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Walter & Group...
[GH] Question from Don Pendleton :
Gordy,
On this task I struggle with getting my distance length dialed in. Perhaps it is my age or my eyesight, I have tried different yarn colors, Studied and practiced Joan Wulff's method and tried different hovering techniques but I still have problems fine tuning my distances needed.
After getting distance "dialed in" then it seems to just become making the stroke identical to the one that landed dead on and watching the fly leg path for straightness. Once I get that line moving perfectly straight toward the target I switch modes and I'm totally focused on the target and land the yarn.
But when moving from target to target I need to improve my ability to judge my distances.
Any suggestions?
Don Pendleton
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[GH] Don,
Here, I can speak from the heart.
Back in '82, I had a detached retina in my dominant eye as the result of an accident while fishing in Alaska. After several operations, I regained most of my vision... but by that time, my other eye had become dominant. For years I had trouble judging that fly distance. Interesting that in the beginning I needed special prism lenses to correct the resulting double vision. Now my brain makes the correction so I no longer need them.
Reliance on the "same stroke as the one which worked" didn't do it for me either when going from a target at one distance and direction to another target location.
What worked best was the use of a larger white or yellow fly and lots of specific practice hovering. Also, innumerable attempts at drilling the fly to the target when windy. After many months, I could do it with the smaller fluff fly.
Getting Joan Wulff's "Accuracy triangle" principle into my brain helped, too. The mental image of the hand target line and the eye target line crossing just above the target was key.* **
That works for more distant targets. The lines are apart due to the use of an off vertical rod plane needed for distance. The two lines are exactly the same, however, if you use a vertical rod plane and bring your rod right up between your eyes on the back cast and keep it in that plane for the forward cast when casting to close targets. (Helps to turn your cap around backwards). Floyd Franke taught me to make the forward stroke and "squeeze to a stop" as your thumb approaches alignment with the target. (Joan Wulff placed blaze orange markers on our thumbs when we took her accuracy courses.) **
Trick is to know when that fly is hovering right over the target and then let it drop..if not, make a false cast or two as you adjust the distance and do it again.
Practice hitting moving targets helped a lot. I did that in my skiff casting at weed patches moving in the current.
I learned a neat trick for salt water flats fishing accuracy where one needs to make a rapid accurate delivery the instant a fish is sighted. Florida Keys guides, Jake Jordan and Bruce Chard had a method developed for permit fishing. One would pitch a pebble into the water while the other would make an instant presentation to the "target". The caster had no idea beforehand where that pebble was going to land.
Tim Rajeff's "Gaze" trick works for stationary targets. (Intently fixing one's sight to the dead center of a target".
Of course, with any practice to targets at different distances, the caster must be attentive to the need for changing trajectory. (High back cast / low forward cast for a close target : Lower back cast 180 degrees back from the target and higher forward cast directly in line for the more distant target.)
We have visited the many ways in which we learn, including; 1. visual, 2.hearing, 3.feeling, and 4. understanding (cognition). With this task we learn mostly from the visual. To these methods we really should add two more: 5.Trial and error.
6. Serendipity (Something which accidentally worked well... then we figure out how & why.) Nowhere in fly casting do so many gain from trial and error learning as with this accuracy task. This is achieved only with lots of practice.
* Joan Wulff's FLY-CASTING ACCURACY, by Joan Wulff, 1997, pp. 13-15.
** Joan Wulff's FLY-CASTING TECHNIQUES, by Joan Wulff, 1987,pp. 67-69,224.
Gordy
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[GH] From Paul Arden. Questions for the examiner to ask of himself...also, questions to consider when teaching these accuracy tasks :
Hi Gordy,
I think this is an excellent discussions thread. Something I do when I help prepare MCI candidates is get them to examine each other. After all as an MCI they are expected to examine MCI and understanding the examination makes it a lot easier to pass - it is a peer examination after all.
So I would suggest to the CIs reading this who are working toward their MCI to consider: if you were examining these tasks what would you be looking for, how would you go about testing and the tricky bits, if the candidate didn't do what you expected or gave the wrong answer what would you do next and finally what is the grey borderline between a pass and fail on each task in your opinion? You don't have to write this down! Just think about it from an examining perspective.
I think for the accuracy a good question would be, you've got a pupil who wants to compete, what techniques do you teach him or more likely her?
Cheers Paul
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[GH] Paul,
I think your idea of having MCI candidates examine one another both with and without supervision is a brilliant idea ! It is the principle of placing the student in the examiners shoes. Wish I'd thought of that.
Going in the other direction is an eye opener, too. I became the student when Dennis Grant spent time teaching me to Spey cast. I also experienced that when teaching myself to cast with the opposite hand. We instructors need that humbling experience once in a while. Helps us empathize with our students and candidates.
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