Pickups

Walter & Group....

 

On PICKUPS from Gary Eaton:

 

Pick-ups from notes to one of my class.

Picking-up methods

1. Timing power-up only to leader knot release from surface (Water haul pick-up)

2. Roll Cast Pick-up

3. Snake Roll pick-up from Simon Gawesworth CBOG, MCCI, THCI

4. "Dancing Line" pick up (vertical wiggle) for sticks -

5. "Wiggle Line" Grass Pickup to reduce snagging in protruding surface vegetation  - Numbers 4&5 from Gary Borger CBOG, MCCI

6.  Snap Casts (snap - T, C, V, Z)

 

7. Round cast Pick-up (Jason Borger calls this the "C" pick-up

 

8. Two Saltwater pick-ups - one oro line in front and one for line behind the caster.

 

(A haul can be added to any pick-up off the water to  make it a hauled pick-up.

 

 

Gary Eaton, MCCI

 

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From Al Crise:

 

QUESTIONS:   1.)    How many different kinds of pickups can you name?  

 

A) Vertical pick up.

            Lift line slowly add power at leader knot

            Rip line off surface.

            Bump lift.

            Snap cast

            Spiral pick up

                 Clockwise and counter-clockwise

            Haul pick up.

            Strip strike pick up

            Brookies in the bushes pick up

            Tower pick up

            Cross body pick up

            Over the head pick up

            Off shoulder pick up

 

B) Roll cast pick up

            Normal roll cast.

            Roll cast past the fly then into a back cast.

            Off the other shoulder.

 

C) Side arm pick ups  

            Over the tip roll cast pick up  

            Under the tip roll cast pick up           

            Off the end or horizontal pick up

            All can be done on the other side of the body.

D) Barnegat Bay water load pick ups

           

           

E) Spey cast pick ups

            Snap T

            Snap C

            Snap E

            Snap Z

                   All are used to place an anchor under the line path of the cast.

 

                          2.)     Describe how to perform each.

Most are self explanatory by the name. Lifting or rotating the rod tip to obtain less slack in the fly line to fly.

 

                          3.)     Give the usual purpose for each.

 Lifting the fly off the water to reposition the fly to better waters. Getting the slack out to make a back cast. (Lefty= you can not make a cast until you get the fly moving.)

 

Ol Al

Allen R. Crise

Howdy Gordy

  I thought of two more pickups

    Vertical

        Slip line pickup   I use this when I have striped in more line that is needed to load the rod. I let some slip as I raise the rod tip keeping the fly in the water making a short back cast with enough energy to shoot some line to

        Drag and lift. I use this on streams from the dangle I move my rod tip up stream to point at the direction I am going to cast. Lifting the rod a little slower I can make a back cast 180 from my target.

 

ol Al

Allen R. Crise
FFF-Master Casting Instructor
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COMMENTS:

 

One of the uses of various pick-ups is to get the end of the line moving before making the back cast.  This is particularly important when the line is on the water with lots of slack.  Pick-up moves such as a series of vertical "hump mends" or horizontal wiggle mends, spiral mends, etc., etc. can do this.

 

We've pretty well "covered the waterfront" on the various kinds of pickups.  Descriptions in the literature:

 

PRESENTATION by Gary Borger, pp. 223-226.

 

Note his brief discussion of what he called a STANDARD PICKUP.  Gary makes the point  so often made by Tom White, that best results are obtained by starting this with the rod tip low to the water.  When castes fail to observe this and start with the rod tip up at shoulder or head level, there is usually slack line between the tip and the water which must be taken up before the pickup is effective.  This also shortens stroke length and rod arc for the back cast.

 

Video: LESSONS WITH LEFTY, Lefty Kreh.  In this video, Lefty teaches Sarah Gardiner (an expert caster who plays the part of the student) to make pick-ups with smooth application of power to avoid making a commotion on the water.  A very clear depiction.

 

Jason Borger's NATURE OF FLYCASTING, PP 204-212.

 

Jason introduces the reader to some different terminology as he goes into some complex descriptions of various pickups.

For example, the pickup described by Al Crise as "drag and lift" is called, "C.O.D. Pick-up Module", here...(Change of Direction).  He adds such things as an "Extended Linear Pick-up" for long distance casting.  Interesting, too, is his way of describing what many call the "saltwater quick cast" as a "Speed Pick-up".

 

I have used a standard vertical pickup to help teach smooth constant acceleration to a student who is using inappropriate application of power when casting.  I have the caster use a water haul pickup on both back cast and forward casts until this can be done with sufficient finesse as to do it with the least water disturbance possible .... then translate this skill to in-the-air false casting.  This often works very well as an extra teaching tool for my bag of tricks.

 

Gordy