S8, Ep 1: Show Season Strategies: Mac Brown on Learning vs. Entertainment in Fly Fishing
Episode Overview
In this Casting Angles episode of The Articulate Fly, host Marvin Cash and casting instructor Mac Brown discuss strategies for maximizing educational value at fly fishing shows nationwide. With the 2026 show season approaching, they share tactical advice on how to approach casting and tying demonstrations, turning entertainment into genuine skill development. Mac Brown, who teaches at major shows from Marlborough to Lancaster, explains why focusing on the caster's hand movements—rather than the mesmerizing fly line—unlocks the secrets to better casting technique. The conversation covers practical methods for recording demonstrations with smartphones, the importance of high frame rate video for slow-motion analysis and how to build practice habits that translate classroom learning into on-water performance. They also introduce a new foundational casting system designed to eliminate 85-90% of common casting problems, along with Marvin's process-driven approach to fishing that emphasizes building systematic habits from gear preparation through reading the water.
Key Takeaways
- How to record casting demonstrations effectively by zooming in on the instructor's hand and arm movements rather than watching the fly line, capturing both the visual technique and audio explanation for later review.
- Why developing a show attendance plan before arriving—including which classes and demonstrations to prioritize—transforms passive entertainment into active skill development for serious anglers.
- When to use high frame rate smartphone settings and inexpensive tripods to create slow-motion practice footage that reveals what you're actually doing versus what you think you're doing.
- How building systematic habits and foundational casting technique creates space to solve on-water problems and provides the baseline needed to learn advanced variations and specialty casts.
- Why tension control connects fly tying and casting technique, making both skills more accessible when you understand the underlying principles that the best practitioners master.
Techniques & Gear Covered
The episode centers on video analysis and deliberate practice methods for casting improvement. Mac and Marvin emphasize recording demonstrations with smartphones, specifically filming the caster's hand movements, rate of acceleration and body mechanics rather than the fly line's path. They recommend using inexpensive tripods with phone mounts and adjusting iPhone settings to shoot at high frame rates, enabling clear slow-motion playback for self-analysis. The discussion introduces a foundational casting system that Mac and Marvin have developed, designed to address the majority of casting faults before progressing to advanced techniques. They also touch on the parallel between tension control in fly tying and casting.
Locations & Species
While this Casting Angles episode focuses on educational methodology rather than destination fishing, Mac Brown references his upcoming teaching schedule at major fly fishing shows across the country, including Marlborough, Massachusetts; Edison, New Jersey; Denver, Colorado; Bellevue, Washington; Pleasanton, California; and Lancaster, Pennsylvania. The conversation touches on Mac's home waters in the Southeast, where warm January weather in the 60s has allowed for T-shirt fishing conditions. The episode's insights apply universally to any water or target species, as the casting fundamentals and learning strategies discussed translate across all fly fishing scenarios from trout streams to saltwater flats.
FAQ / Key Questions Answered
How should you watch a casting demonstration to actually learn the technique?
Instead of watching the fly line, focus on recording the instructor's hand and body movements with your smartphone. Position yourself close enough to capture the casting arm from shoulder to hand, ensuring the audio picks up their explanations. The fly line provides feedback about what the body did, but the caster's movements—their rate of acceleration, amount of movement and timing—contain the actual teachable information. Later review of this footage, especially in slow motion using high frame rate settings, reveals the mechanics that create good casting.
What's the most effective way to prepare for attending a fly fishing show?
Create a plan before the show by visiting the event website and identifying specific classes, demonstrations and topics aligned with your skill development goals. Distinguish between entertainment value and educational opportunities (hands-on instruction and technique demonstrations). Sign up for classes early, as popular sessions with top instructors often fill weeks before the show opens. Approach the show with specific questions or techniques you want to learn rather than wandering randomly through the venue.
Why is practicing with video feedback more effective than just repeating casting motions?
People rarely do what they think they're doing until they've internalized correct technique through repeated practice with feedback. Recording yourself practicing and comparing your movements to demonstration footage reveals the gap between perception and reality. Using your smartphone to film practice sessions provides immediate, objective feedback that accelerates skill development. This self-coaching method works because you can see exactly what needs adjustment rather than relying on feel alone, which often misleads beginners and intermediates.
What is the foundational casting system Mac and Marvin have developed?
