Cast Masters

Chris Korich

See Chris' full ACA and ICSF record here!

How long have you been casting? I started competitive casting at the age of 10 back in 1970. As my daughter would say, I'm an old timer at 47.

Where do you practice? Primarily, right where I started, at the Oakland Casting Club. I grew up two blocks away from the pools and stumbled into the sport after my brother and I found an abandoned close face spinning reel outfit in the bushes at the park. We fixed it up with new line, bought some sinkers that were way too heavy, and started slinging lead over the heads of the old timers at the club. It didn't take long for members to introduce themselves, cut off the lead, and give us some practice plugs and lessons.

Later on after meeting Steve Rajeff, I also joined and began training at the Golden Gate Angling & Casting Club in San Francisco. Between the Oakland and Golden Gate clubs, we must have had two dozen great mentors always willing to give us advice.

Favorite fish to catch:  Without question, selective rainbows on a dry fly. I'll never forget being outfished by my Uncle who was using flies on our first backbacking trip. That was it, my brother and I rushed back to the club and started to learn to fly-cast.The next year when I was eleven, we took another trip with our Uncle up into the high Sierras. After several days of no fish, I came across a small pool off the main stream, filled with trout. I spotted one very large rainbow and kept presenting my fly right over its head (even pulling it out of the way when smaller fish approached). After about 30 minutes, I finally hooked and landed that 18 inch rainbow. I guess I learned the importance of practicing at targets on that first fish!

Favorite rod: I guess I'm biased to what I learned with and helped design. As a kid, Steve and I cast the best Fenwick, Hardy/SA and Winston fiberglass rods from San Francisco. When I was thirteen, Jimmy Green started to send down the first prototype Fenwick graphite rods for Steve, other club members and me to test and give feedback on.

I met Jim shortly thereafter at a conclave, and took several trips up to the Fenwick factory in Washington to help Jim test rods as he expanded the line. I also was fortunate to work with Gary Loomis back at Lamiglas and later with Gary and Steve at GLoomis. I still compete with a lot of my old HMGs, and favor a firm tip and full bodied action. But I must admit, some of the new rods and materials are really amazing.

Favorite reel: Ditto. I started out casting with Pfleuger Medalists and upgraded to Hardy Lightweight and Princess series reels fishing on the Henry's Fork in Idaho. I don't think I'll ever forget the sound of those reels screaming.

Advice for new casters: Whenever you have a chance to watch the world's greatest casters at shows (like Steve and Tim Rajeff), study how they stand, their rod grip, their compact-effortless strokes.

Always cast aiming at some sort of a target area, even when practicing for distance. Start at shorter, comfortable targets, and develop your skill at throwing very narrow loops and eliminating all waves and slack line, especially in your backcasts. Always ask yourself...How can I make this cast, at this distance, in these conditions, with the least amount of effort possible? Strive for efficiency!

Philosophy relating to casting: Be steady and patient with your efforts while striving to be your best!