Lefty Kreh said it best, “If you can’t shoot you shouldn’t hunt.”

Fly casting should be instinctive.  To keep your eye on the target and place the fly where it needs to be without thinking.

This can only be accomplished by repetitive practice with a proper casting motion.

Practicing with an improper motion does more damage than good.  Building bad casting habits can be hard to break.

I have had lots of fishermen (and women) tell me they have fly fished for years only to watch them flail away on the bow of my boat to the point of embarassment.

The point of the matter is most not all freshwater fly fishing doesn’t require the three most important requirements to saltwater fly fishing, especially sight casting.  Speed, distance and accuracy. Period.  It is easy to fake it in the freshwater.  Some have done it for years.

People also tell me that casting for freshwater fish is different than saltwater.

Hmmm…  Actually not.  It is exactly the same to make a short accurate cast and a long accurate cast.  The casting stroke might be shorter but the motion is the same.

As a guide of over 30 years I have heard every excuse.  For instance, ” It’s too windy, this fly is too big/heavy, the fish was on the wrong side of the boat, I was too excited, etc.”  All can be overcome with an proper casting motion.