|
Walter & Group....
I couldn't resist sending this attachment of a hammerhead shark which had been attacked by an even bigger one.
Here is a related film of a hammerhead shark attacking a hooked bonefish on a shallow flat. (Not cool to be wading this flat ! ) Note that the shark also attacked and bit the graphite push-pole in half. This happened to me many times in the Bahamas, but only a couple of times in the Florida Keys. (They are more likely to bite off the end of it.) The awesome power, speed and agility of these huge creatures is something to behold.
Gordy
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[GH] Back tracking once again to Task 5. (Curve casts) Re. The use of mends and/or pull-back with the performance of the powered curve casts.
This from Ally Gowans :
Hi Gordy,
If there is an insistence of “no pullback” whatever that means whether it is part cast or mend, whoever is testing will require to discern even the most microscopic pullback which is a ridiculous and impossible proposition. My opinion is that candidates should simply be asked to demonstrate, describe and teach the cast including augmentation with reference to example layouts in the form of illustrations.
We must not become specialists in minutia. Definition of specialist – someone who knows more and more about less and less until he knows everything about nothing!
Best wishes,
Ally Gowans
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[GH Ally,
Sometimes I teach a curve cast performed with a lightning quick wrist twist in the direction I want the fly go followed by a return to neutral or beyond.
In teaching this, I start by having the student pantomime the moves with no rod. At the "stop" I have him flip-twist the wrist in one direction and back again so fast that it is impossible for him to even know if it all was done "at", "after", or "before and after" the stop. A variation on the method shown by Ed Jaworowski. * Also, depicted with beautiful photos by Lefty Kreh. Lefty calls these, "vertical curve casts to the right and left" because of the almost vertical position of the rod. (Not upward and downward vertical casts such as many call the tuck cast and the upward curving power snap casts) ** I simply increase the curve layout when I return my wrist twist to neutral when needed.
When I actually make this powered curve cast I (frankly) cannot even tell if it is a lightning fast cast/mend or cast/torsion pull-back.
Tom White and I worked on this a few years ago.... even after videoing the move, neither of us could be certain.
I defy any examiner (including me) to decide whether or not a mend or pull-back or "twist-back" was done.
Can I always tell if the rebound of the rod tip was assisted in the slightest when I examine a candidate who is performing an overpowered curve cast with rod in the near horizontal plane ? The answer is a resounding NO. I'm not even sure the candidate does it purposely or is even aware that he did it.
I think the minutia belong in erudite discussions of detailed casting theory .... not on a Master exam.
* THE CAST , by Ed Jaworowski, 1992, pp. 135-137.
** CASTING with LEFTY KREH, 2008, pp. 313-320.
Gordy
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[GH] From Bill Keister :
Gordy,
When I took my MCI test overpowered curve casts had to be made to the left and right. I choose to make both casts as vertical overhead casts as described in Lefty Kreh's book Advanced Fly Casting on pages 125 - 134. Both of these casts are made by slapping the wrist around in a semi-circle in the direction of he curve. For the first half of the semi-circle the rod is moving in the direction of the forward stroke. In the second half of the semi-circle the rod is moving in the opposite direction. A 'pull back'. But this is executed as a single movement. The backward movement can be extended for a foot or so to add even more powered to the over powered curve cast.
I would not call this a pull back. It is a curved power stroke in the same mode as a Circle-C or Snap-T. Does the overpowered curve cast have to made sidearm? On the rare occasions when I make a curve cast while fishing I make it vertically.
Bill Keister
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[GH] j Bill,
Years ago, I was asked on my Master exam to demonstrate as many ways of making both underpowered, powered and overpowered curve casts to the right and left. I had anticipated this and so had no trouble doing it in many ways. The issue of mends and pull-back were not addressed.
How did I know that this might occur ? Simple. I had worked on these tasks with several Masters and 6 BOG's. Also, after MCI testing at 3 different Conclaves, I queried as many of the candidates who had just taken their tests as I could.
Some other candidates were simply asked to make curve casts using two methods.
I got all the candidates who were tested at at that Conclave together after the exams and we held a debriefing session. Amazing to hear the wide variations of experiences on many of the tasks, especially on the curve cast task.
Rick Whorwood and I had already launched our Study Group. We immediately added the 8 candidates who had not passed. We became good friends .... later, every one of them passed.
Back then, interpretations of the task descriptions varied a great deal. Our MCI Testing Committee is trying to avoid that scenario by making things as clear as possible to both candidates and examiners.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
|
Attachment:
Hammer Head.jpg
Description: JPEG image
