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Walter & Group....
[GH] For the benefit of those of you who came late to these discussions on Saltwater Quick casts (Speed casts) or are new members, I'd like to back up one important notch with this message in answer to Laurence Baggett.
Laurence has been a member of our SOB S. Florida fishing club for many years. He has a home on Big Pine Key within sight of my own. He and I have fished together and caught tarpon using these and other techniques. His son, Gordon, owns a high end guided fishing outfit here in the lower keys.
So, I know he knows how to make these casts!
Problem is, as oft the case, that we can sometimes get a bit tangled up with the names we apply to casts and fishing techniques.
Reminds me of the late Tom White who would sometimes say to a Master candidate, "I don't care what you call it, JUST DO IT."
La
[GH] Laurence writes:
Gordy: Greetings, . Somehow I missed your earlier missives that contained the definition of a "quick cast". I don't know what that is and would like to catch up.
Thanks
L.
G Laurence Baggett, Esq.
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[GH] This got me thinking that with our very first message on Saltwater Quick casts, I made the assumption that each of you knew just what I was talking about ... An assumption I shouldn't have made ! Laurence exhibits the essence of tact when he says he missed my definition.
My answer to Laurence's question, then, is to belatedly and hopefully erase that assumption.
Gordy
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[GH] Laurence,
I know you have used these, but didn't have a name for them.
These casts are designed for maximum speed of delivery to a moving fish which suddenly appears at reasonably close range.... say, within 50' of the skiff. Sometimes a lot closer.
The idea includes the use of as few back casts as possible.
The angler is on the foredeck always ready to deliver. Anywhere from about 12' to as much as 30' of line and leader are out of the rod tip. Depending upon the wind and the fishing circumstance, loops of that line may be dangled from the fingers of the line hand and/or on the skiff deck. If no weeds in the water and no use of an electric motor, some of that line may be next to the skiff on the water.
The fly may be held in the line hand along with coils of line between the rod tip and the fly OR the caster may use a method where the fly is held next to the cork grip with the rod hand.
Before making this set-up, a "CLEAR CAST" Is recommended. This is simply an ordinary overhead cast to the max. distance likely needed (or achievable distance). The remainder of the line between the reel and the stripper guide is wound back up onto the spool (so that you don't have any more line on the deck from the reel than you are likely to need to shoot).
The fly is held hook point up either by the feathers or the bight of the hook.
Depending upon the wind, the caster may elect one of two methods of starting the cast:-
1. If the wind is from behind, an aerial roll cast is made followed by one or two back casts depending on the distance needed. One is sufficient if the fish pops into view just 15' to 25' away; two if the fish is at about 30' to 50' out, etc. Three may be needed if the fish is out at 60'-70' .... all depending upon the skill of the caster, wind, etc.
2. Start with a backcast if the wind is from in front, then proceed as above.
Either way, it is usually best to ALLOW THE FIRST CAST TO PLUCK THE FLY FROM GRASP rather than releasing it or tossing it since this yields less chance of injury.
By having all that line out of the rod tip, one can load the rod more deeply and quicker at the start. This load can be augmented, if conditions allow, by allowing a little of the line from the rod tip to the line hand to dangle in the water.
The set-up and cast has to be modified when wading for the simple reasons that you have no skiff deck and you have much less distance between the rod tip and your hands and the water surface. The caster has to accept the fact that his distance potential is limited. Of course the trade-off is that he usually get a lot closer to the fish without spooking it.
So: When wading, less line is out of the rod tip and a lot less line out of the reel. The coils in hand are smaller so they don't drag too much in the water.
The basic set-up is depicted well in a drawing in Joan Wulff's book. *
Detailed descriptions of different methods of making these casts are found along with great photos of each in Lefty's book, "Casting with Lefty Kreh. Lefty calls them "SPEED CASTS". I think he may have done that because of the fact that many fly fishers around the World use them or modifications off them in fresh water. He devoted 9 pages to this topic. **
* Joan Wulff's FLY CASTING TECHNIQUES, By Joan Wulff, 1987, p. 212, 214.
** CASTING with LEFTY KREH, by Lefty Kreh, 2008, pp.273-284.
Gordy
~~~~~~~Laurence" I
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