Curve cast videos 2

Walter & Group....

>From Mike Milkovich :

Hi Gordy,

Great to have you back. Since you were fishing, I trust it’s true to say we missed you more than you missed us. My response to the quiz is attached.

Best to you both,

Mark

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[GH] Mike,

Well done. You have put a lot of thought and energy into this.

I made a few comments in your attachment in italics. Then I attached it separately to this Group message.

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[GH] Interesting teaching ploy by Lewis Hinks, followed by his answers in red. My comments in his answer text in italics :

Hey Gordy,

Man do I like casting curves. One of the things I like to do when working with Middle School and High School students is have one of them or their teacher be a target for me to cast around. This usually gets these rather jaded students to pay attention and get them excited to try it. Great fun!

My answers in red.

Lewis

[DG] Curve - front view

Underpowered or collapsed curve, positive curve or curve to the line hand side, negative curve or curve away from the line hand side.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P95zuprS5wQ

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[GH] After reviewing these videos and using your own experience in performing and teaching curve casts, go ahead and tackle these questions with brief answers. These may be followed by longer answers if needed.

1.) List as many techniques as you can to make curved casts. Overpowered, underpowered and torqued.

[GH] Now you have introduced the "category", TORQUED ! Interesting. Perhaps you are referring to the various ways of performing what has been called the "corkscrew curve cast". Now, I ask myself, "Is this not a form of powered or even overpowered casts ?"

OR, perhaps you are referring to the curve cast technique in which the rod/reel are rapidly twisted in the direction you wish the fly to go as the curve is formed. This is a technique described by Lefty Kreh and Ed Jaworowski. Not easy to do when trying to form a curve with the fly traveling in the direction of the rod hand. * **

* CASTING with LEFTY KREH, by Lefty Kreh, 2008, pp.313-320.

** THE CAST, by Ed Jaworowski, 1992, pp. 130-139.

2.) Briefly describe each one as though you were teaching a student who had already mastered a good basic cast. Overpowered:Angle the rod to the side 30-45 degrees. On the forward cast make the wrist snap extra hard to force the rod tip into a very quick deep bend, this put a curve in the line at the end of the line/leader. Underpowered: On the forward cast apply just enough energy to cast the line, but not enough energy to allow the line to straighten. let the forward momentum of the line die off before the line has a chance to totally unfurl. Torqued: On the back cast twist the rod in the direction opposite of the intended curve and on the forward cast, during the power snap, twist the rod in the in direction of the intended curve.

[GH] ..... answers my question, above.

3.) Describe some differences between curve casts and aerial mends. Actions that cause curves are made during the power snap before RSP and actions that result in curves are made after RSP. A curve is formed at the end of the fly end of the line and a mend can occur at any place in the line, outside the rod tip. A curve is a pronounced bend in one direction while a mend is a curve or a bend preceded and followed by straight line.

4.) Can the curve cast be combined with a mend ? Yes, with some difficulty.

[GH] Well.... not easy to accomplish a curve along with a mend layout. However, if we look at a mend as repositioning the line after the cast, then we can use a mend very effectively when fishing to augment a curve. This is done by moving the rod tip in the direction of counterflex to exaggerate the effect of counterflex as the belly of the curve is formed.

This is a practical fishing cast, but NOT a pure curve cast as identified by the MCI testing committee.

5.) If you answered YES to # 4, describe the casting moves and the results. Let's use an overpowered curve as a basis for this. Make the extra hard wrist snap during the stop sequence to form the curve and after the stop make a lateral movement of the rod hand out and back to the center to place the arial mend. If I do this and make a curve to the left and a mend to the right I get either an extra large curve, or if I wait longer a curve and a mend near the rod tip. If I make a curve to the right and a mend to the right I get something that looks remarkably like an S cast.

[GH] Yes.

6.) How would you make a right angle curve cast most efficiently? Angle the rod off at a 30-45 degrees and use a torqued curve cast at the same time.

[GH] That is one way to do it. For me, the easiest way to do it, is to cast with the rod in the off-horizontal to horizontal plane, then overpower the cast and stop it early. The rod tip will bend in the direction you wish the fly to go, then a more powerful counterflex than usual will flip the belly of the forming curve to the opposite direction.

Of course, when fishing, if you wish to really sharpen that right angle curve, it helps to make a mend move to the direction of counterflex to exaggerate the layout. As you know, I like to call that a "Cast-mend" rather than a pure "cast". Just my way of looking at it.

7.) Can you think of a reason to use a right angle curve cast rather than a smooth curved layout ? Great cast for swimming a streamer along a bank or cover to attract a strike. Also good for swimming a fly along a mangrove to attract a snook. Make a right angle curve cast close to the bank. Start retrieving the fly, the fly will follow the shape of the line, for a time, swimming the fly parallel to the bank. Great for smallmouth bass too. Using a right angle curve cast, on a vertical plane, gives you a tuck cast, great for driving weighted nymphs to the bottom in a hurry.

[GH] Yes. I like the idea of looking at the powered curve casts as performed either in the horizontal plane or the vertical plane (Tuck cast as well as the upward curved cast).

8.) Under what casting/fishing conditions would you prefer to use an underpowered curve cast ? Use this cast in tight conditions, on days with little wind and on spooky trout. this casts lands softly due to reduced energy.

9.) When would you prefer to use a powered curve cast rather than an underpowered curve cast.? With a wind, especially wind from behind as a tail wind tends to straighten out this line too much to create a curve.

10.) Name one thing you cannot accomplish with an underpowered curve cast that you can do with a powered curve cast. Accurately place the curve.

[GH] Well, I can't place an underpowered curve cast accurately, but some better casters than I can do it. Takes good casting conditions and lots of practice, I'm sure.

The main thing that an underpowered curve cast can never accomplish is the placement of the curve around a tall object such as a tree.

11.) For what purpose('s) would you use the curve cast ? Presenting the fly well before the line/leader (good for really spooky fish. Curving around an object, swimming a fly parallel to the bank. Dropping a fly into a pocket as with the tuck cast.

12.) Your student is confused. She says she's heard of something called, "positive curve casts" and "negative curve casts". What is your explanation to her ? A positive curve is a curve to the left. Most casters are right handed and it is easier to apply more energy (positive energy) the cast to create a curve to the left. A negative curve is one to the right, as energy is taken away (negative) in order to create the curve. Personally I think this is confusing and it would be much more clear if we looked at the curves as being placed on a number line in front of us, with 0 being dead ahead. Curves to the left are on the negative side of the line (thus negative curves and curves to the right are positive curves (on the positive side of the line.

[GH] Even more confusion when we realize that some instructors use the term "positive" to mean "powered" and "negative" to mean "underpowered".

13.) Can you give us a reference in the fly casting literature for something called the "corkscrew curve cast" ? Jason Borger's Nature of Fly Casting (pp. 184-186) Also on page 285.

14.) Give one use for the "corkscrew curve cast".Being able to shoot a curve a long distance.

[GH] True. However, one can place a curve using this technique at a long distance even without a shoot if sufficient line is carried. Definitely easier with the shoot, however.

15) We've heard Lefty Kreh teach that it is easier to learn to make curve casts if you use a weighted fly or small popper. Why do you think he did that ? The extra weight on the end of the leader helps flip the leader around, thereby enhancing the curve effect.

Have fun with these questions. Better, yet..... go out and try them before answering.

Gordy