The system establishes a foundational cast that addresses 85-90% of common casting problems, providing the baseline needed to diagnose issues and learn variations. Without solid fundamentals, it's difficult to understand why advanced techniques work or how to vary from the foundation appropriately. The approach emphasizes systematic development, similar to building a structure on a sound foundation—attempting advanced casts without mastering basics creates persistent problems. The system serves as a prerequisite for more advanced instruction, creating efficiency in learning specialty casts and adapting technique to different fishing situations.
How does building systematic habits improve your overall fishing success?
Creating repeatable systems for gear preparation, approaching water and problem-solving frees mental capacity to focus on tactical decisions while fishing. When fundamental tasks become habits like brushing your teeth, you avoid forgetting critical steps and can dedicate attention to reading water, selecting flies and adapting to conditions. The most effective anglers follow highly efficient systems they've refined through repetition, not because they've found a magic fly or rod, but because their systematic approach consistently puts them in position to succeed. Developing these habits takes time and intentional practice but provides compounding returns throughout your fishing career.
Related Content
S7, Ep 28 - Warming Waters and Active Fish: A Spring Fishing Update with Mac Brown
S6, Ep 10 - Casting Angles with Mac Brown
S7, Ep 16 - Simplifying Complexity: Effective Teaching Strategies in Fly Fishing with Mac Brown
S6, Ep 132 - Fly Tying and Destination Travel with Tim Flagler
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In this episode of The Articulate Fly, host Marvin Cash welcomes Mac Brown for the first Casting Angles segment of 2026 to discuss strategies for maximizing learning at fly fishing shows throughout the country. With show season approaching, Mac and Marvin share insights on how anglers can move beyond entertainment and develop a systematic educational plan for attending casting demonstrations, fly tying classes and destination seminars. They emphasize the importance of focusing on hand movements rather than the fly line during casting demonstrations, using smartphone video to record techniques, and establishing practice routines after the show to internalize what you've learned. The conversation covers Mac's upcoming teaching schedule across multiple fly fishing shows from Marlborough to Lancaster, and Marvin's new foundational casting system class debuting in Edison that serves as a prerequisite for more advanced casting instruction.
EPISODE SUMMARY
Guest: Mac Brown - Fly Fishing Guide and Casting Instructor at Mac Brown Fly Fish (North Carolina)
In this episode: Casting instructor and guide Mac Brown shares strategies for maximizing educational opportunities at fly fishing shows across the country. Topics include developing a systematic approach to learning casting and fly tying techniques, using smartphone video to capture demonstrations, and establishing effective practice routines.
Key fishing techniques covered:
- Recording casting demonstrations focusing on hand movements and casting arm motion
- Using slow-motion video with high frame rates for self-analysis
- Establishing systematic practice routines for casting fundamentals
- Building foundational casting skills before learning advanced variations
- Applying tension control principles from fly tying to casting mechanics
Location focus: Fly fishing show circuit including Marlborough, Edison, Denver, Bellevue, Pleasanton and Lancaster
Target species: General fly fishing applications
Equipment discussed: Smartphone video recording for casting analysis, tripods with phone mounts for self-filming, foundational casting systems
Key questions answered:
- How do I maximize learning at a fly fishing show?
- What should I watch during casting demonstrations?
- How can I use smartphone video to improve my casting?
- What's the best way to practice casting techniques after a show?
- How do I build a systematic approach to fly fishing?
Best for: Beginner to intermediate anglers interested in casting instruction, fly fishing show preparation, systematic skill development and establishing effective practice routines
FULL TRANSCRIPT:
Marvin Cash
Hey, folks, it's Marvin Cash, the host of The Articulate Fly. We're back with the first Casting Angles of 2026 with the man himself, Mac Brown.Mac, how are you?
Mac Brown
I'm doing great. Happy 2026 to you and all the listeners, Marvin.
Marvin Cash
Yeah, right back at you.
Mac Brown
Yeah, we've got the show season coming up pretty quick upon us now, don't we?
Marvin Cash
Yeah, we do. And so we thought it would be a good thing. You know, there are a lot of these throughout the country.And one of the things that, you know, people sometimes don't have is they don't have a plan for how to maximize the learning at a fly fishing show.
