Style verses substance

The Casting Connection

Scott Swartz founded the Atlanta Fly Fishing School, which began in 1999. It is the largest such operation in the Southeast and the only Trout Unlimited “Gold Endorsed” school in the United States. His Florida Fly Fishing Schools started in 2008, helping anglers learn to successfully fly fish in saltwater

July 2025

Capt. Scott Swartz

Q. My friends who coach me disagree about grip, stance, arm positions and overhead versus sidearm. What do you teach in your school?

A. You’ve asked a question of substance versus style.

Every one of us is built a little different and will find the most comfortable and effective way to cast. We do not teach style in our schools. It is the substance of casting we teach, and substance makes casts work. These principles are the same for everyone (substance), but how you apply them is uniquely you (style).

One of the first writings on the substance that makes up casting was by Bill and Jay Gammel for the Federation of Fly Fishers (now Fly Fishers International). After two years of studying what makes casts work, they wrote The Essentials of Fly Casting in 1990. These principles are still relevant 35 years later.

The five things they identified are:

1 Straight: You must make the rod tip follow a straight-line path.

2 Arc: The size of the casting arc must vary with the amount of line past the rod tip (short cast, short arc – long cast, long arc).

3 Pause: There must be a pause at the end of each casting stroke. The length of the pause varies in duration with the amount of line.

4 Slack: Slack line must be kept to a minimum (especially on the pick-up and the timing of casting strokes).

5 Power: Power must be applied in the proper amount at the proper time (slowly at first increasing to peak power at the end of the cast).

There is a sixth essential we have added at our school for beginner and intermediate casters and that is a stop.

6 Stop: A crisp stop at the end of each stroke can help the rod unload while the tip is still traveling in the straight path of rule No.1. Some long-distance casters question the need for a stop, but it is beneficial for most.

Good casters follow these essentials no matter their style. Things such as a finger or thumb grip, open or closed stance, elbow position and casting overhead versus sidearm are style choices.

For some, emulating another caster is a shortcut to an effective style. Experiment with styles, and your casting will only suffer temporarily as long as you are mindful of the substance that governs good casting. Put in the time and you will like the outcome at the end of your trials.

I have had some of my greatest casting break-throughs from experiments that had my casting all “screwed-up.”

Send your casting questions to Scott@Atlantaflyfishingschool.com or Scott@floridaflyfishingschools.com