Essentials - Variables / Straight line casting

The variables question has peeked a lot of interest. I would enjoy seeing opinions to straight line casting.

In a simple world (and perhaps my simple mind) the straight line overhead cast offers essentials...that we intentionally violate (variables) to achieve different outcomes for different casts.

I am curious if we can reach consensus on essentials for SL overhead casts in round #1?

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Even with straight line overhead casting we often violate the "essentials" for various reasons, especially as we fish.

As we saw in some of our messages, those violations may be considered VARIABLES.

Then we have quite another violation which I see as necessary. The Gammels stated one of the essentials as :

" 3. In order to form the most efficient, least air resistant loops, and to direct the energy of a fly cast toward a specific target, the caster must move the rod tip in a straight line. " *

Interesting that the very first question Bill Gammel asked me on my Master's exam years ago was this :

"Gordy, what would happen if you were able to have an absolutely straight line path of your rod tip throughout your stroke ?"

My answer: " You would have a collision between the fly line and the rod tip ". That was the answer he was looking for.

So even the very author of this essential realized that this was an approximation, not an inviolate principle. We all know that to make a tight loop we actually need a satisfactory match between the bend of the rod and the casting arc such that we actually form, not an absolutely straight line path of the rod tip, but a rod tip path which is at some point slightly convex.**

When Peter Lami mentioned one way of doing this by dipping the rod tip down very slightly at the end of the cast, he was correct. This I see as applying slight convexity to the rod tip path late in the stroke just prior to RSP to allow the line to overtake the rod tip at or near this point .... or (in other words) to allow the rod to unload with the tip just below the oncoming fly line.

So you are right... we intentionally violate an essential such as this one. In this instance, however, WE HAVE TO VIOLATE IT !!!!

* THE ESSENTIALS OF FLY CASTING for THE FEDERATION OF FLY FISHERS by Bill and Jay Gammel, 1993, p.6.

** Now look closely at the photographs on p. 7 and see if you agree that the very demonstration of a straight line rod tip path is only partially straight with a bit of convexity as the stroke is completed.

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Further:

Someone said that no two casters cast exactly alike and that in the history of fly casting there may never have existed any two casts exactly identical .

If that is true, can we then look at fly casting as an ever changing kaleidoscopic compendium of variables applied to a central theme ? I guess so, if we want to stay somewhere up in the clouds.

In teaching fly casting, however, this approach isn't going to work for students who need something to grasp that they can clearly understand.

That is why we need things like PRINCIPLES be they Lefty's or other's and ESSENTIALS such as Bill's and Jay's even though ivory tower scientists may poke holes in them as they attest to their minor inaccuracies. They provide a baseline for understandable instruction.

We can add a few variables after the student learns efficient basic fly casting.

Lastly, we can choose to exploit these variables as we teach advanced casting .... and as we fish.

Gordy

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Jim Chestnut challenges the term, "ESSENTIALS" and then gives a description of his use of variables to solve a complex casting problem :-

Hi Gordy,

I have been following this "Variables" discussion with great interest. I

have not participated because I did not really understand the question and

because I have been really, really busy.

I wasn't sure what you meant by "variables" and waited to see what kind of

responses you got. I agree with Dusty Sprague, and think that the term

"Essentials" seems a bit dogmatic. If the "Essentials" were called

instead " The 5 (or3, 6 or 7 ) Principles to better understand basic

single handed fly casting" that would do much to soothe ruffled feathers

all around, and be more accurate as well, in my opinion.

For instance, while practicing throwing very early tailing loops recently,

I stumbled across a method whereby I could throw an upside down forward

loop having the fly land gently.

To do this, I would start the forward cast before the backcast had

straightened out, violating Essential #5 (Pause between casting strokes)

and Essential # 1 ( removal of slack in the line)

This in turn shorten my stroke, violating Essential #4 (Length of casting

stroke)

I would then hit the cast very sharply and execute a short, very rapid

haul, violating Essential #2, (Proper Acceleration)

The improper application of power way too early would cause a concave tip

path violating Essential #3.

In that one cast, I would be violating every single one of the 5 Essentials.

But by violating them all, I can still get a useful cast that I can

control and that is practical for my purposes ? getting a fly under

overhanging mangroves without powering it in horizontally with a

resulting large splash.

What happens is that by hitting the cast way too early with the haul and

rotation, then stopping the cast short on the forward stroke, RSP occurs

way prematurely and the tip rises very quickly (concave tip path) well

above the mass of trailing line traveling at a high rate of speed. A weak

loop forms over the top of the tip, but the mass of trailing line is

traveling faster than the weak loop, and forms a secondary, more powerful,

loop behind and below the primary loop. This second loop over takes the

weak loop which then morphs into a circle and disapears (straightening

out to become part of the rod leg) ; and the bottom leg of the new loop

becomes the fly leg.

I started playing with this cast after becoming involved in a discussion

on Sexyloops regarding tailing loops. The discussion was comprised of 208

separate posts on the subject, and was one of the most interesting

discussions I have ever been involved in regarding casting ? which

admitedly are few, since I have only recently been discovering what

happens in a cast-.

I believe that discussions such as this benefit instructors because, in

order to help or share techniques with students, friends or fellow

instructors who are already very competent, one little insight into some

esoteric point could be an important factor when analysing a slow motion

video, for instance.

And not only that, but any discussion that gets one away from the keyboard

and out onto the field with a rod in hand, cannot be all bad.

Thanks again for all your time, Gordy, and for that of everyone

participating.

Cheers,

Jim

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Jim,

I'd sure like to see a video of this cast !

Back in January of 2001, Joe Humphries gave a casting demo at the Denver Show. He made credible casts as he violated each one of the "essentials" one by one. Then he turned to the audience and announce he was going to violate all of them with one cast. After a few minutes while he pretended to get ready for this feat, he turned to the audience and said, "I lied. I can't do that."

Gordy

Best regards,

Ally Gowans

See my web sites http://www.letsflyfish.com and http://www.flyfish-scotland.com

2010 Spey Casting and Salmon Fishing Schools at The Kenmore Hotel March 19/21, April 16/18 and June 11/13. Trout fly fishing and fly casting school "Tackling Trout" at The Kenmore Hotel May 21/22/23, 2010. See my web sites for more details of schools. Spey casting Made Easy DVD available.

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