Walter & Group...
My many thanks to all of you who have sent messages during the past few days ! I consider each and every one.
The main reason I have taken time "off" is that I'm doing many things prior to the Conclave at the end of July. This includes getting ready for 4 workshops. I may take over a 5th for a good friend who may not be able to make it.
This week I've been fishing each day all day with Steve Rajeff and Chris Sepio as my guests. Next week I'll fly up to N.J. to work with Jim Valle on one of our workshops. Then Jim and I will drive down to MD. to visit Lefty. There we'll be working on our salt water workshop.
After the Conclave, we'll start up again.
One of the things I think may make our Group messages more valuable than otherwise, is the fact that many of our topics are chosen as the result of questions submitted by you, our members. I feel that if one or two of you or more come in with the same question that many others will profit from the answers. Then I like to use the Q&A as the "springboard" for sufficient discussion that we all get the benefit of multiple informed opinions from various corners of the Globe. By the time we finish, we have usually exhausted the topic.
I get many more questions and messages than I can possibly share. Some request private answers. I respect that.
This results in our seeing the same points from numerous perspectives. In my opinion, that yeilds much better education than any one forceful opinion could provide. These become tools to make us think and form our own conclusions.
Prior to the inception of our Group, my own method of study was to take any single topic, discuss it with several well informed casters and instructors, then read about that topic in each of several texts. I'd then "test" the knowlege gained out in the field and in doing so, would come to my own conclusions. Reviewing the opinions of many, helps me as I try to keep an open mind.
Those of you who have been with the Group for several years have seen my own opinions change. Some topics get updated as the result of new ways of thinking and casting. Nothing is "written in stone on the mount". THAT HELPS KEEP US CURRENT. It is the reason I favor re-visiting certain topics from time to time. One can't do that by writing a single book. Lefty has done it by writing several books over the years.
This leads up to the fact that we are all teaching one another as we progress together. I like to look at it that way.
A living thing !
Gordy
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ONE INCREDIBLE CAST
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I can't resist sharing this with you :
Two days ago, I had Steve Rajeff as my angler. We were fishing the flats in the Keys for tarpon. Few fish showed.
A tarpon "spiked" (raised its tail from the surface) way out of my casting range.
Steve made a cast that was hard to believe.
He had a quartering wind, partly from in front and mainly onto his casting arm side, at about 13 Knots. The skiff was pitching and rolling a bit. The rod was a one piece 8' 10" G. Loomis prototype 11 wt. Cross Current. Line was a new prototype WF 11 F Airflo Tropical Saltwater Polyfuse XT Ridge Line supplied by his brother, Tim.
He made an off-the-opposite-shoulder cast with a slightly off vertical rod plane after peeling off the entire fly line and several feet of backing......put the entire length out to the fish with an explosive release, a needle sharp loop and perfect turnover. Accuracy was suberb. Only two back casts. The fish was hooked. (It was soon lost as the hook pulled.)
His stroke was short but had great power such that his rod bend matched the length of line carried and the casting arc. The haul was made with blinding speed and power.
This cast was made in such a way that it looked "easy". Practically no body motion, no early translation ("drag") and no forward step. (He'd have gone overboard if he'd done that.) His action was so smooth that he didn't even rock my skiff.
Steve's modesty yielded him no comment.
Chris said, "Only Steve could do that"...................
I was impressed !
Gordy