Gary Borger auf der EWF

Posted on 2013/04/30Kommentare deaktiviert für Gary Borger auf der EWF

2013/04/30

Hier ein kleiner Bericht von Gary Borger, auf den ich sogar ein klein wenig stolz bin. Gary ist seit Jahrzehnten einer der Größten in der Fliegenfischerszene der USA, er war der persönliche Berater von Robert Redford bei dem Film „Aus der Mitte entspringt ein Fluß“ und ist das, was man ohne Zögern eine „Legende“ nennen kann.

Hier der Link zu Garys Blog auf seiner Website: http://www.garyborger.com/2013/04/29/ewf-enjoy-the-world-of-flyfishing-2013/

Und hier ist sein Bericht:

EWF (Enjoy the World of FlyFishing) 2013 Posted on April 29, 2013, 11:04 am, by Gary Borger

The European EWF was held just west Munich in the town of Furstenfeldbruck on April 13 and 14 this year. It is the largest fly fishing only show in Europe, with an attendance this year in excess of 3,400 people. Like all fly fishing shows, it offered the attendees a wide range of products, venues, demonstrations, presentations, and clinics. Unlike others, it is held in the buildings of an ancient monastery, and that alone is enough to get one wanting to attend.

I arrived on Thursday, April 11, in the early morning so that I could participate in the judging of flies submitted in a Germany-wide tying contest. That afternoon, Ed Berg, from Denver, Igor Stancev, from Macedonia, and I sat for four hours, carefully evaluating each submission on a scale of 1-20 for a variety of characteristics, and providing a further written evaluation of the fly. It’s always very interesting, and even a bit humbling, to see the quality of work that is offered in these contests.

On Friday, I offered two casting clinics, in which we discussed “The Perfect Cast”; that is, the cast that catches a fish. Of course, the discussions went well beyond that simple definition, but all were based in it. We talked about grips, wrist casting, arm assisted wrist casting, arm casting, the elliptical stroke developed by Austrian Hans Gebetsroither in the 1930s, double hauling, curve casts, mends, and whatever else the students wanted to discuss. I did all the demos with a 12-weight rod fitted with a 3-weight line. True, there was some “show-off” intent, but its real purpose was to demonstrate the underlying principles of casting. When the participants saw me cast the entire 3-weight line on the 12-weight rod, and learned why this was possible, they clearly understood the basic laws of casting that were introduced in the class. (1) The line goes where the tip goes; the corollary to this is that the pathway of the tip establishes the pathway of the line. (2) The speed of the tip determines the speed of the line; the corollary being that the faster the tip goes, the faster the line goes. (3) Hauling doubles line speed; the corollary is that the faster the line goes, the more energy it has (it can travel further, cast heavy flies, chuck a sink tip line, etc.). (4) The line must be tensioned against the rod tip before the rod can cast it.

Juergen Friesenhahn translated for me. He is a superb caster that teaches and demonstrates widely in Europe and speaks fluent English. What a delight to work with someone that truly understands casting and can put it into easily understood terms in his native language. Everyone at the clinics not only advanced their casting skills, but came away with a deeper appreciation for all the many line maneuvering skills that can be developed with the fly rod. During the clinics, Juergen noted that “the line is mirror of your soul.” Rather profound, but eminently true.

judging-flies
Digging in and judging. Ed Berg on near left, Igor Stanvec on near right, me in yellow shirt. There were plenty of submissions and some very fine flies, to be sure.
Example-streamer
A superb example of tying skills in the streamer category.
Upstairs-in-stable
The show was held in a 14th century monastery. This is the second floor of the ancient stables, soon to be filled with vendors and eager show attendees.
Casting-class-1
The first casting class. The classes were restricted to 5 students, and each of them
got a good work-over. They were great, and learned much.
casting-class-2
Casting class numer two. There were a couple of “ringers” in this one–Certified Casting
Instructors–whose skills became evident the second I say them casting.
Everyone developed great precision in dropping the line between two posts only a foot apart. Good work guys!
Juergen-casting
Juergen Friesenhahn casting between clinics.
Juergen quickly became a fast-friend and we had a great time with the students.

JF