Mac Brown
Yes, that's true for sure. I mean, there's. There's all kinds of classes and, you know, demos, tying demos, casting demos, the destination theater.There's lots of things where they could go. And I think a lot of it boils down to, you know, before we started, is talking about, you know, what's. What's the best way to.To grow your educational journey versus just the entertainment of it all, you know, because there is a difference. There is an entertainment side of a lot of this, and there's also a educational side of it.And I think that people go into it with one or the other kind of in mind, and sometimes they get lucky and get thrown into an educational side. But, you know, a lot of them, I think it's like going to the movies on. On the weekend, Marvin, and saying, hey, let's go for the entertainment side.You want to just sit and look at a bunch of fish from Patagonia or you want to learn something.
Marvin Cash
Yeah. And I think part of it, too, is you got to have a plan. Right. And I know I say this about everything, but I really do think it's true.And so part of it is if you're really serious about getting better, you know, go to the website, have a plan for the show, whether it's tying or casting. We'll talk about casting just because that's kind of what we generally talk about when we're together.But, you know, think about, you know, you can read a book at home, right.So the thing to do is to take advantage of the classes and the demonstrations for casting and spending time with people in a way that you can't watch a YouTube video or you can't get from a book.
Mac Brown
That's right. Yeah, I think that'd be good. Yeah. Just to have a plan.They could do that even, you know, do some little prep work before the thing Say, oh, I want to see this, and make a plan out of what they want to gather from it all, you know. Yeah.
Marvin Cash
And I think part of it too, on the casting side, like, obviously. Right. You can sign up for classes and, you know, Mac and I'll talk about kind of what we're doing at the fly fishing show on the casting front later.But I also think sometimes people kind of miss the point in, like, how to watch a casting demonstration, because I'm always watching people watch the fly line and all the action is happening down in the right hand.
Mac Brown
Yeah, that's right. It's kind of mesmerizing, like a cat.And you know, one of those cat toys where they shake it and the cat plays with the, you know, something off of long, like coat hanger. And it's easy to get mesmerized by watching the line. And that's, that's, you know, that's really kind of a mistake.It gives you the feedback and everything what the, what the body did. But the thing is, the, the demo or whoever's doing it in a class or practicing, it's always back to them. I mean, they're the.They really are the essential ingredient. You know, I think too many people get hung up on what rod and what. What line and what all the gear is.And literally they are the most important essential ingredient. And I think that gets overlooked a lot of times. Yeah.
Marvin Cash
And so I would say, you know, at this point, just about everybody has a smartphone.And so I would encourage you when you're watching a casting demonstration to get there early enough so that you can stand relatively close to whoever's giving the demonstration. And I would use your phone to actually record their hand, because with the audio, they're going to tell you what the fly line's doing. Right?
Mac Brown
That's right.
Marvin Cash
And so if you just basically zoom in on the hand, you know, you may be. You. Maybe you want to get the entire casting arm from the shoulder to get the full movement, but that's the best way to take advantage of these.I mean, you know, casting demonstrations from some of the greatest people in our sport.
Mac Brown
Yeah, I mean, it would help just to focus in on, you know, the, the body movements of, you know, the hands. Definitely. And also the rate.I guess the, the other thing is, you know, when they look at the video later on, and even if you don't see all the loop going back and forth, but look at the rate that they're moving, look at the amount of. Of movement up, down, you know, if it's Vertical. If it's horizontal, that goes out the window. But still, look at the rate, like how.How they start, how they build up, you know, how they come to a crisp. You know, a lot of times sometimes they'll go right through the stop. And I mean, that works too. That works great.It's just that this whole casting business, there's a lot of. There's a lot of different ways to roam, you know, but if they watch the hand, that's the. That's definitely where it's all at. Yeah.
Marvin Cash
And I would say you can do the same thing with tying, Right.I mean, you can sit on, go to tires row, and you can ask someone to actually talk through and demonstrate the technique that you want to learn, Right?
Mac Brown
Yeah, no, that's true. With tie in's real similar.I mean, tying's all about tension, too, just like Kyston, you know, so there's a lot of similarities, really, from fly tying to cast.And I know it sounds like two entirely radically different things, but the best tires in the world are also the best at tension control, which I'd say the same thing's true in casting world, too.
Marvin Cash
Yeah. And then I would also say is, you know, just because you watched it doesn't mean you mastered it. Right.So you got to come home and you got to practice. Whether you got to practice at the vice or get out on the, you know, the football field or the soccer field and practice your casting.
