The WVFF is hooked on fly fishing the waters of Chelan, Douglas, Grant and Okanagan counties and beyond! 

 

Below is good information about upcoming casting classes

in ellensburg in just a few weeks.

Casting Workshops 2017
Washington Fly Fishing Fair
Ellensburg, WA
May 5 & 6, 2017


Note: All students attending casting classes should bring eye protection to wear during the lesson. Eyeglasses, sunglasses, or safety glasses will work. Sunscreen is highly recommended. Dress for the weather outside. It is anticipated that students will bring the equipment they fish with including a balanced rod and reel. There will be some rods for people just beginning or without one. On the water classes require you bring waders and a spey rod if required.
 

Friday

 
ROLL CASTING 
9:00 – 10:30 Casting Area 4
Maximum of 4 Students
 
Robert Gerlach, CI, brings you The Roll Cast, gateway to a whole new world of Casting.
Join Robert Gerlach as we discover a whole new world of casts by improving  our Roll Cast! All Spey casts culminate with the Roll Cast. Equipment; Your favorite Rod with floating line, safety glasses, hat, dress appropriately for the weather and a desire to improve your Roll Cast.
 
BEGINNING FLY CASTING 101            
10:30 – 12:00 Casting Area 4
Maximum of 4 Students
 
Jim Higgins, CI, will help those entering the sport to get off on the right foot with a sound course in the basics. This class is designed for the person who has never picked up a fly rod before or the person with limited casting experience.  We will start at the beginning and go through the fundamentals progressing to the overhead cast and shooting line to achieve more distance.  We will learn the roll cast just for the fun of it.  If you are a little rusty or just need a quick tune up this class is for you.  Come out and have some fun!
 
BEGINNING FLY CASTING
1:00 – 2:30 Casting Area 3
Maximum of 4 Students
 
Thomas Cammarata, CI, will help those entering the sport to get off on the right foot with a sound course in the basics. This class is designed for the person who has never picked up a fly rod before or the person with limited casting experience.  We will start at the beginning and go through the fundamentals of the pickup and lay down cast (i.e., overhead cast) and false casting. If time permits, we will learn the roll cast just for the fun of it. If you cast is a little rusty or just need a quick tune up this class is for you.
 
SINGLE HAND SPEY CASTING
1:00 – 2:30 Casting Area 4
Maximum of 4 Students
 
Chris Madison, CI, will be teaching single had spey. As a guide on the Yakima river, he knows the casts that get your fly to the fish quickly and with a minimum of fuss and shares them with you in this class
 
BEGINNING FLY CASTING
2:30 -4:00 Casting Area 3
Maximum of 4 Students
 
John Roskopf, CI, will teach fly casting basics from overhead casts to roll casts including how to shoot line.  You will find I am patient, have a good sense of humor and a solid base of knowledge that will get you off on the right foot. It really doesn't matter if you don't know anything about fly fishing. In fact it can be a positive advantage as there won't be any bad habits to correct It really doesn't matter if you don't know anything about fly fishing. In fact it can be a positive advantage as there won't be any bad habits to correct It really doesn't matter if you don't know anything about fly fishing. In fact it can be a positive advantage as there won't be any bad habits to correct. It doesn’t matter if you don’t know anything about fly fishing as this can be an advantage because there will be no bad habits to correct!  If you have some casting experience I can help you learn new fly casting techniques and can coach you in overcoming any self-taught bad casting habits that you may have picked up, enabling you to get the most from your future fly fishing opportunities.  When you’ve completed this course, you’ll have gained confidence and be ready to catch fish!
 
 
CHANGE OF DIRECTION CASTS 
2:30 -4:00 Casting Area 4
Maximum of 4 Students
 
Thomas Cammarata, CI, will introduce methods to change direction quickly as fishing conditions change. Getting  your fly to the fish quickly can make an enormous difference in catch rate…the fish do not always jump right in front of you!
 
 

Saturday

 
PRIVATE LESSONS 9:00 – 3:00
One student per lesson
 
Certified Casting Instructors will be offering 30 minute private lessons at a very reduced rate to benefit FFI and the public. People may either preregister with an instructor by name on the website or sign up for a class at the event on a space/instructor available basis at the casting desk…Back by popular demand as one of our most popular features last year.
 
