Casting versus Fishing

The other day someone remarked to me that I like casting whereas this person likes fishing. I responded that I like fishing and casting. Casting with my friend, my fly rod, makes fishing fun every time. The tournament fly casters I know are also avid fishers and spend much time on the water with their fishing friends – their fly rods. Practicing together makes your rod your buddy. The reason fishing is so much more fun with a well trained fly rod is because the cast itself is a reward – just as hitting a target is an elemental reward, a competent cast to the place where a fish could be is a reward. This turns fishing situations with bushes, overhanging trees, underwater structure etc. into pleasure opportunities. You become a student of your back cast, your roll cast and all the other little tricks you develop. Every situation offers a reward. To have fished the water well is a worthy goal. The catching is certainly a bonus but it is in our power as dedicated fly fishers to leave every body of water, whether still or moving, knowing that we have fished the water well. That makes any fishing trip worth while. Why let the fish decide whether we have had a good time.                                                                              Peg    

Many people want to cast well enough to fish effectively but we are reaching out to people intending to master the rod and line so they can enjoy the sensation of casting a fully controlled loop to a particular spot, be it near or far far away, with such aplomb and savoire faire that the cast itself is a sufficient reward. This cannot be accomplished without serious practice and attention to the theory of making the fly rod move the line. We want to encourage others to become fly casting hobbyists, like us, in addition to their fishing hobby and to cast where they look, under the wind, into the wind, under the bush, back handed, over the off shoulder or clear out of sight.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

May 9th, 2011

The *ACA (American Casting Association) is excited to announce Introduction

to Tournament Casting to be held this July 9th and 10th at the Cabela’s Store in

TRY THE GAMES. CASTING GAMES ARE THE FLY FISHER'S DRIVING RANGE.

STILL ANOTHER PRIZE MONEY GAME

HENRY'S FORK FOUNDATION 'S HENRY'S FORK DAY FUND RAISER features a casting competition sponsored by Braide Sessions of  HTTP://WWW.FLYCASTINGCHAMPIONSHIPS.COM  

 This contest is part of  Henry's Fork Day XVII, on Saturday, June 18, 2011, at Fisherman's Access, Last Chance Idaho. Henry's Fork Foundation,

 http://www.henrysfork.org/?q=node/167  , is having a full day from breakfast to the casting competition, the annual meeting, a 4:00 silent auction, 6:00 dinner meeting, 6:45 PM live auction, 8:30 PM HFF awards and 8:45 PM drawing for a Clackacraft drift boat.

Braide Sessions is the founder of http://www.flycastingchampionships.com, a prize money casting contest circuit which he is starting in various places around the West. It is patterned after the golf circuits.

TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP: There will be two person teams entering at a cost of $40.00 per team. Any individual can enter as many times as that person likes but only once with the same partner. After the qualifying round, the five  top teams will be auctioned off in what I presume is a Calcutta type auction and compete again for the team championship. The Prize pool, composed of the team entry fees and the Calcutta auction proceeds  will be split- 50% to the Henry's Fork Foundation and 50% to the winning bidder and team with the prize divided one third each to the bidder and the two team members.

INDIVIDUAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

Qualifying times, June 17th, Friday, 7-10 AM and 7 PM to dark at the Henry's Fork Anglers shop. 

Saturday, June 18th  8:00 AM to 5:30 PM  at the Henry's Fork Foundation Day Tent at the Fisherman's Access to the Henry's Fork.

There will be Individual championships in various classes.

Unlimited entries, #5 and up, $20.00 per entry. #2&4, $10.00 per entry.

#7 and up casters  

( see http://www.flycastingchampionships.com for the class definitions and contest rules)

will compete for the Best of The Henry's Fork title.(Prizes-Lamson reel and fly line)

No 5 and 6 casters will compete for the Best of the Henry's Fork amateur division, (Prizes Simms gear bag and fly line)

Nos. 2,3 & 4 castes will compete with each other. (Prizes- fly line, leaders and tippets)