Hi, Damon...
To answer your last question first:
The student (or one of us, for that matter) tries to make a long cast and you can't figure out why the end of the forward cast doesn't straighten out leaving a layout with waves on the grass or water......and, sometimes, a piled up leader instead of one which staightened out well.
This is usually do to insufficient loop speed with not enough energy in the cast to throw as much line as is being carried. The haul is often blamed.....but, in my experience, is rarely the fault.
Casting harder is usually NOT the answer, because that may result in erratic application of power. Spreading the energy out with a longer stroke (and greater casting arc) usually helps a great deal, because it usually smooths out the stroke, gives better control, and when combined with a crisp stop after smooth and increasing acceleration, transfers energy better from the rod tip to the line.
Sometimes this occurs when the caster is carrying more line than he/she is capable of handling well. Here, shortening that length of line carried until false casting is well controlled, then shooting a bit on the last back cast will solve the problem. Of course, all this works much better if the caster can form a tight loop.
This is one fault that I'll sometimes purposely make on a Master's exam. The candidate rarely makes the correct diagnosis and correction.
Bob Andreae and I spent a full hour studying that problem last week. To prove the point, we purposely made the error, then used the above methods for correction.
If you go back to basics and follow the casting "drill" from Bill Gammel's tape, TEACHING YOURSELF TO FLY CAST, you'll find that as you increase distance, your lines and leader will lay out better. The trick is to make each increase in distance with greater stroke length and false cast faster and faster until you get max tip speed still maintaining good loops, and decreasing your pause time as you go faster. Once having achieved perfection, then add a little more line and repeat the process until you get to the point that you just can't maintain perfection and feel just a bit out of control. Measure and mark the line you are carrying, and go back 2' to 3', and you will probably have the max line you can carry well. I like to make a temperary marker on the line at this point using a nail knot of 4 lb. mono. I can FEEL this with my line hand. That way I know I'm not going beyond my line carrying capacity for drills of this kind.
Go to Ed Jaworowski's book, TROUBLESHOOTING THE CAST., Problem #9, pp. 22-23. This is exactly what we're talking about.
Be careful that your student has reasonably tight loops on the back cast. If not, you may be dealing with a different problem, ie. shock waves on the forward cast. The layout may be the same as with the first problem . This time, however, it may be caused by the wide back cast loop acting as slack which must be taken up by using the first part of the forward stroke. This, effectively, shortens the remainder of the stroke. Sensing this, the caster may use a spike of power which if done early may result in a tail. If no spike is used, he just doesn't have enough energy left in the remaining stroke to throw all the line carried. The result is the same as in the first scenario, but the "cure" different, ie. tighter loop on the back cast.
(The latter is, problem #1 in Ed's book, pp. 6 - 7.)
Good thought on dyeing the lines. I've been using Rit dye for years and have learned the following:-
1.) If you follow the directions for dying cloth and cook the brew, the heat will ruin the line. Warm is OK. Too much heat is a disaster.
2.) Orange dye works OK on white lines. With green, tan or blue lines, I got a dirty grayish brown color which was anything but Hi Viz.
3.) I found that dilute vinegar helped "set" the dye.
4.) I never did get that super blaze orange color that the manufacturers get.
5.) My home done dye jobs bleached out sooner in the scorching tropical sun (except for those I dyed black.)
6.) If you are dying or re-dyeing lines which are not new, clean them well, first with soap and water. If you clean with most line cleaners, it will prevent the dye from taking well.
Gordy
From: "Damon Newpher " <dnewpher@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
Reply-To: <dnewpher@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: "Gordon Hill" <hillshead@xxxxxxx>
Subject: RE: XXD compepition line
Date: Sun, 15 Jan 2006 09:35:51 -0500
Hi Gordy,
For all our student rods and my own teaching rods we prefer orange lines, even when fishing. Each spring when loading all our rods with new lines we RIT dye them with orange dye. It never effects the coating or castability. On our local streams as long as leader lenghth is right it helps our begining students control the line on the water better and they catch more fish. You can see even the lightest micro drag. Then with a water proof black marker we mark important parts of the line in accordance to Joan Wulffs book. Point being that if you can't find the right line in orange you can do it yourself.
I had a chance to use the competition line this past Dec. it was great!
Question: When a student is practicing a distance cast the back cast is great the forward cast is unrolling and looks great until the end, where the top leg of the unrolling loop begins to turn over it gets little S waves in it, without tailing. Is this caused by the haul being too abrubt at the end of the haul or is the haul too short?
Best Fishes
Damon Newpher
---------- Original Message ----------------------------------
From: "Gordon Hill" <hillshead@xxxxxxx>
Date: Sat, 14 Jan 2006 15:57:38 -0500
><html><div style='background-color:'><P>Tom....</P>
><P> As you know, I much prefer a high viz line for teaching, practice and demonstrations. Orange is best for me.</P>
><P> Except for distance casting, I use a line the designation of which matches that of the rod. Sometimes I give a class on curve casting, specialty casts, mends and hookcasts. For this purpose, I DO use one line wt. designation greater than that of the rod. Not because it casts better, but because I can handle it fine at the moderate distances used for this teaching, and it's thicker, so shows up better so the students can see it more easily.</P>
><P> Having students use lines of greater wt. than the rod designation is one way of having them gain an early, "feel" of loading. That's especially true if they are using medium fast rods.</P>
><P> Those yellow-jacket TFO's are good teaching tools.</P>
><P> Bruce Richards of Scientific Anglers has a limited number of orange XXD lines in 7 wt. for CCI and Master candidates......you best contact him directly.</P>
><P> Scientific Anglers has one line in the Mastery series called the, "Mastery Expert Distnce Line." I haven't tried it, but know that it has an extra long belly which tapers down to the running line. That suggests to me that it might yield good control for most casts in addition to distance. I don't know if it comes in orange. If there is another Sc. A. Mastery line to replace the XXD, I don't know about it.</P>
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>From: <I>"North Fork Flies - Tom Cooper" <cooper@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx></I><BR>Reply-To: <I>"North Fork Flies - Tom Cooper" <cooper@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx></I><BR>To: <I><hillshead@xxxxxxx></I><BR>Subject: <I>XXD compepition line</I><BR>Date: <I>Sat, 14 Jan 2006 13:50:18 -0500</I><BR><BR>
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><DIV>Gordy,</DIV>
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><DIV>I understand there is a new line out to replace the XXD line. I am looking to replace the Wulff Triangle Taper orange lines on my 5 and 7 weight instruction rods. I wondered what the new line's designation is and if it will be available in optic orange?</DIV>
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><DIV>Depending on how this line works for instruction I might use it only for my own casting. I use the TFO Yellow Jacket Instructor rods. The high visibility of the bright yellow rod and optic orange line make it easier for students to follow demonstrations. </DIV>
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><DIV>The TFO Yellow Jacket is a fairly fast rod and I am thinking it might be best for lesson demos to overline it one line weight to slow it down. I would, however, use the proper line weight for my own casting. This might have been covered in earlier threads, but what I'm looking for is suggestions on lines for demos and my own testing.</DIV>
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><DIV>I prefer an optic orange line and I'm sold on the TFO rod and am not looking to start a thread on it's qualities. </DIV>
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><DIV>Thanks<BR><FONT face=Arial>Tom Cooper<BR></FONT></DIV><BR></FONT></BLOCKQUOTE></div></html>
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