|
Walter & Group...
[GH] Some of you received the Task 8 Discussion 1 message in duplicate. My error.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[GH] From Bob Stouffer :
Dr. Gordy
A general question about presenting a back cast from a mended line layout: The presenting caster makes wide wiggle mends at distance or a curved cast. The examiner says "OK, lets move to the next task ..."). These "between task" moments are, I think, crucial. I unconsciously revert to an unattractive "pre-mastery" style of messing with the line to organize it for the preparatory back cast for the next task.
One of the ways that I have practiced is a roll-cast pickup. Making a great back cast from a slack-line presentation can be challenging. Suggestions?
Bob Stouffer
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[GH] That is one way to do it.
Another way, is to simply strip in line. As you do that, your mends straighten out.
When coaching candidates, I suggest placing the rod beneath the non-dominant arm during in-between cast times. This is a way to give the casting arm intervals of rest.
During those "between tasks" moment, it isn't a good idea to make more than sufficient moves to get your line "organized". No point in starting a new task with a lot of slack line out on the grass or water.
Some candidates, particularly those who don't have lots of confidence, keep nervously making casts while the examiners are discussing performance privately among themselves. This is NOT a good idea.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[GH] From Walter Simbirski :
Gordy,
The roll cast pick up vs the roll cast vs the dynamic roll emphasizes my previous note that one
should practice controlling trajectories and loop sizes when practicing their roll cast. As Gary Eaton
pointed out we should also practice the amount of power they use in the cast.
Many people don't realize that you can do many of the same mends and curves with the roll cast
that you can with an overhead cast. The main restriction is that you can't allow the loop legs to
cross in the roll cast.
This also brings up the criticism I hear most often about the FFF casting program and that is
that it heavily favors casting (and fishing) with small dry flies, i.e. pick up from the water surface
only, floating lines, tight loops, limited line handling, overhead casting style. I think in the past
this may have been true but I also think that we sometimes fail to see the bigger picture.
We often talk about each of the tasks in the tests as being basic skills and sometimes forget to ask
"Basic to what?", e.g. we do curves and mends individually and stress not mixing the two but we
don't really get into the why and how of mixing the two. During the test candidates are asked to vary
loops sizes, casting planes, perform salt water casts to demonstrate line handling and sight fishing,
roll casts, spey casts, roll cast pick ups, and curve casts. All of these individual skills are either
essential or very useful when fishing sinking lines with streamers or complex nymphing rigs - it's
just that we don't often get into detailed discussions about all the things one may do differently
when fishing streamers with sinking lines, as an example. My experience is that these discussions
usually don't get much farther than "use bigger loops" and "use a roll cast pick up".
Walter
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[GH] Walter,
Yes. One example of multiple facets for various casts and specifically the roll cast pickup is the method many use for a deep sunk nymph or streamer fished with a sink tip or sinking line.
Two or more roll casts may be needed to elevate the fly and line to the surface followed by a roll cast pickup prior to making the next presentation cast. By that time, if fishing in current, the angler will probably have to combine the above with a change of direction presentation cast.
Now let's say we have a tongue of current to counteract for that presentation cast. The angler may elect to use an aerial mend along with that change of direction presentation.
It can get complicated...... but that sort of thing is what separates efficient fly fishers from those who plod.
Is all that beyond the scope of the exam ? Not really, because that information can be extracted as the examiners ask fishing questions which follow the actual task performance.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[GH] From Guy Manning :
I have used the roll cast pick-up in a few situations outside of the norm. I was fishing Jones Hole, UT and my fly got stuck on a small log in the middle of the steam about 30 feet upstream of me. I roll cast above and past the log. As the loop[ passed the log I pulled back on the rod tip. The tension created by pulling back pulled the fly backwards, away from me, and was freed from the log. I have done the same when the fly might get stuck on the algae on a rock etc. This way you can keep on fishing and usually not disturb the water upstream.
Another time, in Mexico, my boat partner had a fish on and was forced to the center of the panga on my side. Due to boat drift my line was now parallel to the boat and over the top of her rod. She was a professional who ran her own saltwater ff. charter on the East Coast, also a CI, and asked me to hand her the rod so she could pass it under hers. I had most of my line in but still enough to make a clear roll cast, so I just did a roll cast pickup over the top of her rod and solved the problem. “Nice move”, she said.
Guy Manning
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[GH] Guy, Cool ! Very practical uses for the roll cast pickup.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
|