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Walter & Group...
[GH] From Joe Libeu:
Gordy,
I did indeed during the Performance workshop in Lodi erect and mark PVC and then observe casting both vertical and off vertical. It was noted that in order to view off vertical cast one has to move to a better observation position and that the front and back loops in most cases were different.
If one is studying for their MCI you need to be able to demo and instruct in all plains. This is after all a masters test. Many of use will ask you to do demos in various plains and ask the whys, whens, etc.
Joe
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[GH] Joe,
Sure. There are many reasons to change casting planes to suit fishing, weather, and teaching circumstances.
Also, Masters will be teaching students who use different styles as they instruct beyond the beginner levels.
In addition, I think a true Master ought to be able to cast using any of the commonly described styles as well as being abler to vary the casting plane with each of them.
Gordy
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[GH] This afternoon, I discussed the "body block" method described in our last message on this subject (from Joan Wulff's new book) with Joan.
She told me she discovered a student who tightened the grip on the rod handle too early and so firmly that it tensed the arm muscles at the same time as she brought her back cast to conclusion.
This timing problem actually BLOCKED THE BODY BLOCK resulting in an inefficient stop sequence and poor back cast loop formation.
I'll watch for this as I teach. Seems that it would be best for the grip to tighten as the "body block" between forearm and biceps muscle of the upper arm occurs for a more efficient "stop".
Gordy
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[GH] Frank Harford has a timely question:
Gordy
The conventional wisdom seems to be that a crisp stop is associated with a tight loop and my experience bears that out .Is it just that with a crisp stop , we are less likely to further bend the wrist,or is there more to it than that ? On the face of it , just considering the abruptness of the stop , a more abrupt stop would create more counterflex and open up the loop .
Am I over-analyzing this ?
Frank
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[GH] Frank,
You are not "over-analyzing" at all. If we did that, we'd get tangled into the morass of detailed physics as we tried to do in the past. For example, delving into the complex physics theory of the "STOP" being not a true stop at all in the sense that it might be defined as instantaneous cessation of all motion, but a negative acceleration sequence with arguable timing. Those debates can be endless. Fine for scientists, but confusing to even many expert casters and instructors.
For the non-scientific minds of most of us, it remains best (in my opinion) to teach the uncomplicated concept of the crisp stop being the best a caster can make as yielding the most efficient casts.
When this "crisp stop" is done at the correct time in relation to the casting arc and casting stroke, it can result in the rod unloading earlier and the rod tip dipping down a small distance from the oncoming line as the cast ends following a nearly straight line path of the rod tip. That dipping down of the rod tip to allow the line to overtake the tip without crashing into it can be considered brief convexity of the last part of the stroke. It yields a small loop.
When greater convexity of the tip path occurs at the end of the stroke following an almost straight line rod tip path for most of the stroke, the rod unloads farther below the oncoming line which then passes farther from the rod tip as the line overtakes it. This yields a controlled wide loop.
Granted, this is not the, "100% whole story" from a physics standpoint, but it serves to help me teach what I think is going on.
Re your statement on counterflex: Yes. The faster the rod tip is moving just before it comes to an "abrupt stop", the greater the amount of counterflex. What I see happening, however, is that after loop formation this yields a sag in the rod leg of the loop. If the momentum of the traveling loop is sufficient, it will straighten out that sag. Paul Arden once used the term, "Sucking it up".
Now, let's take a moment (as we have done in the past) and really create a true "hard stop". A few years ago, Dean Floyd demonstrated this at a Conclave held at Idaho Falls. He set up a metal bar against which his rod came to a true abrupt stop as the butt section collided with it at the end of his cast. Of course, this ruined the cast as the rod vibrated violently leading to a lack of achieved distance and a nasty tangled layout.
Fortunately, no mortal caster can make that "hard" a stop !
Gordy
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[GH] From John Johnson :
Gordy,
I have been working on making my back loops tighter for as long as I can remember (for at least five years). I have tried all of the things that you have mentioned. Stop the rod earlier, stop it more abruptly , grass casting etc. I have tried to thrust the rod tip up quickly at the stop and tried to delay the rotation. I have tried to keep a very firm stiff wrist at the stop. I have spent many hours with a casting analyzer trying to figure out what variables would make this tight loop possible. None of these things have made it possible to cast with two foot loops in a vertical plane.
I have had some good masters casters show me their back loops and I thought that they were not less than three feet as they had claimed. I was to the point that I thought about giving up trying for the masters. I concluded that there was a physiological flaw that was fixed by over fifty years of fly casting that would not make this possible. There seems to be something very different about the muscle motion on the back cast that makes it easy to have tight front loops but impossible on the back casts.
I was overjoyed when I talked with Bruce about my problem and he told me about the measurements that showed that no one was able to make the tight back loops. When I saw the new two foot loop requirement in the masters exam I started to work again on my training for the masters.
I have concluded that if you keep in mind the five essentials you will be able to create your best possible back loops. Specifically if you have the correct arc, a rapid stop, and hold the rod tip near the straight line rod tip path you will have your best back loop. If you use a 8 ½ stiff rod with fifty foot of line out this arc will be about 80 degrees- about 9:45 to 1:15 on a clock face I think. This is what has been measured with the casting analyzer. This of course assumes a minimum speed cast. If you make a high speed cast the arc can be much bigger. I have found that it is very easy to use the clock face to explain the relationship between loop size and arc with students. I realize that most instructors cringe at the idea of even mentioning angles and clock faces. To me it is much more effective than telling the students to match the arc to the bend of the rod or stop the rod sooner.
Fly casting is not art or black magic. When you fix all of the variables you will get a fixed result.
John
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John,
I'm certain that if my very best back cast loops were really measured, they would all be greater than 2' in width.
The MCI Testing Committee realized this after they studied it. That is why they changed the wording on the exam.
Gordy
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[GH] MORE TIPS ON BACK CAST LOOP FORMATION TO FOLLOW IN OUR NEXT MESSAGE, INCLUDING A HELPFUL DIAGRAM FROM ALLY GOWANS.
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