It was right before lunch on the first day of the Mid-Atlantic Fly Casting Instructor Rendezvous earlier this month when I asked organizer Dave Rothrock if he planned to make it an annual event.
He’d invited me to join some 30 world-class fly fishing instructors and guides gathered at the Feathered Hook Fly Shop in Coburn, Pennsylvania, near the famed Penns Creek, to talk business. It seemed to be going well.
In the past he had held similar gatherings of fly fishing greats, but this was the first in many years, and he wasn’t sure if anybody would respond to his Facebook invitation. Within a few weeks, he was booked.
“I look at it as providing a service to my fellow casters,” said the guide, instructor, and author. “Am I going to add the ‘First Annual’ Mid-Atlantic Fly Casting Instructor Rendezvous? We’ll see if there is enough interest to keep this going.”
The agenda was full and tight. Rothrock kicked it off at 8:30 a.m. with a discussion on gear and what the experts think fly fishing newbies should buy.
John Bilotta, a certified “master casting instructor” and former TV producer for the ABC show 20/20, said he recommends anglers figure out first what they will be fishing for. And take a look in the mirror. “Age is a factor. Size is a factor,” he said.
Casting instructor Tom Cooper said, “Buy for your first four years. Don’t spend a lot.”
The talk then turned to handling “difficult” clients and students, especially the uncoordinated kind. One guide recalled asking a client to raise his casting hand to his ear, but he always stopped at his chest. “I wondered, ‘Who ties your shoes in the morning?’” said the guide.
The solution, several said, is using video.
Craig Buckbee, a New York and Pennsylvania guide, Fly Fishing International master casting instructor, and teacher at the Wulff School of Fly Fishing, said he doesn’t get bogged down in the problems. “I move on. I want them to smile and have fun.”
As lunch approached, Rothrock asked a final question: Name the top casting faults of students and clients.
Here, virtually all 30 agreed. Weekend anglers have messy casts because they don’t follow two basic rules. The first is to stop the cast at 10 o’clock and 2 o’clock. And the second is what many called “wrist hinging,” or the improper movement of the casting wrist.
I asked a few of the casting pros if gatherings like the Rendezvous were valuable in the digital age. Nobody hesitated. The answer was “yes,” with many happy to see the revival of the meeting where they could turn off their computers and phones and talk fishing, clients, rods, and flies.
“Fly fishing has given me so much that I want to give back,” said Maryland casting instructor Dave Cleaves. “We’re supposed to be inspiring people,” he added.
Cooper, who once taught for L.L. Bean, said, “I learn from each and every one of these. It does change your opinion.” He added, “Anything that I can pick up to help people to learn is a great benefit. Everyone here is a casting instructor because they want to pass it on.”
Bilotta, who has the added achievement of being a certified two-hand casting instructor and host of international fly fishing trips, said, “It is like a teacher conference. Teaching is coaching.”
Buckbee called the gathering a “geek fest” for the angling pros. “I offer, and I’m given,” he said.
While the hosts of similar events around the country charge a fee, Rothrock said that his are free, which is a tradition among East Coast gatherings dating back to the first club meetings when the sport began.
“When I look at gaining as much as I can gain from this, I look at that as a form of payment,” said Rothrock.
About a week after the weekend wrapped up, Rothrock posted some pictures on Facebook and hinted at the future of the Rendezvous. He wrote:
“It’s HISTORY! The first annual Mid-Atlantic Fly Casting Instructor Rendezvous. A really big thank you to all who attended. Each one of you contributed to make this event a success! All told, we had 30 folks who attended. Regardless of how this event has been labeled, it really belongs to each one who contributed. Without you, it would have been nothing. I’m already working on next year’s rendezvous using feedback from attendees and, obviously, some of my own ideas. Always try to make it even better next time!”
Paul Bedard is a senior columnist and author of Washington Secrets.
