Tracy&James | Sunday, 16 May 2021
The committee of the BFCC are hopeful about putting a number of casting events on this year, three are already confirmed and options for a couple of others being discussed. Obviously these things can be scuppered pretty quickly, especially if the ‘Indian’ strain of the Covid virus takes hold and forces further lockdowns.
Things kick-off in a couple of weeks’ time in Willesborough, Kent – a staple venue for a BFCC event in Mike H’s back garden (effectively). Unfortunately Mike himself won’t be casting due to having a hand surgery but he’ll be there to offer advice to anyone wanting to improve or to hit monster distances. Mike’s name appears a number of times in the BFCC records list so there really is no one better to get distance casting advice from.
From Kent the BFCC move on to a new location in Somerset, not far from Bath. Vince suggested this venue as it’s one that he uses for instruction, so hopefully it will prove to be a success.
The third meeting that is on the calendar is the traditional season closer in Bentley, Essex. This will be held in early October – there are a couple of dates that are options at the moment, once this is confirmed it will be published on the website and the FB page.
Obviously these first three events are southern based, but the BFCC are also looking for options for more northern meetings. I’ll reiterate what I always say about these things though – we need local help to set up a meeting as doing things from hundreds of miles away is not possible i.e. local promotion of the day etc.
It’s been pointed out to Tracy and myself recently that the BFCC may suffer slightly from an image or perception problem where people see it as an out and out tournament casting club. I suspect my posts add to that because personally I’m entirely focussed on the competition. However, that’s not a fair reflection of a BFCC day at all. Many people who attend do so for the incredible fly casting instruction available from the likes of Mark Surtees, Sekhar Bahadur, Mike Heritage, John Reynolds, Mike Marshall etc. (I could just keep name dropping here). As such, it’s possible to have a full day’s tuition without going anywhere near the competition events. If someone does want to have a cast against the tape then they can do without the pressure of the competition, or they could enter – once you’re there it really isn’t as intimidating as people maybe think.
Due to the Covid regulations things will be a bit different this year with regard to the events. There is a strict limit of 30 people in total who can attend, the BFCC are therefore taking bookings on a first come, first served basis. There are a few places left for Willesborough so please get in contact with Tracy if you’d like to attend.
With the re-start after over a year’s hiatus on the near horizon I’ve been practising hard. Unfortunately I’ve been reminded that I suffered from a tennis elbow a couple of years ago by some mild pain. Hopefully I’ve caught this in time rather than going straight back to an acute condition. I certainly won’t be practising again before the event – look at that, a couple of weeks before the start of the casting season and I’m already ready with my first excuse of the year!!
Have a great week, James.