WHAT TO EXPECT IN THE CI TEST? 
9:00 – 12:00 Casting Area 1
Unlimited Number
 
Carl Zarelli, MCI, THCI, CBOG, APGAI and Robert Gerlach, CI, say that If you have ever had an interest in the Certified Instructor test  or just been curious about the test you will want to take advantage of this class. In this class we will review some of the written questions and most of the tasks in the test .Take advantage of an examiners insight of years of testing single hand candidates and the correct techniques and the errors that he has seen over the years . Download the test and bring the rod and line that you think is best for this exam. This class will be performed on grass.
 
BEGINNING FLY CASTING FOR WOMEN                                                               9:00 – 10:30 Casting Area 2
Maximum of 6 Students
 
Mary Ann Dozer MCI –   The best fly fishers know how to cast. Fly Casting is easy when you apply a few basic mechanics. During this class you will get real-time application and coaching on the roll cast and overhead cast.  You will walk away with the confidence and skills to deliver the fly to water successfully.  All levels. Please bring a 4 to 6 wt rod.
 
CASTING IN ADVERSE CONDITIONS
9:00 – 10:30 Casting Area 3
Maximum of 5 Students
 
Ryan Smith, CI, says this course will help develop a solid foundation when casting in tough conditions while wading or from a boat.  We will start from scratch with your cast, by presenting a fly at close range, but we will quickly add features to your casting stroke that will aid in presenting flies at distance.  If you fish with larger rods for cruising or tailing fish, this class will teach you how deliver flies with confidence.  Or if you just want more power for turning over big flies on the Yakima, please join Ryan for an informative hands-on class.  Please bring a 6, 7 or 8 weight rod for this class with a floating line.  If you need to borrow a rod, please get a hold of Ryan in advance of the class.  ryan@avidangler.com, or 206-362-3040
 
LEARN THE DOUBLE HAUL              
9:00-10:30 Casting Area 4
Maximum of 4 Students

Jimmy Lemert, MCI, will up your casting game. If you enjoy fly casting and feel that you have reached a point where you feel comfortable with your cast and your loops, but would like to move forward with increasing line speed and distance, the double haul class is for you. This class will enable you to perform any existing cast and all future casts with more proficiency and will alleviate the amount of work you're casting arm is doing. This class should be considered an intermediate level course, it is not for the beginning student.
 
LEARN TO TEACH BEGINNING FLY CASTING
10:30 – 12:00 Casting Area 2
Maximum of 5 Students

Don Simonson Don Simonson, MCI, CBOG, will teach fly club casting teachers how to teach beginning casting to beginners. He brings to the table many years of teaching beginning to advanced casting and can help you get students off on the right foot.

SIMPLIFY FOR BETTER CASTS 
10:30 – 12:00 Casting Area 3
Maximum of 5 Students
 
Pat Peterman, MCI, will help those that are tired of struggling with all those lessons and tips playing in their head sort out the “stuff” and just start casting for fun again. Simplify your casting and the improvement you want will follow.
 
BEGINNING FLY CASTING 101    
10:30 – 12:00 Casting Area 4
Maximum of 4 Students
 
Jim Higgins, CI, will help those entering the sport to get off on the right foot with a sound course in the basics. This class is designed for the person who has never picked up a fly rod before or the person with limited casting experience.  We will start at the beginning and go through the fundamentals progressing to the overhead cast and shooting line to achieve more distance.  We will learn the roll cast just for the fun of it.  If you are a little rusty or just need a quick tune up this class is for you.  Come out and have some fun!
 
BEST PRACTICES FOR FLY CASTING TEACHERS
1:00 – 4:00 Casting Area 1
Maximum of 8 Students

Molly Semenik, MCI, CBOG, and Mary Ann Dozer MCI, Calling all anglers who teach casting to fellow club members, Casting for Recovery or Project Healing Waters participants or their fishing buddies. Let’s get together to share our common knowledge and best practices enabling all of us to become better teachers. This class will be interactive with hands-on casting, observing and discussing. Topics include the basic foundation cast, common terminologies, analyzing and fixing common casting faults and good teaching methodologies. Please bring: Eye protection, 4-7 wht. rod, 8’ -2x leader  water and sun protection.  Any tools you use for teaching that you would like to share with the group.

FIVE STEPS TO A PERFECT ROLL CAST        
1:00 – 2:30 Casting Area 2
Maximum of 6 Students

Chris Madison says the roll cast is arguably the " Swiss Army knife " of fly casts. Learn some of the many uses of this most helpful cast. Limited to 6 participants. Bring your favorite trout rod with a yarn fly attached to the leader.

