Mulson cast / Tackle / Climbing loop concept

Thank you so much, Gordy. I can’t say that I’ve made a specialized cast out of this, but I’ve definitely anchored my bottom loop to the water at times for this very reason. I’m sure that many others have as well. Expert flycasters have invented nearly every practical cast for themselves when the situation demands it. I don’t mean for that to sound arrogant or to deny credit to Dan and Joe for their excellent explanation of this technique. Great job to both of them!

Regards -- TAM

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Troy, I used to use Lefty's, "skip cast" ..... like skipping a stone on a pond. Not really the same thing as Joe Mulson's cast. Frankly, I didn't use the Mulson technique until Dan introduced me to it and Joe demonstrated it and coached me on it.

One caveat : I find that this is much easier to do when standing on the flat knee deep in water. For me, the closer my casting arm is to the water, the better this works. Harder for me to do it as well when casting from a height above the water.

The attachment you received is a rendition sent to me by Dan McCrimmon ..... one of the pictures has been altered to make it more clear ..... Dan has highlighted the fly line. Unfortunately, some felt that this made it seem that that line belly was not really in contact with the water ..... Let me assure you that it was definitely on the water. I've made this cast with an intermediate line, too. That places the belly of the line in the water.

The cast can be made with a variety of arm / hand / wrist actions and positions. These are elements of casting style. What seems essential to this technique is the low / horizontal launch angle resulting in the belly of the line striking the water early and high line (loop) speed.

One disadvantage of this technique is that the belly of the line does slap the water and will spook a wary bonefish. This is negated to a reasonable degree, however, by its use as a cast into high wind where the wind and wave noise blunts other extraneous noises and sights.

Gordy

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From Pat Blackwell on fastening tip tops:

Gordy,

Question #17

I've change tiptops that were put on with epoxy (the 5 minute or 20 minute variety).
If a tiptop is damaged carefully heat the old tiptop tube, first remove the thread wraps (using the side of the flame from an alcohol lamp or a butane lighter) turn the blank as you're heating the tube, as the epoxy heats it will loosen. Pull the old tiptop off (use pliers it will be hot), clean the blank with fine sandpaper and epoxy on the replacement.

If you ever have a tiptop come loose while fishing and don't have any glue with you, melting monofilament (I haven't tried fluorocarbon) in the tiptop tube and lining it back up on the blank will get you through the day and perhaps longer.

Pat Blackwell

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Comment: Warning is due. I have ruined the last half inch of my rod blank by using too much heat. As pat points out, it is probably best to be pulling on the tip top as you heat it .... that way, you turn off the heat the second the tip starts to move.

I think it was Rene Hesse who pointed out that the single foot wire guides weighed the same as the double foot ones, because the two feet of a double footed guide were simply bent around and fastened together to make a single foot. I believe that Don had mentioned that in his book, too. Don's book, however, was written seven years ago. Many of the single foot guides I've used recently have their foot milled down and are somewhat lighter .... especially the Ti/Ni ones made by REC. Prior to mounting them, the very best rod makers mill them down to their specs expertly. The real difference in weight lies in the fact that when mounting the double footed guides, double the weight of thread and epoxy is used.

Don Jackson is a master rod maker and perfectionist . He even uses thinner and thinner wrapping thread as he mounts guides from the butt section to the tip . Thinner thread, I suppose, may hold less epoxy.

Gordy

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From Steve Hollensed on Ally's loop:

Hi Gordy,

After I reread the message I think I completely misinterpreted the question about Allie's pictures. Sorry. I guess the question was about loop morph, not the shape of the total fly line.

Steve

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Steve.... Don't fall on your sword. We've all done that at one time or another ! Gordy

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From Paul Arden:

Hi Gordy,

Just back from skiing; had a hard time defeating gravity. Any loop travelling forward horizontally is defeating gravity.This is what Noel's documents set out to prove - that there is indeed an upward force in the loop and that a flyline was not a projectile (fantastic argument that Bruce will remember well!). It was also concluded that this force could be sufficient to cause the loop to climb. (Nothing to do with the aerodynamics of an aircraft wing incidentally, which are completely different). I think it is possible for a loop to climb but it would have to be thrown very much faster.

Cheers, Paul

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Paul ... A refreshing way to look at it ! I remember that argument well...... the traveling loop is very different from a bullet shot from a gun mainly because of the fact that it remains tethered to the fly rod even when line is shot.

Can't argue against the apparent defiance of gravity with a forward moving unrolling loop. Question is, though: How much of this is due to to lift caused by loop shape (as calculated by Noel et al.) and how much is due to tensile forces between the loop and the rod tip ... or perhaps some force we have not yet considered ?

No one has shown to my satisfaction that a traveling loop does more than remain aloft as a function of its geometry. Noel et al. never tried to show that it actually kept climbing because of loop shape.

Gordy

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