- clean line... often.
- mark line. work with a controllable line length. build on that.
- cast for distance using only the rod hand. no hauling.
- in a practice session, first cast with a much lighter line class,
say a 3 wgt, and then switch up to the 5-7 wgt.
- add body movement... positive movement, as in weight shift, to lengthen
stroke. pantomiming in front of a mirror.
- practice with a double taper line, and then cast with a WF line with a
long head such as a rio steelhead or sci-ang expert distance.
- work on hauls... lengthen and add wrist snap at end.
- practice casting as slowly as possible.
craig
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Craig... All good advice. I must
admit, I don't clean my practice lines often enough !
Gordy
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From Tom ScheerMy comments in his text in
blue italics... G. :
I am making the cast longer by increasing the amount of line I can
carry aloft just a foot or so at a time, trying to get to 60-65 feet.
Good way to do it. This method is
taught by Bill Gammel. * G.
Sometimes I just false cast repeatedly until my back loop comes
adrift,and just lay the line down to measure what length I was carrying
when the trouble arrived.
I assume you mean that you false cast
repeatedly letting a bit more line out with each cast until your back cast loop
can't be controlled well. Good way to do it..... then drop back to casting
with less line out of the rod tip all the while being satisfied only with a well
controlled narrow loop. G.
I used a tape to position hoops at 50 and 60
feet. My problem is always an open or collapsing back cast
loop.
Yes. That is the trouble most of us
have as we keep adding line. As you stated above, the idea is to improve
the ability to carry more line without the back cast loop suffering. We
really can't achieve good distance and layout unless that back cast is pretty
close to perfect. Even Steve Rajeff has said that while tournament casting
that he makes an extra false cast or two until he gets the perfect back cast for
a winning forward presentation.
When Bill Gammel teaches practice for
distance casting, he not only has the caster add a foot of line at a time, but
then has him cast with that amount of line slowly and then ever faster until the
loop deteriorates. If it remains a good loop, only then is another foot
added, etc. G.
I also (still) have to resist using too much power throughout, and
especially the final delivery.
Agree that most of us tend to do
that. I like the advice Lefty gives: Use no more power on your
delivery cast than you did on the prior false cast...... but haul faster.
He says the haul hand is the accelerator.
G.
I slip line both fore and aft in reaching my maximum carry, then slip more
into the final back cast. I try to keep my hauls as long and smooth as my rod
stroke, and change both proportionally as more line is out of the rod tip.
I drift in both directions, and find I have to watch my back cast(in spite of
some tracking issues from time to time from turning) to have any clue what is
going on back there.
Not all elite distance casters drift.
Some use the Layback technique popularized by Gary Borger. Lefty and Ed
Jaworowski bring the rod tip all the way back and stop
there.
Most shoot (or slip) some line as you
do. When Joan Wulff teaches distance casting, she teaches her own
technique described as: "Shoot a little line on the forward cast - shoot a
LOT on the back cast." G.
I incorporate some "up" in my back cast and drift so I can start forward
when the line is nearly parallel to the lawn, and delay most of my
rotation until just before the stop. I'm pleased to say I'm getting there
more of the time.
I also tuck my rod into my casting side armpit and use both hands to
retrieve line-a little quicker and easier than stripping in with one hand(thanks
Bruce R for that tip and increasing carry one foot at a time)
For practice, this is something I do
regularly. Placing the rod under the arm and using a two handed strip
rests the casting and rod holding muscles of the casting arm and
hand. This is important, because one of the reasons for those back
cast loops getting out of control is FATIGUE. Practicing when fatigued can
yield poor results !!! G.
Equipment is a 6 wt. tcr with 6 wt. orange 120 ft xxd line, kept
reasonably clean) When getting ready for the CCI I practiced with 75 feet
of fly line, which gave 82 if the line and leader straightened completely.
I resist depending on my 90 foot line mark being at the reel as a 90
ft. cast, as minor slack in the line over 90 feet can leave me smiling, and
short. I prefer to have a hoop at 90 ft..
Yes. Always judge your own distance
with target at a measured distance. The marked line will fool us every
time ! G.
regards,
Tom
* TEACHING YOURSELF TO FLY
CAST, Video, by Bill Gammel, Gammel Outdoor Services, (281) 734-6024
,
ISBN 0-9744235-0-X
*********************************************
Here is mine.
