Walter & Group....
This morning, we'll start with some personal concepts on wind casting. Some of these "word pictures" can help with our teaching and our practice :
From Rene Hesse:
Hi
Gordy,
Short answer for wind.
Keep the fly on the downwind side of you and
tilt the cast into the wind.
Another useful quote is
“Down into the
wind”
There are two problems
with delivery into a wind first is to get the line straitened and the other is
to keep it straightened. Delivering close to the surface so that the wind cannot
blow the line back because it has alighted is perfect. Trying too hard and
aiming too high (somewhat natural responses) results in the line bouncing back
due to elasticity in the system and defeats the objective. Tight loops and
smooth hauls are very helpful.
Best
wishes,
Ally
Gowans
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For those of you who don't know, Jerry Puckett is a long experienced airline pilot. Here is an observation from him:
|
Gordy,
If you could look at the runway layout of the major airports of
Florida's east coast they have a runway 9 and 27 as well as runways angle
to this layout. Landing during the day to the east and at
night to the west. Just off the surface I am thinking that this may
have something to do with the wind when fishing. What are your
thoughts from your years living and fishing in Florida?
Jerry Puckett |
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Jerry... I've done my share of night fly fishing... especially pre-dawn tarpon. It does seem that the winds are different between day and night, but I have no facts. G.
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From Mark Sedotti :
Hi Gordy,
I have to say that the best way to cast into a
wind is to use good fundamental casting technique. The tendency is to push
and rush, but you need to use the same speed of acelleration to load, (and
unload) as you do with no wind, and you must discipline yourself to
this.
You do this by practicing your casting into the
wind.
A number of years ago, I really wanted to cast well into the
wind. So for two years I made sure that any time the wind was blowing, and I
mean REALLY BLOWING (although I was casting out there into all wind speeds
- casting into the wind became my main casting goal for those two
years), I got out to practice casting right into it. It got so that I couldn't
wait for those windy days. The more blustery the better. I did it again, and
again, and again. Now, I practice all the time, and if you know me, I'm a
practicing nut. So I did this A LOT. What worked best was casting
right, straight, smack into it. I used the line
that lined up best (under any conditions) with the particular rod I was
using - what ever it turned out to be. Usually it was the recommended line wt.
from the manufacturer. Mostly I used floating lines too, and 6 - 11 wt.
rods. These are the rods I mostly fish. Bottom "line" was that putting
the time in made all the difference in the world. Nothing like doing it to get
you doing it.
Really, that's it. Good, relaxed, fundamental
technique, and casting into the wind a lot of
times.
Regards,
Mark
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Mark... No substitute for actually doing it as often as possible !
I look at it this way: I see three stages in the life of a fly fisherman. 1.) When he/she simply can't handle much wind.
2.) When the caster can handle the wind. 3.) When the caster can use the wind to advantage. Not many make it out of stage 1.) ........ Far fewer make it to stage 3.).
Gordy
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PRACTICE TARGETS
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From Peter Morse:
Gordy, Stumbled across a great practice tool today. I bought a bag of
a dozen styrofoam balls the other day, these are about the size of a
golf ball. I bought them originally for targets for accuracy but have
found them to very useful as targets for curves and mends as well as
accuracy. They're small and very light and make an excellent target,
easy to see, challenging to hit and it saves carrying hoops and cones.
I'm going to make some with little anchor ropes on them as well, for
when I'm on water.
Peter Morse.
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Peter.. Another good idea. It would be interesting to have suggestions as to the various kinds of fly casting targets folks have thought up. These would range all the way from Lefty Kreh's mouse trap, to the squirrels in the park to which I sometimes cast as they run about. Hoops and rings of all sorts. We even placed a submerged model "fish" in the practice pond for a course which we gave in New Jersey last year .... etc., etc. G.
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Mark Sedotti has a belated note on distance casting worth heeding:
Hi Gordy,
I'm behind all the time, so I want to say something
about distance.
You mentioned getting a student to cast 90 ft.
after he has cast 80.
Almost every caster could improve his
speed of acelleration for the loading stage of the cast. Someone who can
only cast 80 ft. definitely can. He's begging for it, and could get a whole lot
of improvement here. I would work on that. Just that alone might well get him to
90 ft. and past.
That speed is usually slower than you thought.
Just telling them this often gets them there. I also mention that the farther
you want to cast, the more you have to bend the rod. Optimal speed of
acelleration gets you there.
Sometimes, if they aren't getting it -
especially beginners and novices, but sometimes others more advanced too-
I do a thing Lefty did with me many years back. I grab their casting hand as
they're casting ("relax completely from your shoulder right through your
fingers, and let ME apply the power") and I cast "for them, and with them" so
they feel and experience the needed speed of acelleration. GREAT
teaching tool. Thanks Lefty.
Optimal speed of accelleration is
vital to distance casting. If you really want to get there keep slower than
everybody at (and near) the beginning, and be moving faster than everybody right
before that hand stops at the end. And make it smooth, smooth, smooth, and oh,
so steady.
Then you want to make sure that the casting energy
travels straight to a POINT to where you want the fly to go in the air.
Efficient "track" (like an arrow). So you want to make sure that that rod tip
tracks straight towards that "target" for, at least a little, towards
and at the end of the load, and during the entire unload. Yes, I know, that
tip will have to turn a little down at the end so that the fly doesn't run into
the line, so that you can have a loop. So you have to be very close here at
the end.
I often have them "lead with the reel", rod angling back
as they go through the load, and then have them unload starting from this angled
back position. Like a rolling catapult. Load and unload (with that rod tip
moving in the direction) right to where you want that fly to
go.
Many people are also helped here by having them drift at
the end of their backcast. Get them starting with their tip lower, and
further back. Lower is often key. (gives them a better starting angle to "lead
with the reel")
Many people come to me to improve distance. I
mention having a tight loop, perhaps once, and don't really emphasize it, nor
have them think much about it at all. What I teach RESULTS in a very tight
loop. (I haven't obviously covered a lot here) I may also mention having your
backcast 180 degrees to your forward cast, but all I have to do is mention this
once in
passing.
Regards,
Mark
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Mark... I never forgot your concept of the "flow of power from the butt to the rod tip".
"leading with the reel" can yield translation prior to rotation which can help take up unwanted slack and can delay rotation which has been shown to help tighten the loop.
The back drift can have the effect of lengthening the available stroke length and rod arc for the next (forward) cast. This can also be done with Lefty's method of simply bringing the rod tip way back in the first place.
Gordy
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