SIM Suisse Italian Fly Casting Style School

EWF 2026

About Us
The SIM Suisse was founded in 2001 and is a non-profit association. Through its instructors it offers fly-fishing casting courses in the Italian Casting Style. The SIM Suisse is primarily active in Switzerland, France, Germany, and Austria, where it organizes casting courses in the Italian style, either independently or in cooperation with local associations. Its multilingual instructors, working on a voluntary basis, were all trained in Italy and contributed to the codification and teaching methodology of this technique, which combines great elegance with remarkable efficiency.

The Italian Casting Style (Italian Casting Style)

This casting style was developed by Florentine Roberto Pragliola and is known worldwide under the name of TLT. The technique originated in the mountains of Central Italy and is particularly well suited for fast, overgrown, small to medium-sized waters.

A casting technique must help solving the problems imposed by both the environment and the fish. The environment mainly creates challenges related to controlling the cast and preventing drag. The fish, on the other hand, requires a precise and delicate presentation of the fly, the leader and the line. These simple observations show how important it is to master a casting technique that provides the means to choose the appropriate cast in any situation — the cast that offers the best chance to reach the fish in the right place. A diverse range of casts that makes fishing easier - this is what the SIM Suisse teaches and promotes.

Short rod: 7 to 8.6 ft
Light line: DT 2 to DT 4
Long leader: 4 to 5 meters
Cast control: control of the system fly – leader – line – rod

The style was developed for the equipment and fishing situations described above. However, with appropriate adaptations in casting technique, it can also be applied successfully with more classical equipment (9' #5/6 rods) and on larger rivers.

What will SIM Suisse do at the EWF?

Thanks to the organizers, the SIM Suisse will be present at the EWF with a booth and its own casting area. You are welcome to visit us at any time, try the technique, share your experiences with us or ask any questions that interest you. Do not worry about equipment — we have everything you need and will provide it to you. Our instructors speak several languages (German, English, Italian, French and Spanish), so communication will not be a problem and there will certainly be plenty of enjoyment.

For the first time this year we will offer workshops as part of the fair program. Each workshop lasts 60 minutes: two will take place on Saturday and two on Sunday.

“Introduction to the Italian Casting Technique for Experienced Anglers”
The workshop will focus on specific fishing casts (curve casts, underhand casts, overlapped casts, “Svirgolati” casts, etc.).

Saturday, April 18 : 10:30–11:30 and 14:00–15:00.
Sunday, April 19 : 10:30–11:30 and 14:00–15:00

Registration is possible at any time at the SIM Suisse indoor-stand (Cristian Ottonetti)
Participants should meet at our casting area 15 minutes before the beginning of the workshop for a short briefing.
The number of participants is limited (maximum 4 per workshop).
Places are allocated upon registration on a first-come, first-serve basis.

The Instructors

François Bietry

Born and raised in the south of France, I'm a passionate fly fisher and photographer, working as a full time guide for nearly a decade across France, Europe, and Patagonia. I hold certifications as a Master Casting Instructor (MCI) with the FFI and as a Level 1 instructor with the SIM Swiss (Italian Style Fly Casting School). My life is dedicated to flyfishing, river conservation, and education. During winter, I organize fly-fishing trips to South America in the wild landscapes of Chilean Patagonia, collaboraDng closely with the local communiDes. My focus is on providing enjoyable and educaDonal experiences that emphasize skill development and environmental knowledge.

Raymond Brückner

A passionate angler since childhood, the passion for fly fishing has seized me some 20 years ago. And although I greatly enjoy serving pike voluminous streamers from the belly boat or dri9ing small nymphs over the heads of deep-dwelling grayling and trout, for me the excitement of dry fly fishing, especially with the Italian casDng style in fast, alpine mountain streams, is greatest! What fascinates me most is the creaDve versaDlity and endless possibiliDes of the casts, as well as their complexity and control, in order to defy the turbulence in crystal-clear waters and outwit (even) difficult fish, while always learning something new. I have been an assistant instructor (basic level) since 2023 and enjoy working to climb the next levels with the help of my competent colleagues at the SIM Suisse.

Simone Cometti

A passionate angler since childhood, I have been fly fishing since the age of 14, when I used to ride my bicycle to the river. I love fly fishing in all of its aspects, parDcularly the endless opportuniDes to learn from every situaDon and from every person. CasDng is one of my greatest passions. My greatest pleasure lies in constantly experimenDng with new ideas and trying to approach every fishing situaDon with creaDve and effecDve soluDons. This doesn’t always work, but it is precisely that what makes fly fishing so beauDful, exciDng, and inspiring. I have been an instructor with the SIM Suisse since 2014 and consider teaching one of the most rewarding aspects of the sport, as it allows people to improve and fully enjoy fly fishing.

Malik Mazbouri

Passionate about fly casting, Malik Gérard Mazbouri frequents Alpine, Jura, Icelandic, and ArgenDne rivers, as well as tropical flats, where he hunts down local species, with a pronounced weakness for the permit and the GT. A former foreign member of the SIM Italy technical board (2012-2016), Malik is also a cerDfied Fly Fishers InternaDonal (FFI) instructor and a member of the didacDc-technical commiTee of the SIM Suisse - Italian Fly CasDng Style School, where he teaches the Italian casDng style and has developed a cerDficaDon program for new instructors. He has given several Italian casDng style demonstraDons in Europe. In 2022, he joined the Fly CasDng Lab team, an associaDon of enthusiasts involved in promoDng and teaching fly casDng in the French-speaking world. He lives in Bern, Switzerland.

Paolo Rezzonico

As a child, I was fascinated by the few fly fishermen I saw and I told myself that one day I would be able to do it as well. Now, over 60 years old, I am a Level 2 (Master) instructor with the SIM Suisse. My moTo is: “In fly fishing, you never stop learning. Every river and every fish must be approached and overcome in different and new ways.” I hope that I have always been able to teach my students something new.

In-house exhibition stand:
Christian Ottonetti, Fly Tyer

I have been fishing for as long as I can remember and have tried almost every form of angling, unDl in the mid-1990s I first saw a fly line dancing on the water. Almost immediately I began tying my own flies to take with me when fishing, and before long fly tying, alongside fishing itself, became my greatest passion. At the end of the 1990s I entered the world of compeDDons, remained acDve in it for many years, and achieved several placements. The most important was certainly winning the Italian Pair Championship in 2013, the same year in which, for various reasons, I also decided to stop compeDDve fishing. Since 2023 I have been a member of the Pro Team of the company Textreme. I am also a member, commiTee member and coordinator of fly-tying courses at the Club Pescatori a Mosca Ticino, and finally a board member of SIM Suisse.