Glasgow Casting Club

[Teither]

Alan,
       I'm not sure what you mean to embrace by " membership fees ". However, as Malcolm pointed out, there are loads of folk out there offering their coaching/ instructing services free in just about every sporting activity I can think of. Look in on any of the Glasgow parks of a summer evening or on weekends and you will see many young people being coached and encouraged in football, as the most obvious example. I know that the same thing happens within golf clubs, cricket clubs, bowling clubs, athletics clubs etc etc ... I could go on and on, as the wishful-thinking actress longed for the bishop to say ! And almost all of this help and guidance is offered free [ in terms of specific coaching fees ] by folk who love their sport and just want to help others, often, but not exclusively, younger people. In most of those areas I'm pretty sure that fee-paid tuition is also available - it certainly is in golf.
      I see the issue of casting instruction , at least so far as our activities at GCC are concerned, as being no different. When Alberto made his introductory  remarks in the early nights of the GCC he made very clear that what was on offer was a first-class practice facility, at a very low weekly cost of £1, and some level of help for those who wanted that. He also made very clear that anyone wishing more intensive or one-to-one coaching/ instruction should make his/her private arrangements with any of the qualified instructors who might be in attendance. You know that some folk did indeed choose to do that. So I can't really understand where all this current navel-gazing is meant to be leading us.
   Or is just that your students have locked you out of the classroom .. again ?  

T

[Malcolm]

Quite!,

I've never once had payment for the sports coaching that I've done. I know coaches from cricket, athletics, rugby and rowing and haven't heard of anyone being paid. I know that most are out of pocket but don't mind as the same was done for us when we were young. It's pay back time!

Things change at higher levels I know and of course there are professional coaches many of whom have spent months (or years) on full time physical education courses at college or University.

I've never been at that higher level either as a coach or participant.

[Brian Mcg]

Sorry I didn't make it through tonight I have been on the River all day and The last thing I wanted to see was a cast.

Alan,
        I'm not sure what you mean to embrace by " membership fees ". However, as Malcolm pointed out, there are loads of folk out there offering their coaching/ instructing services free in just about every sporting activity I can think of. Look in on any of the Glasgow parks of a summer evening or on weekends and you will see many young people being coached and encouraged in football, as the most obvious example. I know that the same thing happens within golf clubs, cricket clubs, bowling clubs, athletics clubs etc etc ... I could go on and on, as the wishful-thinking actress longed for the bishop to say ! And almost all of this help and guidance is offered free [ in terms of specific coaching fees ] by folk who love their sport and just want to help others, often, but not exclusively, younger people. In most of those areas I'm pretty sure that fee-paid tuition is also available - it certainly is in golf.
       I see the issue of casting instruction , at least so far as our activities at GCC are concerned, as being no different. When Alberto made his introductory  remarks in the early nights of the GCC he made very clear that what was on offer was a first-class practice facility, at a very low weekly cost of £1, and some level of help for those who wanted that. He also made very clear that anyone wishing more intensive or one-to-one coaching/ instruction should make his/her private arrangements with any of the qualified instructors who might be in attendance. You know that some folk did indeed choose to do that. So I can't really understand where all this current navel-gazing is meant to be leading us.
    Or is just that your students have locked you out of the classroom .. again ? 

T

I can speak from the experiences I have had in The Fife Casting Club regarding fees etc. I was getting bogged down with absolute beginners and it was really hard work and it had to cease operating at that level.
I do not know about Alberto but my vision of a Casting club was everybody could learn something equally,me included.
I now have 6 people and hopefully one other is going to Join. We can then bounce (argue)things of each other, then demo the cast(argue again). That way we are not repeating the same casts over and over again.
One of my first questions are " how far do you want to take this casting" Answer, then proceed from there.
To charge Fees we need to look outwith Casting Clubs but don't stop them as the good they do is imo payment enough.


Brian

[Brian Mcg]

The Fife cc Tried the unstructured approach initially but the problem with that is you do not know if people are learning anything or just casting for the sake of it. My reason for the limited numbers were that we had sometimes 20 people with no real direction therefore no real benefit. Some people were practicing faults and with no real time to spend one on one something had to change. I will of course reevaluate it and if needs must, change it back. There is of course the serious issue of trying to earn a living so if people want a one on one they may consider paying for a lesson and using the cc as backup


Brian

[Wildfisher]

the real success of gcc is that its open to people outwith the regular members, the members themselves welcome it, the core of regulars is what makes it work rather than 'an instructor'

and there are no ulterior  financial / ego motives.  Nothing remotely  like it up in this neck of the woods I'm afraid.

[Brian Mcg]

and there are no ulterior  financial / ego motives.  Nothing remotely  like it up in this neck of the woods I'm afraid.

Fred start one up You only need a few like minded people.


Brian

[Wildfisher]

You only need a few like minded people.

Sadly Brian, there are none up here or at lest none that I have met and would choose to spend any time with.   :lol:

[Malcolm]

Last night while using the powerful sea trout rod it struck me that there is a big technical difference in using powerful rods of the type many of us used in the 1980s and the light delicate equipment mostly used for trout now. I handed my rod over to Craig so that he could show me a slightly different aerial mend to the ones I use and Craig, who is technically adept, couldn't do it with my rod although he did it very easily with a lighter rod. I've noticed this before with both Alan and Alberto. I don't think it is just to do with weight and power. I think there is a different skillset needed. Do the casting organizations recognize this?

It seems to me that the Scottish based organizations need to cater for the needs of anglers in Scotland and most of our fishing up here isn't done with a single fly and a 5 weight rod. Yet that seems to be the norm for instruction purposes.

I would hazard that at least 50% of fishing in Scotland is done with a multi-fly cast on a 10ft 7/8 weight rod fishing for loch trout or for seatrout and single handed salmon. Do you know that I have never once seen any casting instructor either practicing or teaching with this type of equipment? I think it should be incorporated into the syllabus.    

[scotty9]

I would hazard that at least 50% of fishing in Scotland is done with a multi-fly cast on a 10ft 7/8 weight rod fishing for loch trout or for seatrout and single handed salmon. Do you know that I have never once seen any casting instructor either practicing or teaching with this type of equipment? I think it should be incorporated into the syllabus.    

Health and safety...... risk assessments..... potential litigation.... that's probably why not.

[Teither]

You may well be right there, Scott, in respect of the multi-cast thing. The teaching is done with wool, obviously for safety reasons. However, the first couple of lessons I had were on put-and-take stillwaters, with different instructors, both well-known and both excellent. The rod I used was my LPXe 9.5 ft 7 wt. and each instructor commended the rod as an excellent choice for my then-declared fishing interest [ and each did ask me ] - those same kinds of fisheries. I have subsequently put other people in touch with each of those gentlemen for their first lessons. In each case the set-up was the same as mine.
So it does happen, Malcolm. In fact, of all the people I know who have started in the flyfishing racket, none has been taught using the lighter gear. Mind you , given your comments to me last night about the difference in my single-handed casting when using your wrist-breaker Trilogy as opposed to using  my wee fairy Streamflex rod, I do think the point you make may well be very valid ! 
T