Mac Brown
That's right, yeah. And then also getting feedback.You know, all these devices everybody has, they got it in their pocket so they can just pull out their phone and record themselves, too, once they get into it a little bit, and then compare it, you know. Does that look similar to what you saw?
Marvin Cash
Because you.
Mac Brown
I mean, I think that's a really good thing, too. I mean, when I was growing up, of course, we didn't have the ability to sit there and film and look at ourselves.I mean, today, I think it's a whole lot easier for folks to observe what's. What's going on.You know, by using their phone and looking at, like, studying themselves with the phone and seeing if they're doing what they think they were doing, because chances are they're not.Usually I'll just say that from all the schools and things over the years, people don't ever do what they think they're doing until they have it down. Right. Which is why they're doing what practicing. That makes sense. So the phone will give them a ton of feedback.
Marvin Cash
Yeah.And I would also say, too, so you know, even if you're by yourself, a couple things, go to Amazon, you can buy a really inexpensive tripod with a C mount for your phone.And then the other thing you want to do when you set your phone up to record your casting is you want to change the settings on your iPhone to shoot at a really high frame rate so that when you slow down your cast in slow motion and you watch it, it's not blurry.
Mac Brown
Yep. No, that's good. That's good. Changing the settings would be really beneficial.
Marvin Cash
Yeah. And so, I mean, I think that's really, I mean, you know, have a plan, but I think that's kind of the nuts and bolts.But remember, you got to kind of come home and practice because, you know, there's just no substitute for, for putting your time in. And so that's really kind of it.You know, you're getting ready to hit the road here and I don't know, a little bit over a week because you're doing all the fly fishing shows. I won't see you till, till Marlboro, I mean until Edison. But you're gonna start, I guess in Marlborough in about a week.You know, why don't you let folks kind of know what you got going on, where to find you and all that kind of good stuff.
Mac Brown
Yeah, well, Marlboro, I think I fly up there the 15th and we have an all day class on the 16th with Glenda, Glenda Powell from Ireland. And I'm looking forward to teaching with her. She's a wonderful teacher, wonderful caster.And we'll have that all day class and then the show begins and I'm not even sure, I know I have a bunch of classes and things once the show begins.But all that's on the, on the fly fishing show.com website, so, so people can sign up for, you know, from, from Marlboro to Edison to Denver to Bellevue to I think Pleasanton. And we end up, you know, at the big finale up there in Pennsylvania at Lancaster.But yeah, for finding out like what classes and where, that's the best resource really is. Just go to the website, go down to the bottom and it'll show you say click more for classes. And then there's a sign up thing.And once the classes are full, that's what's worth saying too because a lot of them are already full. I know a lot of our all day classes are full with Gary that we're doing in Edison. And the thing is, once they're full, they're full.So it's like, people need to get on it. Now's the time to get on it. Not the day before the show or four days before the show.
Marvin Cash
Yeah, absolutely. And I would say for me, I'm teaching a casting class, actually.It's a seminar that Mac and I developed together, kind of on a project we're working on. I'm excited about it. And you can find the link to that if you go to my Instagram, go to my linktree profile.You can go right, and sign up for the class.But it's Friday morning in Edison, and really, Mac and I have been working on a system where we kind of have a foundational cast and we kind of walk through that because if you don't have the foundation, then it's hard to tell you to vary off the foundation because the foundation isn't good.But we really believe that, you know, if you take this class and take it to heart, it's almost like a prerequisite for the class that he's teaching with Glendon. He'll teach with Gary on the road as well.That you can eliminate probably 85 or 90% of the casting problems you have just by basically internalizing the system. And then as you develop, it's a lot easier to diagnose and vary and learn different casts.
Mac Brown
Yeah, I think that's true. It's just kind of like building, you know, I'm a builder too, Marvin, as a contractor, and same thing with the foundation.If the foundation's not there, it's really hard to build a structure and have it, you know, withstand, you know, weather and wind and all the other things that. That you get in building structures. So same kind of thing. You got to have a foundation to learn to deviate from that.If there's not a foundation, it makes it really hard to go to the other things. So that'll be a. That'll be a really. I'm gonna try to get to that one. Hopefully I've got a. I need to study the schedule myself.Usually what I do is I make up a little cheat sheet for all the times to be here, be there during the day. And I have to do that this week, Marvin. So hopefully I'm gonna be able to come. Maybe I can come crash it.
