Family-Outdoors wrote:
Spent some time teaching my youngest some basics. Started on grassy
field and worked about a half hour as he was pretty adamant about
wanting to get on water. He is 16. We tried this process several
years ago but he really was not ready. Did not have patience to
contend with various aspects of process and learning curve involved.
Also, like his Dad was (me) at that age, he was a little lacking in
the coordination department. It went much better this time.

He really wants to learn. He wants to guide some day and has the head
knowledge to do it, but knows he must learn to handle a fly rod in
addition to spinning gear. It seems like the hardest thing for me to
get across to him is the feel of allowing the loop to roll out behind
him. We got it down a bit, and then we went fishing. He'd go good
for awhile, then start regressing. He would then ask me to look and
see what it was he was doing wrong. Except when he asked, I tried to
not even watch him.

If anyone has any tips on this process I'd love to hear.

The old school teaching method was the metronome. 10,2,12, 10,2,12
and on, and on, and on until finally it's embedded in muscle memory.
I'm glad I didn't learn that way. ;-)

One tip I like is the rubber band. Hand someone a rubber band and
tell them to throw it as far as they can. Mark the spot and then
tell them to stretch it over their finger and *shoot* it as far as
they can. Explain that the fly line is a rubber band and the fly
rod is your finger. That mental image seems to help some newbies
get the idea.

And kudos to you for teaching the youngun' to fly fish. I'm jealous.

--
Ken Fortenberry