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Walter & Group....
[GH] Let's take a brief break for a bit of humor ....
From Ally Gowans:
This is just a bit of fun! http://www.xtranormal.com/watch/7821831/a-new-fly-reel
Best regards,
Ally Gowans
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[GH] Answers from Rick Brown Highlights (bold italics) are mine. I added a couple of comments in purple italics :
Gordy,
1 )This caster could be overpowering his forward cast which would put slack in the line and leader, or he could wiggle the tip, or make a high forward cast. Others below.
2) To put slack in the leader and not in the line, I would change leaders first. George Harvey developed a leader with 3 or 4 stiff but sections joined to 2 or 3 soft terminal sections. The result is a leader that does not completely lay out and falls in ''S'' curves. It is worth noting that his ''stiff'' section begins with a .017 inch, so it is not stiff by our standards for a testing leader.
3) If you use this leader there is little to teach other than a normal presentation because the leader does the work.
[GH] The Harvey leader was designed so that the energy of the cast would have dissipated before full turnover of the leader loop could occur so that it would land as you describe. *
I've been told that George Harvey tied his leaders according to the expected stream and fishing conditions as well as the size of his dry fly.... so he probably had many renditions all tied with the same concept in mind.
Gary Borger wrote in detail about his slight modification of this leader which he called a "Harvey Style Leader". Gary concluded, "P.S. The Harvey-style Leader is the dry-fly fisher's most potent weapon against drag. You can't fish dry flies effectively without it."**
* TECHNIQUES OF TROUT FISHING AND FLY TYING, by George Harvey, 1990.
** PRESENTATION, by Gary Borger, 1995, pp. 180 - 183.
Gordy
1) The main purpose of a slack line presentation is to reduce drag so that the fly and the current travel as close as possible to the same speed and the fly is not pulled cross current.
2) The fish is directly below me so I don't have to worry much about lining it. I would probably drop the fly into the current 2 or 3 feet in front of the fish and give the tip a little wiggle before the fly touches the water.
3) If the fish does not appear to be actively feeding then a reach mend might be a better choice because it gives me a better chance for a re-cast.
I would try to produce the right amount of slack by shooting the right amount of slack into the line.
4) A mend is made after completion of the cast (loop formation) and a cast is made prior to the stop (loop formation).
5) It depends. The rod tip can be brought down ahead of the fly line and before the stop, so it fits the definition of a cast. It can also be brought down after the stop and following the line down, making it a mend.
6a) Reach mend, the rod tip is brought down forming a 90 degree angle with points being the rod tip, the caster and the direction of cast.
6b) Pile cast, the cast is made at an elevated angle and the rod tip is dropped.
6c) Wiggle the rod tip
6d) A check haul, pulling back or stopping the line after loop formation.
have a great day, Rick
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[GH] Rick,
I high-lighted your answers to 2.) and 3.) because you have brought up a real World fishing solution to slack line presentations, i.e. leader design.
Relating this to the CCI tasks........
NOT easy to make true slack leader presentations with the leaders most candidates choose for their exams. One stated reason for failure on tasks 4,5,9,10 & 15 is failure to have the leader lay out straight. For that reason, most knowledgable candidates will use leaders between 7 1/2" and 8 1/2' in length with fast tapers and stiff monofilament for their exams. Far from what dry fly fishers would choose for slack leader casts when dry fly fishing. Of course, this adds a degree of difficulty for the slack line task.
Perhaps we should re-visit Task 7. (?)
Gordy
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[GH] Additional answers from Gail Donoghue :
Hi Gordy,
The student is probably dropping the rod tip at the end of the cast or introducing slack by under-powering the presentation stroke.
We can think of two possible ways to get slack in the leader but not in the line (for the most part). The first is a cast we learned called the check cast. The rod is stopped high and as the loop unrolls the rod hand does a check, a firm but small and short upward movement similar to the one used in the tuck cast. Then the elbow drops but the rod tip remains high. The coordination takes practice and a lot of students have trouble dropping the elbow.
The second is actually an intentional change in trajectory to one that is short of the target. This would require that the student have working knowledge of hand target trajectory principles.
We would teach the first method by focusing on the three parts of the cast, one at a time. First the position of the stop, next the check or upward movement and finally the elbow drop.
We would teach the second by putting out a target, asking the student to hit the target and then to aim short of the target. We would use this exercise to teach the needed trajectory principles.
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[GH] Gail,
If the CHECK can also be done without raising or lowering the rod tip as a "check haul" or "pull-back" If performed after the stop, as you stated, would this not be considered a MEND ? (It does reposition the fly line back toward the angler ..............)
