Walter & Group:
Answer from Jim Valle (MCI) as to the uses and reasons for TRAJECTORY.:-
Gordy &
Group,
(I’ll word as a
teaching response as a back to basics reminder to the newer members of the
group)
(Define the
issue)
Trajectory,
the tilt of your cast, typically the path of
the rod tip and therefore the fly line in a straight line either parallel to the
ground or tilted, such as low in the front high in the back for close in
targets, or higher in the front and lower in the back for a more distant
target.
Why (This is the word in
your students mind, always) change the
trajectory of the cast?
Accuracy…
close target, low in front, medium distance target more like level and for
distance raise the forward cast
Wind … You
may want to let the wind “carry” your cast to the target (tailwind) or you may
want to drive it directly to the target in the case of a headwind.
Obstacles…
especially on the backcast, or possibly under brush or over the surf on the
forward cast
(For a student I would
probably stop here, maybe throw in the last item for a little levity)
To answer the Group
question I would add:
Specialized casts… Pile
casts, curve casts, to give the line time to respond to the casters
input
Roll Casts
with heavy flies like a Bass Bug or a distance accuracy
consideration
Size and
weight of the fly could also be a consideration
And of
course to correct that last Bad Cast…. It happens!
Have fun, Hope this
helps,
Jim
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jim...
Very complete answer.
We must also remember the use of trajectory in long distance casting, where our, "tilt" or, "launch angle" on each forward and back cast is higher than the ultimate trajectory or angle of the line due to gravity....getting back to Joan Wulff's, "seesaw".
In other words, we can make a high back cast carrying lots of line. By the time the back cast loop is almost unrolled and we are ready to make our distance forward cast, that back cast loop has fallen to the point that it is almost parallel to the ground or even lower. Then we make our distance presentation forward cast, "launching" it high enough that its unrolling loop has fallen toward the ground so that it unrolls just enough for the fly to land on the distance target (or, for competition distance casting) as far from the caster as possible.
As you can see....I like that concept of, "launch angle" (introduced not by me, but by Walter Simberski) since that is how the caster aimed his loop. The ultimate trajectory, was (as Walter pointed out) the resultant of multiple forces not the least of which was gravity.
Gordy