Collapsing head.... more.

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

From Al Crise:

Howdy Gordy and Group   

  I was lucky enough to cast with Jay Clark. He was saying that when at one of the national casting comps.

 He was standing at the 120 ft mark watching the loops and lines. He noted that the lines would fall back on themselves a the end of the cast. This was loosing 4-6 ft of distance as they judge where the fly lands.

 This fall back is strange to watch. Not just the Springing back just the body of the line pulls the tippet and front taper back.

 

   Here I go again with this flysoup thinking.

 Are we casting over so long a distance the Curve of the Earth is effecting the flight path. Ask a pilot if he heads for the horizon or at a point above it?

  Could the massive belly be slowing the line in the final stages of flight?

  I think the weight we are casting are not just at the end of the line. But 30 ft long and then we make it turn over to pull the rest through the air. Is this the distance of the shooting head. Shorter weight but sent further before it pulls the fly first?

   See what travel can do to me.....

 

ol Al

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Al...  Very interesting observation on Jay's part.  Over the years, I've learned a lot by standing in front of or behind the caster or even lying on the ground in those positions looking up.  I, sometimes, do that when I am stumped as to the problem.  I'm not sure, but this may represent what we've been talking about with respect to both overhead casting and Spey casting, where the energy applied to the cast is not sufficient to make the distance and the head starts to collapse.  I am still not sure as to whether the weight of the insufficiently energised running line helps to pull back and down on the collapsing head.  The distance with respect to the Earth's curvature is so slight that I doubt it is a factor.

 

Gordy

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Howdy Gordy

 Last Saturday I got to spend some time watching Bill Gammel make some 120+ casts with a 5 wt TFO rod. Impressive. I got maybe l00-ft. out from that outfit.

 He is now casting with the rod side foot forward. Rick Hartman style. Big and long on the stroke makes the line fly. He was suffering from a back back. So he did not make any great casts. He could not turn to see the back cast to cast out of. Gee that was hard on him. Still only making 120 footers...

   He gave some great tips on distance casting. Jay Clark was there too. More distance casting he was not use to the XXD line on the 5 wt would rather have the 4 lb mono running line and a shooting head.

  Did some spey casting too. On the Grass with Nick  and Gary Davison and Ron Thomas. I felt that I was doing well on this rods. Full D loops to full length of the fly line on my CND Expert 13 ft 5-6-7 wt. Not bad for an ol man.

Great weekend for me. Took a break on Monday to just fish for Blackwater Bluegills. Tried a 3 wt but had trouble in the weeds went to my 6 ft cane rod in a 4/5 wt and did well. I found one monster Bluegill 10-1/2 inches plus that made the day. What a fight that fish put on.

 

ol Al

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Al ...   Great!  Of course, the line which will achieve the greatest distantce IS the shooting head with thin running line.  The fact that he could do this with the XXD (which is a long belly wt. forward line) is to his credit.

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