of the upgrade. However, the small stream fly fisher might just be the most resistant to the contagion. An old fly rod will do just fine on a small stream.

After all,  in that description the “fly rod” is much more essential to the angling equation than the “old.” A fly rod is what is needed to get the job done. The manufacturer, to a certain degree the design, and the length of time the tackle has been in a closet are much less important. As is often quipped: the fish don’t care.

There are two primary reasons why we use and love old fly rods on small streams: They are practical and they are beautiful. (I’ll explain what I mean by beautiful later in the post.) But it is sufficient to say that these categories are each reason enough to fish your old fly rod. It must also be said that they are certainly not mutually exclusive.

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Podcast Ep. 410: Fly Fishing Accusations, XLI

“But why?”

This can be a very obnoxious question. Or, it could be a very revealing question. Do you know why we do what we do when we fly fish?

One of this week’s questions was posed to me by a student in a casting class that I am teaching. Innocently, he asked why we  reel with our non-dominant hand. So I explained it to him.

And I’ll explain it to you… along with two other viewer, listener, and reader pieces of feedback. This includes one that could be considered an accusation!

Listen to the episode below, or on your favorite podcast app.

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VIDEO: A Modern Dry Fly Classic

Vincent Marinaro’s A Modern Dry-Fly Code is in the top tier of angling books as far as impact goes. By the second edition, it had seen seven printings and been received with open arms and much praise.

And the reason was simple: Marinaro articulated tying and fishing strategies that moved the ball forward.

While the evolution of fly fishing is a very braided river, it is undeniable that some of the major currents we’re drifting today have been fed by this book. Along with discussing terrestrials and midges, the author explains how alterations to a dry fly’s profile can elicit strikes from wary fish. To top it all it is an incredibly readable volume.

If you’re a student of fly fishing history, this is a must-own.

Watch what else I have to say about the book and find out where you can pick up your own copy below:

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Dark Skies Fly Fishing: Fall 2026

Dark Skies Fly Fishing continues to grow! The content is more diverse. More people are reading this magazine. The look of the publication is being refined, too.

There’s no time like now to read and to subscribe.

In this issue, I have an article entitled “Better Blue Lining.” I distill some of my most productive and helpful small stream tactics into a few pages of information. These tactics are aspects of fly fishing that anyone can adopt. But they’re also the kinds of skills that can also evolve over time.

On top of that, there is a book review on one of my favorite releases of 2026.

Along with my article, there are pieces on nymphing skinny water, patterns for night fishing, and Great Lakes steelhead. Click on the link below to start reading and to learn how you can access the whole issue.

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