Peter Hayes with the kids
Peter teaching the kids
Peter with some UHTFC members
On Friday afternoon Peter Hayes was kind enough to run a development clinic for the kids of Underberg. He arrived in miserable conditions and after enjoying a quick sherry set about wowing both the kids and adults by making even the most mundane task of kitting up a rod seem interesting.
He then began the clinic by demonstrating a few useful casts which the kids may not have seen before. These included roll casts and bow and arrow casts. He also showed some out the box thinking by demoing casts with the butt section of the rod removed and stuffed down his pants. This cast is especially useful for tight river fishing with a lot of vegetation on the banks.
Other tips included clever ways of kitting up rods and easy methods off getting your fly from the water into your hand.
After showing off some of his other casting skills he moved on to teaching standard casts. This included the use of a 1 meter long indoor rod and a clear perspex tube with a ball bearing in it used to teach timing. He also demonstrated some clever techniques used to easily get a beginner casting with the correct tension on the line.
With the rain getting ever harder the clinic was then moved indoors and some fun was had with the kids and the short, indoor rod.
Sadly, just as the rain started to subside, the kids had to leave. This did however mean that some of the members who had arrived got to witness a distance casting demo by Peter. He blows traditional theories out the window and casts a full line effortlessly whilst breaking all the rules. He truly is impressive!
Peter was also kind enough to rerun the clinic in the morning when the weather was better. Sadly not all of the kids could attend this session.
We’d like to thank Peter Hayes, Linda Gorlei and the KZNFFA from the bottom of our hearts for putting together such an incredible event. Peter is truly a world class caster and instructor. His teaching methods make learning fly casting a pleasure. He’s not only an instructor, he’s an entertainer. Thank you.