Slide Loading / Translation-Rotation / Boobies, more.

Interesting. Thank you for sending. I tend to not agree that ALL the best casters gravitate to slide loading eventually. While I don't consider myself an elite caster, I don't see elite casters that I've observed doing it. If the rod is sliding down the line as you being your stroke, then how can you call this your "loading move"? A rod will not appreciably load until it pulls against the inertia of the static line. Your loading move will be delayed until the whole mess comes tight - all in one instant and VERY hard to control with consistency. I think Joan alludes to this when she says "all my longest casts came from slide loading". I infer that not every cast is equal. Some are better than others. I myself strive for the most perfect consistency I can achieve, even if it means that I don't gain 5 extra feet on 2 out of 10 casts. I also didn't have 4 out of the 10 that were 5 feet SHORTER than the average.

Regards,
Troy Miller

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Troy...

I have observed the same thing... elite casters who don't seem to use slide loading. I can't deny the possibility that I might miss a tiny bit of slide as they come forward with the rod.... but one wouldn't necessarily see that except with high speed video. Even if that were the case, it wouldn't be significant.

On LOADING when sliding: Theoretically, if the line slide is slight while rod angular acceleration is much greater, you would have some actual load yielding rod bend. This is theory. I don't know if this is actually what is happening as Joan casts.

Without any proof, I suspect that this maneuver could be used to "blunt" the sudden application of power at the very start of the forward stroke. For some casters, this might help prevent an erratic or jack-rabbit start and help them achieve the "start slow & end fast" of constant acceleration leading to a straighter rod tip path and tighter loops than they would otherwise have achieved. If that is true, then the slide-loading would help these casters though perhaps not others.

I don't use it purposely. When I tried it consciously, my casts suffered. Tom White videoed me about 4 years ago, and noted that with some distance casts I did do it just a bit ...... didn't know it and didn't feel it. Do I use it as I fish ???? I don't think so.

Of course, Joan noted that she didn't know she was doing it until Johnny Dieckman's cast was analyzed with slow motion cine... only then did she pay attention to it. Then she began to look at other "good" casters critically.*

In a few Days, Steve Rajeff and Chris Sepio will be fishing on my skiff. We'll address this with them and observe one another as carefully as we can with this in mind.

Gordy

* Joan Wulff's FLY CASTING TECHNIQUES, p. 107, Paragraphs 3-4.

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From Jerry Puckett...

Thanks Gordy,

Bruce's diagrams make very clear rotation and translation!

Jerry Puckett

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TRANSLATION & ROTATION

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Jerry... I thought so, too. Hope all who viewed it realized that you have to click seperately on the titles in the lower margin : TRANSLATION, ROTATION, TRANSLATION MIXED WITH ROTATION, and DRIFT. G.

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BOOBY FLIES, MORE

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From Reuben Breitkreutz (Note his attachments ) :

Hi Gordy,

These are another version of the Booby.

The extra foam in the back helps suspend the fly and adds to the movement.

I have fished this pattern for several years in stillwaters around Canada with great success.

There is one thing that you have to watch with this pattern. Keep this pattern moving even if it is slow. If you fish it dead drift, the fish will inhale it and swallow it deep. Any fight will kill the fish.

Ruben