INTERMEDIATE CASTING       
1:00 – 2:30 Casting Area 3
Maximun of 6 Students

Craig Koeppler, CI , will help those casters that have been at it a while clean things up and smooth things out. Several fishing casts will also be in the mix.

SINGLE HAND SPEY ON WATER
1:00-3:30 MEET AT CASTING DESK
Maximum of 4 Students

Al Buhr, MCI, THCI,  CBOG will offer a class on  Single-hand Spey for Fishing Situations. This is a hands-on workshop covering several spey-type casts and some not-so-spey-type casts that can simplify challenging fishing situations. Covered will be constant tension rod mechanics, the ‘figure-of-eight’ movement, moves within casts, and many useful casts for fishing. Learn new skills to master change-of-directions casts, solve casting in tight situations and expand your fishing experience.

CASTING TRADITIONAL ACTION RODS: BAMBOO AND FIBERGLASS    
2:30-4:00 Casting Area 2
Maximum of 5 Students
 
Do you have a bamboo rod or fiberglass rod, but can’t get it to do what you want it do?  Or maybe you just don’t understand the “traditional feel” that everyone with a bamboo or fiberglass rod talks about.  Well bring your bamboo or fiberglass rod  with a floating line to the class and work with MCI Bill Wheeler to learn how to enjoy that rod and get the most out of it.
 
 
BEGINNING  FLY CASTING       
2:30-4:00 Casting Area 3
Maximum of 5 Students
 
Walt Swanson, CI, will introduce you the sport from the ground up. He will include the basic equipment, what it’s for and how it’s used and will get you started with casting. You will understand the correct casting form, beginning with the pick up and lay down cast and advancing through the roll cast and the use of the line hand. Please bring a 9’ rod in a 5 to 7 weight with a weight forward floating line and eye protection. If you need equipment, please let Walt know and he can provide some.
 
SPEY CLASSES WILL BE HELD OFF SITE WHILE WADING IN THE RIVER. BRING YOUR WADERS AND SPEY ROD, REEL, AND LINE WITH LEADER ATTACHED AND YARN TIED ON IN LEIU OF A FLY. WEAR EYE PROTECTION.
 
BEGINNING SPEY CASTING ON WATER
9:00-12:00 MEET AT CASTING DESK
Maximum of 4 Students
 
Todd Somsel, MCI,  THCI, CBOG will present an introduction to Spey casting by means of two distinct statements.  First, think the cast through before you do it, not as you cast.  Second, initiate and execute the entire Spey cast with the underhand.

  • Lines: When and how to use different lines to catch more fish
  • Roll Cast & Flip the Tip Detailed look at how to make a sweep type roll cast.  Flipping the tip will make an effective forward cast by efficiently using the under hand.
  • Lifts: Types of lifts and the importance of using the correct lift to make the cast more efficient.
  • Anchors: The types of anchors, how and where it should to placed to take the full advantage of the Spey casts. Special attention will be paid to the Parallel rule and the consequences of not paying attention to it.
  • Taking control of the anchor rather than letting the anchor take control of you.
  • D-Loops Types of D-Loops, when to use them and with which lines.

SPEY CLASSES WILL BE HELD OFF SITE WHILE WADING IN THE RIVER. BRING YOUR WADERS AND SPEY ROD, REEL, AND LINE WITH LEADER ATTACHED AND YARN TIED ON IN LEIU OF A FLY. WEAR EYE PROTECTION.
 
INTERMEDIATE SPEY CASTING – ON WATER
1:00 – 3:00 MEET AT CASTING DESK
Maximum of 5 Students
 
Carl Zarelli, MCI, THCI, CBOG, APGAI will teach this class about taking your basic Spey casting talents and advancing your skill.  In this class you will learn some of the poorly understood subtleties of Spey Casting. We will explain  how to get the most out of the control of the two hand rod by passing on what has been taught to us over the years . This class should help you recognize how to analyze and self-correct your casting and bring it to another level. Better casting makes better fishermen.
 

Sunday

(note: Sunday activities are for certified casting instructor training only)

The Council is offering a Continuing Education Seminar for Certified Casting Instructors. Registration includes the whole day’s activities and lunch will be provided.