Marvin Cash
Yeah, I think you've got time in your schedule because I looked at that. So this is gonna be partially. It's a classroom class and then partially hands on. And I do know I've got one or two talks.I know I'm speaking about process, from literally soup to nuts, from having Your gear ready to like how to attack the water on Saturday in Edison. And that's a really fun talk.I'm just a big believer that one of the things that we haven't done a good job in fly fishing, and this is not just in this space but everywhere, is we don't give people systems and they have all of this disconnected information.And my biggest belief is the more things that you can incorporate into your fishing that are habits like brushing your teeth, the more successful you'll be one, because you've got the habits you won't forget. But it also gives you space to solve the problems on the water in your head.
Mac Brown
Right, right. No, that'll be good. I mean, it has to be kind of a systematic, you know, because it.You basically following a similar system every time we go out the door.
Marvin Cash
Yeah.
Mac Brown
And so those habits become. That's what everybody's really looking for, what we call. I mean, a lot of people, you know, it's the holy grail of fly fishing. And it's.They think there's like this fly or this particular rod or this particular.And really it's about the system is what it is for all the people that have already gotten pretty far down the track, you know, with that, they have a system and their system works because they've gone through it so many times that it's highly effective and highly efficient. That's what everybody's looking for. But it's hard to teach a system, isn't it? I mean, just all in a few minutes to somebody.It's like there's a lot of different little, little avenues. And so I think, really, that's a good point. I think it's a system that a lot of people actually see.
Marvin Cash
Yeah. I think I'll talk a little bit, give you a chance to wet your whistle for a second. But the.Yeah, I would say too, I think the thing about process, you know, it takes time to learn. Right. But what I would say is you have to be receptive and look for those opportunities.And if you walk away with that mindset from that talk and some of the techniques that you can kind of fill in the gaps throughout the year while you're on the water.
Mac Brown
Oh, yeah, yeah, that's right. And it. That's what I like about, you know, the schools so much here.When we get to do those five day schools, we get to really cover on this, on the, on the process of this, of this overall system. And the more you get to hear that day after day, you know, it starts to really Become by the, by the fifth day, it's pretty ingrained. That's.That's kind of who they are and what they're trying to accomplish. And I think that's the fun part.You know, as a teacher, to me, that's really gratifying, seeing people finally see the light bulb, you know, when their face lights up and they're starting to put it together on their own.
Marvin Cash
Yeah, absolutely. And so, you know, you'll have a chance to catch Mac at all the fly fishing shows.I'm just going to be in Edison and Lancaster and love to catch up with listeners. So, you know, ping me on social media, shoot me an email, love to catch up.And you know, Mac, you'll come out of show season and it'll just be almost springtime in the Southeast. And so we'll talk about guiding in schools. You want to let folks know where to find you and what you got going on.
Mac Brown
Yeah, that'd be good. The MacBrownFlyfish.com. there's a.There's a menu on the top, specialty classes and it has the sc, the schools, you know, the five day schools, the two day schools, three day schools. There's all kinds of information on the right hand menu. And that's probably the best way to reach me is off the website.
Marvin Cash
Yeah. And since we have a burn warning, we'll say no smoke signals, right?
Mac Brown
Yeah, no smoke. No. We hadn't had much rain in a while. But I'll tell you, we've really been lucky over the holidays and into this new year with.I'm just, I feel pretty fortunate. We've been able to hike in like T shirts every day for the last couple of weeks. It's like 60s for the high, so no complaints here.
Marvin Cash
Yeah. Well, there you go. Well, listen, folks, I hope our paths cross during show season.Please give me a shout and track me down if you're in Edison or in Lancaster and want to wish everybody a happy New Year. Happy New Year, Mac.
Mac Brown
Happy New Year.
Guide | Casting Instructor | Author
Mac Brown is the owner of Mac Brown Fly Fish and Fly Fishing Guide School in Western NC. Mac created the first full-time fly fishing guide service in Western North Carolina. The first Delayed Harvest on the Upper Nantahala River in early 1993 was also a result of his efforts.
Mac Brown is the author of “Casting Angles” which is a fly casting handbook for those on the journey of understanding the mechanics of the cast. The ACA, FFI, and others have endorsed this text as a reference for instructors as well. Mac is a Master Casting Instructor through the Fly Fishers International.
