Roll cast practice indoors and out in winter

Walter & Group....

From Damon Newpher:

Hi Gordy,

I know you're looking for answers on outside casting practice and water tension.  Melting snow, making the snow melt, puddling water of any type used as a casting pond to create surface tension.  When it gets really cold here in NW PA a building with a carpeted floor creates great tension for the "shaggy yarn" on fly-o's and mel-o's.  These are two of my favorite cold weather tools for practicing casting.  With the indoor shooting head you're able to do two handed casts as well as double hauls and both tools will show you all your mistakes and mishaps.  As Joan does with her students, you can use a mirror with these tools to aid in form and work on loop control on both the front and back casts.  Happy New year to all.

Damon

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From Jerry Puckett:

 

Gordy:

 

Great string of messages on the roll cast. This may not be worth mentioning but you mentioned a short succinct definition;  "The roll cast is a forward without a back cast"  Would you entertainment this thought as a variation, "a roll cast can be a back cast without a forward cast."

 

On very rare occasion stance and/or position while wading or position on a drift boat I have a made a "quick" cast with a roll cast on the back cast to my fishing advantage.  This is something I also practice and am getting better at executing.  Anyway, just a small after thought on the excellent string of learning messages from the group regarding roll casting.

 

Thanks, Jerry

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Jerry..

I do look at the roll cast as having a back cast even when it is a static, "set-up" for the forward cast.  Roll cast with active back casts include those with an aereolized D loop such as with the so-called SWITCH CAST.

 

As you describe, one can make the presentation on a back cast even if the forward cast was static (on the ground or water).

 

In one case the presentation is with a forward cast and a static or live line back cast and in the other it is a presentation on the back cast with either a static or live line forward cast.

 

Gordy

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Comments on Damon's message which is just before Jerry's, above :

 

You are right about that, Damon. 

 

Specifically for roll casting, I've seen instructors use some clever indoor devices to simulate the, "line stick" or, "anchor" :

 

# The ROLL CAST TOOL.  This is a metal plate to which is affixed an upright tubular shaft around which a leader loop can be placed. (I think credit goes to Tony and Marilyn Vitale for this one.)

 

To avoid the use of the leader loop, I modified this by using a pvc upright pipe on a base with a saw cut made with a thin blade back-saw in the end.  The leader end is placed in the saw cut with a yarn fly on the end. 

 

# A thick book.  The leader and fly are placed between the pages.  Amount of stick depends upon the thickness of the pages on either side of the leader and the type of paper.

 

# A Velcro fly on a Velcro pad glued to a heavy piece of plywood with rubber backing of a material called, "bench vise" so it doesn't slip on a gym floor.

 

# An assistant or instructor to literally stand upon the leader.

 

Unfortuately, all of these require a new set-up for each cast.  Time consuming.  Your shaggy rug method does not have that drawback but is limited to the use of yarn rods.  Perhaps a 2' long segment of that yarn interposed between the tapered section of the leader and the tippet might allow the use of standard fly lines. (?????????)

 

For roll cast loop control practice, indoors or out, I like to place the leader around a stationary object ... an ice pick in the ground, a heavy book on the floor, etc.  I, then, place a folded towel over the leader as it exits the fixation point.  I, then, have the caster stand about 2 rod lengths from the fixation point and, using different amounts of line out of the rod tip (for different loop distances), I have him make loops repeatedly while self critiqueing them.  The folded towel absorbs the shock of several hundred casts so the leader doesn't part.

 

This works really well, because the caster can make as many as ten loops per minute !

 

Great for reinforcement and the development of kinesthetic sense ("muscle memory").

 

Gordy

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From Walter Simberski :

Gordy - I trick I learned from Chris Sepio when roll casting on grass. The problem with static line roll casting on grass is that there is very little anchor so the caster will over power the cast. To get them used to the feel of casting on grass have them make a series of on the grass stack mends. This consists of doing what would normally be an underpowered roll cast that results in the loop just making it up to the leader before collapsing. It's a useful on the water mend for fishing situations when you want to get a bit of extra drag free drift. The stack mend on grass requires a delicate touch and teaches the student how little power is actually required to make the roll cast. Another useful trait for the student to develop for static line roll casting on grass is to have a very smooth application of power.

Cheers

Walter

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Comment:  For those of you who may not know, Chris is an MCCI who is a superb caster and teacher from British Columbia.

This stack mend technique takes great finesse !  It's really a series of, "flopping mends".

(See p. 199 of Jason Borger's book.)

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