Task 14 Discussion 4

Walter & Group...

[GH] When Peter Minnick mentioned his use of slide loading in his description of the way he makes the salt water quick cast, it stirred the brains of several of you to write to me about the use of slide loading for Task 14.

Here is one of these messages, from Richard Ross :

Hey Gordy,

I mostly follow along here and don't comment much, but I thought I'd take this opportunity to thank you for all the great info and maybe sneak in a question; my apologies for dragging things a little off topic. In the current thread, Peter Minnick comments:

"Gordy...the performance of the "salt water quick cast" is pretty straightforward. I do like to slide load my backcast to further load the rod and minimize the false casting. "

I guess I simply don't understand the concept of "slide loading". From what I gather slide loading is slipping line while moving the rod, i.e. as you begin your forward stroke you're actually feeding line so that more line is outside the tip at the end of the slide than at the beginning - hence, no pulling against the line has occurred during the slide (the beginning of the forward stroke) and therefore little bend, load or stored energy has been imparted to the rod. In my mind, this shortens the effective distance and most likely the arc of the stroke, but does not serve to increase rod loading.

I'm just a lowly CCI who can barely throw a 5wt 95' on a good day with the wind at his back and no one watching... Please help me to understand "slide loading".

Thanks,

Richard Ross

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[GH] Richard,

As a CCI you are in no way, "lowly".

Several wrote in about the use of "slide loading" in Peter Minnick's message on his way of making the salt water quick cast.

The topic of "slide loading" is a contentious one !

Just to be clear, while Peter Minnick and some others may use it, it is an elective move which can be used with many casts, but is not part of the Expectations for Task 14. or, for that matter, any of the tasks on the MCI exam.

We covered it in our Study Group deliberations many moons ago. The conclusions I came to were :

1. It DOES mean giving back a little line while loading the rod, but not enough to prevent loading.

2. This cannot actually increase the load.

3. It can, if used judiciously, smooth out the loading process.

4. It can be used when loading the rod on both back cast and forward cast.

5. Many advanced instructors take the position that, "there is no such thing"

7. No one will ever win that argument .

8. It is a term introduced years ago by Joan Wulff. She describes it best in text and photos. Her words:-

" The line hand and rod hand work as described through the power snap backward. Then, in the time it takes for the rod hand to move backward in the drift move and make the forward loading move, the line hand, following up toward the first guide at the speed of the unrolling line, is still moving upward as the rod hand is moving forward. They are moving toward each other, during the forward loading move. This means that the rod is sliding forward along the line, while the line is still unrolling backward. Startling isn't it ? The hands come together just in time for the forward power snap." * **

Having had Joan on my skiff on the flats, I can assure you that even though she is better known as a trout fisher, she is mightily competent in the salt when tarpon fishing !

For those who wish another description of the use of the saltwater quick cast, Joan's writing and drawings are recommended. ***

* Joan Wulff's FLY CASTING TECHNIQUES, by Joan Wulff, 1987, ISBN 0-9441130-38-X, pp. 107, 125-128.

*** " " " " " " " " " " pp. 210-216.

** Note a separate message from Joan, attached.

Gordy

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[GH] Next topic : Task 15.