The following is the first in a series of excepts from George Robert’s new book, “Master the Cast” His publisher was generous enough let FlyFish.com share some of it with its readers…Enjoy!

Part I
Equipment, Loading and Unloading the Rod

Fly casting is the most important skill in fly-fishing. It is perhaps the only skill you cannot do without. A successful fly-fisher need not know how to dress flies, tie knots, rig equipment, or even how to find fish. (You can hire a guide for that.) But a successful fly-fisher must be able to present a fly to a fish.
Despite the importance of the cast, the average fly-fisher gives less thought to it than to purchasing a pair of sunglasses. In fact, many …

I was fishing the Border Esk on an October Friday. The trout season was slipping into memories of summer or rather non-winter. I was after salmon but with my beefier brownie gear. I don’t possess a salmon set up. I was wielding an ageing Daiwa 9 .5 footer with an H reservoir makeup and 10 lb. nylon. The water had just moved into fishing after flood so a rapid sink Orvis leader was getting the fly down nicely. I had a Rat size 10 on the point and a size 12 red fly ( name unknown ) on a dropper.

The last paragraph was for you tackle junkies. I was sporting a wax jacket, co-ordinated torn jumper and grey/brown hair if …

Sometimes a Variation Can Make a Difference.
One of the advantages of owning a flock of genetic birds used for premium
fishing flies is the fact that I get to choose what is bred and what
variations in feather color will be attempted during the upcoming season .
Often, world renown fly tiers hang out at the shop’s bar and together we
contemplate what the other may be wishing to have produced for new or
different patterns. Sometimes when the right birds are selected the color
that is created can be spectacular. However, once the breeding is complete
the wait begins and the expectations can take time to prove whether I
really “did good.” Then there are the little things in …

During the course of having a customer try out a new rod on the casting pond just to the left of my shop, I notice quite a few similarities in many of the novice anglers casting techniques. However, in spite of what I see it is almost inevitable that at some point the novice will ask, ” I have a problem getting distance to my casts. Do you have any suggestions?”

Well most likely I had already thought of a few but rather then criticize the angler I almost want to scream at the “dweeb” who elected himself as an instructor because he purchased a scrap of paper from some $200 fly by night college which as expected acknowledges him as …

The clock rang, six AM, it seemed as if I had just closed my eyes for minute and now the sun was rising fast, burning the crisp morning fog off the fields. I was tired and disgruntled at my lack of rest. However, I did not hesitate to get up; for today is Monday, and that means a day of stream fishing out on my favorite waters. Scrambling to get into the car, I make sure that I have all the essentials, fly rod, vest and waiters, it’s all there.

I drive almost in a coma state still trying to steal a few extra minutes of sleep till I pass the first river on my journey the White. I glance …

"Look
at all of them" Bonnie exclaimed from her seat in the canoe as I beached my
trusty Old Town on a sand bar upstream of the rising fish. Gathering up my
4-weight, I eased in at the head of the riffle, a good cast above the rising
fish. It took several drifts to connect, but when I did I could tell it was a
very good fish. The 4-weight bowed and the big brown took flight. "This is
the biggest trout Ive ever hooked on a dry fly" I said as Bonnie watched
me play the fish, "and one of two things is going to happen, Ill land
him or Im going to lose him and feel real bad …

height="136" alt="Catherine Creek, Schuyler CO. NY" class="image-left" BORDER="0"/>Steelhead are
one of the targets of my fly rod that continue to frustrate me. As far as fly fishing
goes, I can catch and land just about anything with a degree of competence, except that
is, for steelhead. I can find them, and hook them, but often lose the game when it comes
to the playing and landing department. Ten pound fish on four pound tippets are tough to
deal with, but when the fish is a steelhead, it gets twice as tough.

Having gotten that off my chest, why would I write a steelhead article? Well for me,
winter is too long, and as my age increases, so does the length of …

“Here he comes!,” Moe said, as a group of three bucks broke off from their school, chasing the
red fly that ripped through the water as fast as I could retrieve it. One of the silvery trio
accelerated ahead of his two pals, and engulfed the Estaz-collared fly, as Moe cheered him on.
This shad put on a rod bending battle, including an interesting tail walking display, before I
managed to wrestle him in close enough for Delaware River Driftboat Guide Moe Neale Jr. to
net. Moe and I caught several shad that day, and all of them put on a show.

Fly fishing for shad probably does not carry the grandeur of salmon fishing, or the complexity of
casting for wary, selective trout …

I don’t remember my first encounter with members of the pike family while using fly
tackle, but I certainly remember the last. I was out in my float tube, on a local lake, trying to
relax after a long weekend of working around the house. It was during the early part of June,
and the brand new 4-weight rod in my hand was getting a workout on the local bluegill
population.

The new rod worked great, and several slab sized bluegills were subdued, and brought to
the net. As I was working my way around the island in the lake, I cast my favorite popper, a
chartreuse Sneaky Pete, up under an overhanging branch. The popper had barely hit the water
when all …

When the first photographs were taken, many superstitious people feared having their
picture taken. While their fears of photography weren’t founded in reality, the idea that a
photograph captures the spirit is, in a way, true. To me,
photographs capture the spirit of the moment, and as an avid
outdoorsman, my hunting and fishing photos bring back
many happy memories of moments passed. For fly fishermen
and women, capturing the spirit of a nice fish about to be
released, or of the majestic beauty of a great river can make
such moments last forever.

Photography, like most other technologies, has undergone a lot of change in the last 20
years. Most of these changes have made it far …