Learning alien waters / "Opposite hand" casting

Walter & Group...

From Peter Morse :

Gordy and group,

I just spent 3 weeks in New Zealand and got to put to 
full use all the wonderful casts and techniques I learned during the 
masters journey. For the last 30 years my fly fishing has mostly been 
in saltwater and the full bag of tricks learned in the masters journey 
was not something I had utilised before on a trout stream simply 
through lack of opportunity and knowledge.

On this trip as I fished and used these casts I got to thinking about the process of learning 
and asking which of these had posed the most problems for me and which 
cast or technique had now opened up the most new opportunities. I was 
interested in what others had found as well.

Here's mine - opposite shoulder cast. In the saltwater we mostly use a 
backcast presentation.  With this cast accuracy is an issue, not 
distance, its great for distance. The opposite shoulder cast on the 
other hand, ESPECIALLY when done over the head is mighty useful for 
many situations. The struggle I had in learning it was avoiding 
tailing but that's sorted out and now i find it to be an immensely 
useful cast.

Thanks, Peter


Peter Morse - Fly Fisherman, writer, photographer.
FFF Master Certified Casting Instructor.
PO Box 7033
Leura
NSW 2780 - Australia

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Peter...   An interesting topic.  Learning to fish new and different waters.

Over the years I've been fortunate to have opportunities to do lots of fresh water fishing as well as many years of salt water fishing where I have lived.  I learned to use some techniques not often tried by salty fishers such as casting over the opposite shoulder for winds over the casting arm side  and overhead "opposite side" casting, mends and curves.  even long right angle hook casts along a mangrove shoreline to make the fly travel along the bank, Extended Bow-&-Arrow casts when fishing snook in very tight mangrove creeks with overhead branches, etc.,etc.  Those "fresh water" techniques have done a lot to increase my hookups in the salt.

Nonetheless, since I do most of my fly fishing in the salt, I consider myself a student when fishing a mountain stream ... an opportunity to expand my fly fishing knowledge.  I remain a student as I try to become more proficient with Two Handed casting including Spey. 

We could well call new and unaccustomed fisheries, "Alien waters" in the sense that they are different and thus foreign rather than in any way adverse or hostile.  As such they offer wonderful challenges.

 As I study T.C. Kingsmill Moore's book, A MAN MAY FISH so thoughtfully supplied by Liam Duffy I realize how little I know about the myriad techniques of lough, loch and lake fishing.   All this humbles me as I realize that no man can truly be expert in everything our sport offers !

                                                                                 SO

So, Peter, Let's take your suggestion and ask you members what new opportunities you have experienced as you have fly fished waters quite foreign to you whether fresh or salt. What challenges did you encounter ?  How did you learn to respond ?  We may all learn something from what you report.

Gordy

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Bill Hoot revisits a prior topic on casting & teaching with the non-dominent "opposite" hand :

As a dominant south-paw,  I do intend to practice right-handed, my "wrong" hand.

Teaching right-handers is easy.    I stand facing the student, then we both turn 90 degrees so we are facing the same direction.  We both cast together in synchrony, parallel in the same direction.  Both of our casting arms are on the same side, so it is easy for a student to copy my cast.  It is a "mirror-image" casting, as if you were looking at yourself while casting in a mirror.  If I want the student to "feel" the acceleration of the rod, the stop, and the pause, then [with his permission] I walk to the student, grasp the rod above his right hand with my  naturally dominant left hand.  I ask the student to "ride" along with his right hand passively on the rod handle. Right-handed teachers, you should try these mirror-image tips with your "south-paw" students.             Bill Hoot

 

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Bill....   I'll try that.  Makes good sense to me.

 

G.

 

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I am going over your answers to the 2nd quiz on fly rods.  We'll share these tomorrow.      Gordy

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