Upcoming Activities with DRiFT

DRiFT Fly Casting Course Syllabus - 2026

Course Overview

The DRiFT Fly Casting Course is designed to develop and refine participants' fly casting skills through a structured curriculum that progresses from foundational techniques to advanced casting methods. Each session combines theoretical instruction, hands-on practice, and targeted drills to ensure skill mastery. The course is suitable for beginners and intermediate anglers seeking to enhance their fly casting proficiency.

Location: Batavia Overseas VFW Post 1197, Batavia, IL 

Instructor(s): Alan Kato FFI CI, John Frantzen FFI CI, Ed Dahmer, Darwin Adams 

Contact: Alan Kato, John Frantzen 

Course Schedule

Each session follows a consistent daily structure: 

9:00 AM - 10:00 AM: Warm-up, Coaching, Free Practice 

10:00 AM - 10:45 AM: Instructional Lesson 

11:00 AM - 12:00 PM: Structured Practice 

Course Policies 

• Attendance: Regular attendance is essential for skill progression. 

• Equipment: Participants are to provide their own gear. 

• Safety: Adherence to safety protocols is mandatory during all practice sessions. Please bring eye protection (polarized sunglasses), hats, yarn flies (no hooks!), sunscreen, and a water bottle to ensure safety. 

• Weather: Sessions will proceed rain or shine unless otherwise notified. Dress appropriately for outdoor conditions. 

Course Curriculum 

Saturday, May 9, 2026 

Introduction to Fly Casting

• Emails 
• Getting Started: Gear, Safety 
• Grip and Stance 
• Triangle Method 
• Overview and Demonstration of Fly Casting Skills Development 

Saturday, May 16, 2026 

Core Casting Techniques 

• Triangle Method Review 
• Overhead Cast: False Casting 
• Overhead Cast: Pick-Up and Lay-Down 

Saturday, May 30, 2026 

Roll Cast Foundations 

• Roll Cast 

Saturday, June 5, 2026 

Casting Angles 

• Side Arm Cast 
• Cross-the-Body Cast 
• Across-the-Head Cast 

Line Control 

• Line Hand 
• Shooting Line 

Saturday, June 12, 2026 

Casting Planes 

• 12:00-3:00 

Constant Tension Casting

• Elliptical Cast 

Saturday, June 19, 2026 

Mending Techniques 

    In-the-Air Mending 

• • Reach Mends 
• • Curve Mends 
• • Hump Mends 
• • Wiggle Mends 

Saturday, June 25, 2026 

Hauling Techniques 

• Single Haul 
• Double Haul 

Saturday, July 11, 2026

Change of Direction and Presentation Casts 

    Change of Direction Casting 

• False Cast 
• Tension Cast (Water Load) 
• Rotation Cast (Joan Wulff)     

    Presentation Casts 

    -Curved Line Presentations 

• Curve Casts 
• Tuck Casts 

    -Slack Line Presentations 

• Pile Cast 
• Collapsed Cast 
• Parachute Cast 
• Bounce/Check Cast 

Saturday, July 18, 2026 

Casting in Windy Conditions 

• Headwind 
• Tailwind 
• Side Wind (Casting Arm - Non-Casting Arm) 

Saturday, July 25, 2026 

Introduction to Single-Hand Spey Casting 

• Ellipitical Cast 
• Switch Cast 
• Single Spey 
• Double Spey 
• Snake Roll 
• Snap Casts 

Saturday, August 1, 2026 

Course Review and Wrap-Up 

• Comprehensive Review of Techniques 
• Final Practice and Feedback Session 

Warm-up/Skill Development Drills

The following drills are integrated into the curriculum to reinforce techniques and build muscle memory. Each drill is designed by renowned casting experts to target specific skills. A new drill will be introduced every casting session. 

Overhead Casting Drills 

• Triangle Method (Lee Cummings) 
• All Planes, All Positions (Paul Arden) 
• Narrow to Open to Narrow (Paul Arden) 
• Walk-About (Paul Arden) 
• One Foot at a Time (Bill Gammel) 
• One Foot at a Time: Changing Gears (Bill Gammel) 
• All Trajectories (Peter Hayes) 
• Picking Leaves (Joan Wulff) 
• Turn It Upside Down - Reel (Tom White) 
• PUALD and Shoot (Peter Hayes) 
• Minimum Power/First Gear (Paul Arden) 

Roll Casting Drills 

• Tasmanian Triangle Roll Cast (Peter Hayes) 
• Lean, Tap, Squeeze, and Flip (Peter Hayes) 

Double Haul 

• Pantomime - Down Up (Mel Krieger) 
• Triangle Method 1-2-3-4 (Paul Arden) 

Fly Casting Skills Development Program

 Fly Casting Skills Development program has four progressive levels:

• Foundation: Focuses on basic loop control, horizontal casting, short accuracy, water tension casts, and safe casting fundamentals for beginners. 

• Bronze: Builds reliable pick-up and lay-down casts, horizontal casts, dominant side roll casts, shooting line, accuracy and 50’ distance casts. 

• Silver: Longer pick-up and lay-down casts both sides, shooting line, elliptical casts, non-dominant roll casts, reach mends, accuracy and 60’ distance casts. 

• Gold: Requires loop control, specialized casts, non-dominant accuracy, and 70’ distance casts. 

The self-paced program emphasizes practical skills for real-world fly fishing.