Drag / Creep

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I have been trying to get my arms around the drag portion of your most recent email threads. In regards to a roll cast where we stress not accelerating too soon as one begins the roll cast wouldn’t this small amount of rod movement from the static position to the actual acceleration stage be considered drag? At least according to the definition I see used in the discussion? I can elaborate if need be.

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Long answer: It would be considered "drag" if it is translational, thus delaying rotation. The move can have all of the functions enumerated before with respect to the straight line overhead cast.

Fits with the idea that the forward move of the roll cast really is a "straight line overhead cast". Only the back cast differs.

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Bill Gammel just sent me pictures of Rick Hartman making a distance cast with lots of DRAG. I placed these in an attachment.

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Thanks! Great! I use the same definition for CREEP and it´s a fault by defintion.

Primary reasons would be that it is not a consious/intended movemement and that it does not power the cast.

I would also like to add that CREEP can occur while the forward cast unfurls aswell.

Secondly, there are a lot of techs that involve sorts of intendedp/consious reduction/adjustments of arc and stroke performed before the casting stroke. Pickup of a short line into a tight loop starting from a rod tip position by the water surface being one. If you would not reduce the arc before actually powering the line in this example you would get a fully open loop due to the too wide arc.

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But by "definition" ? Perhaps. Many of us feel, however, that with our
official definitions that we should not be judgmental as to whether a movement is "good" or "bad" or whether its use is conscious or unintended leaving that up to commentary and the interpretation of our instructors. Both involve a state of mind.

Many agree with you that CREEP should not be part of the casting stroke, but more for the reason you stated that it does not power the cast as well as the observation that it can shorten available stroke length and casting arc.

You are CORRECT that creep can occur on either the back cast or the forward cast.

A couple of years ago, I wrote an article on that published in the LOOP. I called it "reverse creep" when it occured on the back cast.

Your comment on the wide arc yielding a large or open loop is correct so long as the dimension of the casting arc does not match the bend of the fly rod.

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