3 Hour Workshop I:    
9:00 A.M. to 12:00 NOON

AL BUHR : Understanding and Analyzing Casting Faults
This class will review a simple method to quickly analyze and decode casting faults. An unfurling loop can show a fault, however, in a generalized way. Whereas, rod movement during the cast will disclose an error specifically, and then, is confirmed as the loop unfurls; analyzing in one stroke. The ability to accurately assess a casting fault quickly and accurately is a necessity in teaching.
The class will have a booklet detailing casting mechanics and casting faults and is the workshop text. The class is two-part, to effectively analyze faults an understanding in rod mechanics needed to define an error. Starting with a review casting mechanic substance, and then an ‘explain and demonstrate’ session of faults discussing how to use rod mechanics to quickly analyze and decode casting faults. Jim Green used this simplistic approach to reliably define a casting error source quickly. This approach is very effective at defining the most offensive error among a series of faults. The class does apply to both single and two-handed casting since rod mechanics are the same with each.
 
Lunch 12:00 to 12:30 P.M.

3 Hour Workshop II:
12:30 to 3:30 P.M.

MOLLY SEMINIK – Video Analysis as a teaching tool including long distance mentoring.
 
Videos can be stopped, replayed, discussed and videos don’t lie.  Videos can be analyzed long distance as well as in person.  Videos have long been used for Golf, Football and other sports.  I have found them extremely effective as I progress through my TH skills.  Topics covered in class include:

  • Video Methods
  • Site Considerations
  • Camera Angles
  • Analysis ( I will have several examples for us to look at in the classroom with a monitor)
  • Long Distance, how to “teach” students how to take video and what to send to mentor.
  • Video not the same as a live set of eyes, be careful if analyzing for test readiness.

 

 

ARE YOU A FISHER OF FLIES ? 

NEW TO THE SPORT ?

  EITHER WAY – JOIN US !

 

We meet every 3rd Thursday of the month,

except JUNE – AUGUST at the

Eagles Lodge 

1208 Wenatchee Ave. Wenatchee WA

5:45  Wet Fly Hour

Grab A Bite -Talk – Meet and Greet

A Short Business Meeting then a

Presentation at 7:30

Our sport is a challenging and enjoyable way to fool fish, and if skill and luck coincide, we play and handle our quarry properly and release them to live in a place we love. 

A person may learn to tye and cast a fly in a few short lessons, and then through study and observation secure an introduction to the world that exists above, in and below the waters surface, but . . . " To achieve mastery is to rise above the need to catch fish."  Howell Raines

What We Do ?  

  • We get together to meet with other flyfishers or those new to the sport and share fishing stories and the company of like minded people that enjoy waving sticks at fish.
  • At each meeting we have the pleasure of listening to and questioning our Special Presenter.  Bring paper and pen, you'll walk out with some good tips and ideas.
  • The WVFF participates in a variety of fly fishing and tying outreach programs that introducesadults and children how to camouflage their first hook. 
  • We have a booth at the Leavenworth Salmonfest and display fly tying techniques, display live entomological samples from the Icicle Creek and talk to visitors about conservation and habitat concerns. 
  • Two of our members also teach a Continuing Ed class at Wenatchee Valley College each spring.
  • We organize Outings that gives our members another reason to inflate their pontoons or launch the John Boats on a different stretch of water.  These events range from large pot lucks to small groups getting together to collectively try to fool the fish. 
  • Our Photo Album occasionally demonstrates their level of success (or not) and displays the beauty of the region we fish with a fly.

You are most welcome to attend one of our meetings without obligation.  Come and meet the other locals that think catching a fish with a minute barbless hook, wrapped in fur and feathers, is fun. 

 

OUR MISSION

Rooted in the Wenatchee Valley, we are a small 501 c (3)  corporation, organized for charitable and educational purposes.   We focus on fish Conservation and Watershed Management that will improve the ecosystem of and adjacent to the local fisheries.

  1.  Provide opportunities for our membership to increase their capabilities regarding fly fishing.
  2.  Encourage the education of the public to the value of fish and conservation of their habitat.
  3.  Supporting efforts that the club and its membership believe will protect and/or enhance sport fishing in general and fly fishing in particular.
  4.  Protecting, conserving, enhancing and propagating fish through the voluntary practice of catch and release and other measures.
  5.  The premise that fellowship and camaraderie among fly fishers should be enjoyed.
  6.  Promote good sportsmanship as the creed of all fly fishers.

Member Rene Paul summed up our mission with the following song called,

"We're Going to Lake Chupaka"

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