Here is the examination:
Equipment
- Single hand fly rod which can be bought in a tackle shop, length: 7 to 9 feet
- Floating line not to exceed line weight # 6, length min 25 m,
- 7 to 9 foot leader (reckon I'll take the whole 3 yards)
- yellow or orange palmer fly, size 14 with hook bend clipped off (I'm think woolly bugger as being most appropriate)
- target diameter = 100 cm
Part 1: Practical Test
All limits have to be mastered, three attempts are allowed. Women: 20% minus on casting distances exceeding 18 m. Distances are measured from caster's feet to fly (I checked :-))
- 30 m cast with hauling
- 22 m cast without line hand
- 25 m cast - backhanded
- deliver a backcast 25 m (this is quite hard; it means throw a back cast and let go)
- 18 m roll cast (tough)
- 15 m roll cast - backhanded
- switch cast 22 m (this isn't as tough as it sounds - famous last words)
- switch cast backhanded 18 m (not nice)
- carry 24 m of line (leader included, measured from the rod tip to the fly) in air with a proper loop, with double hauling (well I can do about 27 with a WF)
- pick up 18 m of line (leader included) off water, smoothly with a minimum of water disturbance and drop back straight on water
- cast all planes and angles with 18 m of line (leader included) - horizontally and vertically
- presentation casts (12 m). accurately throw straight, angled (45°) and curved line on command, long (15 m) and short (10 m) line (not quite sure what the 'angled' is - I'm thinking either reach or hook)
- false cast and place the fly on target at 6 m, 12 m und 18 m with great accuracy (und?)
- pick line up (14 m, leader included), no false cast. change direction of cast 45 degrees and cast forward 18 m
- false cast at least 18 m (leader included). still false casting strip line in and place fly 6 m away (there is a special technique for this which involves standing on your head)
- hold fly in hand (12 m of line stripped out), drop fly and make one false cast and shoot line forward 18 m
- starting with 10 m of fly line plus leader, using double haul, cast 25 m (straight) by making no more than 2 back and 2 forward casts
- demonstrate well controlled curve casts at 9 m, 12 m und 15 m (there's that 'und' again)
- 12 m cast with bow next to leader
- 12 m cast with bow in the middle of line
- 12 m cast with bow in end of line nearest the rod tip
- cast 15 m of line (leader included) with your bad hand (tight loop, double haul)
- demonstrate a variety of casting techniques to provide a drag-free drift of your dry fly over a long distance (in different currents)
In all phases of this test it must be demonstrated to the examiners that the highest level of proficiency in flycasting, line handling and teaching skills are evident.
And then there are 6253 questions to answer....could be fun :-)