Walter & Group....
I'm repeating a message from the recent past from Jeff Barefoot, since we now have Bruce Richards' analysis of this as his answer to the questions Jeff poses on the overpowereed hook cast:
Hi Folks,
Here's something to think about. You have just thrown an overpowered
hook cast. Anatomically the style in which you did it, whether wrist flick,
forearm flip, etc or whatever is not what we should focus on. If it lands
to the left or right the loop plane had to be at least somewhat in the
horizontal. That’s a given. So please let's not discuss any of those
factors. Let's just say that an overpowered horizontal loop was created by
one means or another.
Here's the issue in which I'm very interested in your opinion. OK the
loop is overpowered and it's tight......let's say the angular velocity is
an honest m......mmm one foot. OK, so now it's a one foot overpowered
horizontal loop. Now imagine in slow motion that this loop is unrolling
and unrolling. The fly leg is getting shorter and shorter and going from
dynamic to static........now the leader [short and blunt taper] starts to
turn over..... now there is only 36" of leader remaining to turn
over......now there is only 24" of leader left to turn over...... and at
last now there is only 12" left. [Now picture these freeze frame
photographs in your mind] From 12" left then 6" then 3" then all the way to
0". Now due to an angular velocity of only 12" [hence the 12" loop] during
the caster's input and a a surplus of energy that will no doubt not only
straighten the leader but "more". Now it's this "more" that I'm very
interested in discussing. How do we get a hooking layout with a 3 or 4 foot
dogleg? How does a 12" overpowered loop swing completely into 36" to 48"
layout in the opposite direction?
We know that it must be technically defined as a cast/aerial/mend
but let's define it in more detail. What put the sharp radius of the hook
there?
Let's stay focused on this one.
Jeff Barefoot
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Bruce Richards' answer: -
Gordy:
Can always count on Jeff for a teaser! Here is how I believe this all
happens, and what impacts it....
Tight, sidearm, overpowered loop, as he describes. The top leg is moving
very fast, whatever line is in the bottom leg is static as soon as it gets
to bottom leg, as soon it transitions out of the loop front, it is static,
assuming no shoot.
What Jeff misses in his slow motion scenario below is this..... When the
loop reaches the point that the end of the FLY LINE is making the turn
through the loop front is where the curve/hook happens. Unless a leader is
quite short and/or stout, it won't carry enough energy to make much of a
curve, and certainly won't pull the mass of the fly line into a curve.
Envision the fly line going through the loop front. When it reaches the
point where it is straight, it still has considerable energy, the leader
doesn't have enough mass to take it all. At this point the FLY LINE itself
starts to "kick". The shorter the leader, and lighter the butt, the more
violently the line will kick around. Long leaders will do it too, but only
if the butt is relatively long and the tippet is heavy. Long light leaders
will prevent curve/hook casts.
Once the fly line has started this "kick", it drags the leader along, of
course. At this point the shape of the loop front is obviously messed up as
the bottom leg has now kicked down considerably. This makes it more wind
resistant which is part of the reason longer, lighter leaders won't curve.
Even going very fast, once the loop opens energy dissipation is severe
preventing much of a curve/hook.
To get the most severe, extreme curves/hooks line speed must be maximized,
and energy dissipation of the leader minimized to allow the line to kick
freely. The best example would be casting a level line with no leader, it
will kick around all the way back to the caster with a bit of effort.
Obviously there are a lot of variables at work here. Of course, a caster
could use a short leader, cast with just enough energy to straighten the
fly line, and find that the leader still kicks into a curve. But the kind
of fly line curve he is talking about below results from more energy in the
line than is dissipated by wind resistance or the mass and resistance of
the leader.
I hope this makes sense.
Bruce
Scientific Anglers/3M
4100 James Savage Rd.
Midland, MI 48642 USA
Tel: 989-496-1113
Fax: 989-496-3374
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`
Robert Shigley on the, "lift" :-
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Robert....
I've seen Mel teach it that way. Good tip.
The more line you have out on the water, the more important the technique of the, "lift". Particularly important when Spey casting !
Gordy
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Question from Peter Lami:
When using shooting tapers, everyone knows to up-line a size or two, and there is a very good reason to do that. Can you explain why if you were asked this question during the Master test?
Peter D. Lami
```