As I study each caster to try to find what, I think, will help
them the most. The one problem that comes up the most is Horizontal Trajectory.
Often the caster will make the cast out or in; as acute or obtuse angle from the
straight back cast. Using a rope, Fly line or in my case; I mow straight lines
in the grass. Then practice making a Straight back cast or 180 degrees from the
target.
Now make it smoother. Start with 75 ft of line on the ground
straight behind you make a forward cast. Repeat. YOU see you can make a
long line cast. The same should happen when you get the back cast straight
behind you.
Now Start getting the Back cast straight behind you at the
right angle of Vertical Trajectory. Most will find that they over
rotate the arc between stops. Loading the rod and then for no reason open
the arc more.
I try to have my students point the tip of the rod at the loop(s)
while false casting. That is stop the rod drift back with the loop. If the back
cast is high, Wait or pause a little longer. With 60 -70 ft of line in the air
you have time to watch the loop run to the end. If you let the tip drift back
you have a nice long stroke long Total Tip Travel to launch the forward
cast. Again wait until you have all the line going in the right direction. Drag
it in to a Straight line THEN send it out. Rushing this is what kills most
casts. I think.
ol Al
On the carpenters twine it make great flies but also for teaching
Knots it is tops.Two colors. Cut into 18 inch pieces. Melt the ends. I
use my hemostat handles for hook eyes. Coloring with Crayons.
Ol Al
``````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
Al ... You mentioned DRAG. This
is translational movement of the rod on the forward cast prior to initiating
the rod arc (rotation). We have had some discussion as to whether this
can load the rod significantly or not. I think some who rapidly
translate do so. DRAG can also do two other things. 1.) Take
up slack 2.) Delay rotation. Bruce Richards has shown with
the Casting Analyzer, that the delay of rotation can help yield tighter
loops.
Some super elite distance casters use a great
deal of drag. Rick Hartman is an example. Some do just fine
without much of it, Steve and Tim Rajeff are
examples.
Gordy
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`
From Capt. Joel Dicky:
Gordy - One way distance casters practice is by dropping down line size
from say a 5 wt to a 4wt so that they can practice carrying more line in the
air. Your thoughts?
To better explain I should say in the case of one taking the test
with a 7 wt rod, they should practice with the same rod but with a 6 wt line.
This will help them with carrying greater amounts of line in the air and loop
formation at those distances.
Capt. Joel Dickey
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Joel... Not a bad idea to get
lots of practice first with lighter equipment (to reduce fatigue) ....
Then go the the 7 wt. with the 6 wt. line.
For the exam, however, the distance cast is
only one task. Roll casting and some of the other tasks are better done
with line matched to the rod for most casters.
Another reason to consider using the 7 wt. is
that the line is thicker and easier for both you and an examiner as well as
students to see.
Gordy
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hi Gordy,
As I catch up on reading group messages, I
see several mentions of methods being invented by one individual or another.
Being a long-time student of fly fishing history, and for the sake of accuracy,
I can tell you with no reservation that using the term invented is, in reality,
a misnomer. No one knows who actually first does these type things, so what
historian are careful to do, is to include in their explanation about these
firsts, that an individual was the first "documented" person
to perform this particular feat. As I have frequently brought to fact,
if you are willing to go back far enough, most things are not actually new. A
very good example of what I am alluding to, is how frequently the argument
arises about who first fished a dry fly in America. Some give Thaddeus Norris
credit, while others insist it was Theodore Gordon. I am absolutely certain,
that some native American or early settler, long before either of these
luminaries were born, after seeing fish taking only dry flies, certainly would
have tried floating some kind of fur fraud on the surface just to feed his
family. For this reason, when I am explaining these type situations, I always
use the phrase: The first documented use of this method is.....
Incidentally for your information: As per
documentation: Thaddeus fished a fly dry before Gordon, but Gordon was the first
to fish an actual dry fly.
I have multiple copies of
Netherton's "History of Sport Casting" both "Early Years" and "Golden Years" at
$25.00 each.
Bob Rumpf
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~