Casting in cold weather / simulating water tension

 

Walter & Group...........................

 

Here is some advice from Group members on casting in cold weather and on simulation of water surface tension for roll casting and water hauls, "tension casting", etc. :-

 

 

 

 

From Walter Simberski.  Walter lives in Canada where, I understand, it gets cold on occasion !

 

 

Avoid anything wet when casting in near or below freezing weather. The line picks up the water

which freezes on contact with the stainless steel tip and guides. After a few casts the line can

get frozen to the guides. Using Ice Off Paste on line and guides will reduce this problem but I

find you have to reapply it at about 15-20 minute intervals.

 

Cold weather alone won't harm a rod but I have pulled off a tip guide when the line got frozen

to it and I was trying to get a bit of extra distance in the cast.

 

If fishing in these types of weather conditions avoid stripping and hauling as much as possible

to keep water from getting to the guides. Good practice for people who want to pick up a

streamer with about 50 feet of line outside the guides and then recast it without using a haul.

Roll cast pick up to a constant tension cast to an overhead cast. You realize just how much

slack is the enemy in these conditions...

 

Cheers

 

Walter

 

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From Gary Eaton:

 

Gordy,

 

I haven't seen mentioned Al Buhr's "Grass Leader for Roll Casting" - as a reminder every few inches a blood not is left with the ends a centimeter long (untrimmed) and these catch like a hook to load the rod.

 

Also, the use of the wet parking lot is very effective. There is so much fine debris and dust on a parking lot that it gets sticky almost before it gets real wet. There is a big problem with pavement though, the petroleum residue and other chemicals are destructive to fly lines.

 

I have cast in snow and I like it when the temperature is above about 29 degrees Fahrenheit because the ice crystals are less abrasive on the crust and with a little bit of sun, the line gets slightly warm and sticks like it was sugary. I also like throwing a little salt on a pond (or icy driveway or sidewalk) in the sun to get a surface film of water that is the minimal depth and level by virtue of physics (at least on a pond).

 

The plastic sheeting is very effective and those helping at conclaves and shows know about putting flexible drain pipe as a border and securing it as a 'pond' edge. One only needs a half centimeter of water to effectively present surface tension for loading the roll cast. I used this method for a demonstration I did this Fall. I have also used a kids "slip-n-slide". It is self filling and generates it's own edge on 3 sides. It's a little messy for formal use but is a dandy way to water a brown spot on the lawn while you practice rolls & switches.

 

I accidentally found out that a foam backed plastic sheet that was sold as an emergency blanket grabs the ordinary knots on a leader. Two problems are that the "blanket" is light and lifts off the ground easily and that is becomes torn-up relatively quickly.

 

LINES

 

Obviously a tropical line may present more cold weather coil. A cold water line for Steelhead, salmon or muskie may tolerate the cold better. I find that if I stretch the line before I go out in the cold and lay it straight while it re-cools, I get fewer coils. If I stop to talk or do something else for more than one minute I leave a distance cast out straight to reduce coiling on the reel. Some lines are worse than others for this - I'll leave it at that.

 

I am also willing to wipe down my lines with Armor-All type protectant wipes to do several things.

- Protect surface from debris & salt

- Reduce line cohesion - sometimes worse in cold weather

- Rehabilitate slick coating temporarily

 

All of these things could be gained from a good line dressing, too. The protectant wipes are part of my teaching 'field kit'.

 

Thanks,

 

 Gary Eaton

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Comment:  Gary is right about parking lot surfaces ruining a fly line.

 

                   Armor-All is a plasticizer.  As such, it softens the PVC fly line coating and makes it a bit more pliable.  This can be overdone.  On one trip to Alaska, we soaked our lines in the stuff and created some wierd anomalies.  The coating bubbled up and became rough making the fly lines unusable. ......................... Gordy

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From Steve Jacobs:

 

Gordy,

I am teaching my daughter how to cast a 8wt as she is going to Bruce Chard's bonefish school in January. We have about 12" of snow on the ground. we do two things.

1. We stretch and straighten the leader and 50' of line (regular Orvis warm weather bonefish taper) IN THE HOUSE before going outside. We also do not  put the stretched line on the reel and just leave it on the snow. We haven't had to use one of the lines designed for colder waters.

2. The caster stands on an  old piece of carpet so she will not slip on the snow.

Steve

 

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