STYLE / QUIZ

Walter & Group:

 

From Walter Simberski, followed by my comments and a brief QUIZ : -

 

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Gordy - Externally, the main issue is catching yourself or a bystander with a hook. Examples of where this could

happen would be casting with a vertical rod plane in a cross wind, using large oval back casts when on a boat,

holding hook improperly on a saltwater type casts, roll and spey casting with with improperly placed anchor or

cross wind from the casting side, loops that are too tight with weighted flies.

 

Internally - improper grip (too tight), overpowering the cast, too short of a casting stroke.

 

Walter

 

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Walter...

 

Yes.  All of these are dangerous moves.   All, however, ARE NOT EXAMPLES OF STYLE.

 

Use of vertical rod plane casting is style.  The way we hold the grip is style, too.  Holding the hook improperly on a saltwater, "quick cast" is simply an error, as I see it, as are the errors in anchor placement while Spey casting or the error in judgement in placing the D-loop on the windward side.

 

Lee Wulff is said to have used an oval (elliptical) cast for much of his salmon fishing. (THE ATLANTIC SALMON, LEE WULFF, 1983, pp. 96 - 100) and ( Joan Wullf's FLY CASTING TECHNIQUES, 1987, pp 132-133.)  I think that could be considered his style.......Same with Hans Gebetsroither of Austria with his, "European Continuous Tension" method of casting.  The use of this style of casting may be fine when used from a boat.....or could be an error if used with a wind direction which would make this dangerous.  Thus we enter a gray area where we have a style which is fine for one circumstance, but not for another.  The choice for the use of a style, then, may be appropriate.......or a mistake.

 

Overpowering the cast is considered an error, too.....not a style.  Same with using too short a casting stroke for the amount of line carried.

 

You will remember that we briefly discussed the issue of whether or not the use of a very high back cast could change the timing of a cast.  I submit that you are correct in that it can do that.......but the use of a high back cast isn't considered a true style by most.....rather a choice of line plane (trajectory) for a particular cast.  Having said that, I must admit that it might well be considered a, "style" of the late Charles Ritz who used the technique for his well known HS/HL backcast for most of his river fishing in Europe. (A FLY FISHER'S LIFE, Charles Ritz, 1959, pp. 28-43) .  If you choose to use this example on an MCI exam, however, you would need all that background to explain yourself should your examiner challenge your answer.

 

 

Now, this discussion brings us to new questions for our Group :

 

QUESTIONS:

 

1.)   WHAT IS YOUR DEFINITION OF STYLE ?

 

2.)   LIST AS MANY THINGS AS YOU CAN WHICH WOULD BE ELEMENTS OF STYLE (SUCH AS CHOICE OF GRIP).

 

3.)   DESCRIBE, BRIEFLY, THE STYLES OF:

    a. Joan Wulff.   b. Bruce Richards.   c. Jerry Seim.  d. Lefty Kreh.  e. Bruce Richards 

 

4.)   BRIEFLY, DESCRIBE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SUBSTANCE AND STYLE.

 

5.)   WHEN, IF EVER, WOULD YOU CHANGE A STUDENT'S STYLE ?

 

6.)   WHEN, IF EVER, WOULD YOU CHANGE YOUR STYLE ?

 

Gordy