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[GH] Consider these answers by Bob Garber in the light of the ones above :
Bob & Group...
[GH] Your student is attempting a slack LEADER presentation such that there is little of any slack in the fly line, but lots of slack in the leader. Try as he does, he simply cannot do it without lots of slack loops and curls in the fly line as well as the leader.
QUESTIONS:
1. What method(s) do you think he's using?
An aggressive pile or stack cast.
2. What method would you recommend?
A slightly elevated forward cast with a dry fly leader.
[GH] Ahhh, yes. That dry fly leader appears again. Makes a big difference.
3. Briefly tell us how you would teach this presentation.
Make a slightly elevated forward cast. When the loop is a rod length or so away lower the rod tip to the water and let the loop unroll to the target. The fly line should fall straight while the leader and tippet fall in soft curves.
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More questions on slack line presentations :
1. What is the primary purpose of making slack line presentations?
Drag free drifts.
2. You are fishing a small trout stream. You see a rise about 30' directly downstream from you at the tail out of a small pool. How would you present your dry fly to this trout?
In this situation I would have the leader and a few feet of line out of the rod tip in the water downstream. I would then make of couple of quick strips of line from the reel and then do a series of soft Hump mends, slipping line to feed slack as the current drifts the fly downstream to the rise.
[GH] Yes. Actually, those hump mends can be a bit more aggressively made, depending upon the rate of stream flow.... SO LONG AS THEY ARE SMALL ENOUGH and their CADENCE TIMED TO AVOID PLACING ANY TENSION ON THE SLACK LEADER.
3. Is there another method you would consider ?
Make a cast off to the side to get desired the desired distance first so as not to frighten the fish. Then make a pile cast or mend and let the fly drift to the fish.
4. What is the main difference between a slack line MEND and a slack line CAST?
A mend is done after the cast.
5. How would you classify a so-called PILE CAST (AKA) PUDDLE CAST, DUMP CAST, TOWER CAST, STACK CAST) ? * ** ***
a. Slack line cast. b. Slack line mend. c. Slack line cast/mend.
b. Slack line mend.
6. Briefly describe at least three methods of making slack line mends.
Reach mends-An in the air reach of the rod tip placing the tip and line upstream of the fly, continued by following the fly downstream with the rod tip.
Wiggle/S mends-In the air wiggles of the rod tip creating S waves in the fly line as it falls to the water.
On the Water mend-One use is after the slack has been taken out of an aerial mend to place the line back upstream.
7. Briefly describe at least 3 methods of making slack line casts (with no mend(s)).
Positive Curve cast- Most often a horizontal over powered cast where the energy of the cast flings the fly and line around in curve.
Negative Curve cast-Most often an under powered cast where the line does not straighten and falls to water in a curve.
Roll Dump cast-Normally a poor roll cast where the rod tip is stopped in direction toward the water. As soon as the line hits the water, the front of the line and leader fall in a pile of slack.
8. You are a well seasoned CCI or Master and are mentoring a new CCI candidate to help her prepare to take the exam. You are using the new Fly Casting Instructor Performance form approved for use starting Jan. 1, 2012 and are coaching her with respect to Task 7 :-
Task 7.
Make two slack line presentations with the fly landing at approximately 25-30' (7.6-9.1m).
One presentation is to be made as a slack line cast with no aerial mend. The second presentation is to be the result of an aerial mend(s)
Expectations: The slack would achieve a drag free drift and the fly and leader must land in front of the fly line.
(____) Did not create slack that would result in a drag free drift.
(____) Did not create slack in two different ways.
(____) Fly did not land in front of the fly line and leader.
Comments: __________________________________
9. Which slack line CAST would you recommend she use for this task?
Underpowered Vertical Curve cast with a wrist flip.
10. Why did you pick this one?
Fairly simple to perform and yields fly first to the right or left depending on which way the wrist is flipped.
11. Which slack line MEND(S) would you recommend?
Right and Left Reach mends
12. Why did you pick this method?
These are slack line presentations which should be used any time you are fishing movings waters and casting across the current.
Gordy
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[GH] John Field sends this message on Slack Line Presentation:
Hi Gordy,
Here is a link to a New York City Trout Unlimited Newsletter containing an article I wrote and illustrated on Slack Line Presentation http://www.tunyc.org/newsletters/tunews2008_04.pdf A critique might be a good exercise and a good lesson for me.
Best,
John Field
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[GH] John,
My own "critique" includes the question of what is a slack line MEND as compared with a true slack line CAST ?
Task 7. on the current CCI exam emphasizes this distinction.
Begs the question: Does the distinction really deserve this emphasis ?
Gordy
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