|
Walter & Group...
[GH] From John Johnson :
HI Gordie,
I have struggled with this seemingly simple cast for years for some reason. I have worked with Bruce Richards , John VanDalen and yourself last November on this.
You were able to do the cast without applying a lot of power like I was trying to do. The last few times at my twice weekly casting workout in the gym ( 20 degrees and wind has been a little tough to cast outside) I was at last able to easily do the cast. It seemed that the key was to use a fast medium loop and then use a large wrist snap at the end. I think that when we worked on this in November this is what you were trying to show me. If I would try the cast with a high speed small loop it would never flip around very far. You suggested that maybe I should use a fast taper leader to make it easier.
Am I on the right track?
John Johnson
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[GH] John,
Good way to do it. The fast taper leader would help a bit because it turns over well in the direction of your curve.
That wrist-twist "snap" close to the stop was only one of several methods I showed you.
The reason I used low line speed and no more power than necessary was to make it a teaching demonstration. With lots of practice it can be done as a high line speed event, but then students wouldn't be able to see what is going on as well.
You may remember that I also pantomimed the wrist twist with no rod very slowly, then fast.
When teaching this method, Tom White and I questioned whether the lightning fast twist in the direction you wish the fly to go occurred before loop formation while the twist back the other way happened afterward. Technically, that could be considered a "Cast/Mend". Even when we videoed it and played it out in slow motion, we couldn't possibly tell if that was the case. Since I can't tell as I do it, I tell the student to do it "at the stop". Of course, as we look at the "stop" as a sequence of events, that cannot be what we really do, but it seems to work as a "word picture" for teaching.
I made some of these casts with Ed Jaworowski years ago. when we fished together in Chokoloskee, Fl. He had described it in his book.*
Ed thought that it worked because the wrist twist in one direction was all that was really needed in that this torqued the rod which responded by "un torquing" or untwisting in the opposite direction. When casting in the vertical plane, I couldn't make that work. All this is a lot of discussion, however, on one way of making a curve . OK if you can do it, but it is not required for Task 5. Also, it is one of the most difficult to learn and very hard to teach a group of students since it all happens so fast at the end of the cast.
For Task 5, I'd prefer to see a simple, well executed curve cast as a good demonstration for students.
So
For the underpowered curve cast, I'd favor it done in either of 2 ways:
1. Painting a large letter "C" in the sky with the rod tip while casting in the slightly off-vertical plane while the rod tip is moving ever more slowly. Follow with lowering the rod (rod fade) slowly as the curve falls to the water. For a bigger curve, slip some line and make a bigger "C"
When to use this method when fishing ? When wind is not an issue and there is high brush or trees on either side.
2. An underpowered side- arm cast (off-horizontal rod plane), with low, diminishing line speed forming a curve to one side which falls gently to the water.
This can be done to either side.
When to use it when fishing ? When a curved layout is desired without the need for the curve to go around a high obstruction such as a tree. (It can be dropped over a rock or low obstruction). OK if you have no obstructions close by on either side.
For the Overpowered curve cast :
1. Use an off-vertical or (better, yet) an off-horizontal rod plane. (Side-arm cast)
2. Plan the curve layout so the fly goes to your left if you are right handed or to the right if you are left handed.
3. Make a highly accelerated cast with an early stop so that the rod tip flexes quickly in the direction you wish the fly to go.
4. HOLD TIGHT with no follow-through. The fly goes in the chosen direction. THEN ROD COUNTERFLEX SENDS THE BELLY OF THE CURVE INTHE OPPOSITE DIRECTION.
With practice, you can form nice neat curve layouts of various sizes.
Can be done to the opposite side in back hand or fore hand mode. to place the curved layout with fly to the right. (Not required for Task 5.)
Uses for fishing ? Numerous. This curve can be placed around high obstructions. Since it is a high line speed cast, it works better than the underpowered curve casts in wind. As with mends, it can be used to negate currents and/or for yielding a drag free drift.
When fishing, I augment counterflex by moving my rod tip to the side opposite that in which the fly is going if i want to; a.) Make the curve layout much larger. b.) Make it more angular. c.) Make it a right angle hook layout with a well timed sudden mend. THAT IS OK FOR FISHING, BUT WILL NOT PASS ON YOUR EXAM, BECAUSE THE MOVE TO AUGMENT COUNTERFLEX IS CONSIDERED A MEND.
Both casts are simply described by Mel Krieger. **
Another way to make an overpowered curve cast is the wrist flip or forearm flip to one side done with the rod less inclined toward horizontal than with the method I described, above.
This has been well described by Jason Borger. ***
Joan Wulff called the overpowered curve cast, the "RECOIL CAST". In her book, she describes both overpowered and underpowered curve casts complete with simple layout drawings. ****
Al Kyte has described, "COMBINING MOVEMENTS TO FORM A CURVE IN THE FLY LINE" ... Another approach to learning overpowered and underpowered curve casts. *****
* THE CAST, by Ed Jaworowski, 1992, pp. 130 - 137.
** THE ESSENCE OF FLYCASTING, by Mel Krieger, 1987, pp. 126-127.
*** Jason Borger's NATURE OF FLY CASTING, by Jason Borger, 2001, PP.181-183.
**** Joan Wulff's FLY CASTING TECHNIQUES, by Joan wulff,1987, pp. 162-164.
***** ORVIS GUIDE TO BETTER FLY CASTING, by Al Kyte, 2008, pp. 129-133.
Gordy
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[GH] From Robin Brown :
I just pulled off the web Macauley Lord’s article “The Sidearm Curve Cast” recommended by Rick; it’s excellent, the cleanest, most direct explanation I have read so far about curve casts. I’m eager to get out and try it! Thank you!
I will probably not attend the Conclave this year (the first I will have missed in many years). The dates this year coincides with the beginning of CSU’s fall semester, not a good time to be away from campus (I oversee admissions, registrar, student financial aid). I so appreciate your offer to work with me, and definitely will take you up on that offer at the next opportunity.
Jeff Wagner and Hutch Hutchinson are offering MCI prep classes in Colorado, and I will be attending the one in Grand Junction on April 9, so that should get me started.
Thanks again Gordy; I look forward to meeting you in person sometime soon.
Robin
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[GH] Robin,
A great way to get started !
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
|