Walter & Group:
From me to Bruce Richards. Also, you may wish to check out prior messages between Laurence and me, by scribing further, below.
Gordy
Bruce....
We've had some discussions as to the actual path taken by the hand during
standard straight line overhead casting.
Some continue to argue that the hand must travel in an absolutely straight
line path in all planes.
Your comments ?
Gordy
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Bruce's answer:
Gordy,
While I agree that it is probably easiest to cast well with a straight hand
path, it certainly isn't necessary and I know quite a few top casters who's
path isn't straight. It is quite common for open stance distance casters to
cast with a concave hand path, although I doubt most do it in purpose. The
only real important thing for good straight line casting is that the tip
path be as straight as possible, and that can certainly be accomplished
with a hand path that is not straight. In the vertical plane rod bend can
be adjusted to compensate for a non-straight hand path. In the horizontal
plane I think it is much more important for the hand path to be straight
though as there is no similar, easy compensation method.....
Bruce
Scientific Anglers/3M
4100 James Savage Rd.
Midland, MI 48642 USA
Tel: 989-496-1113
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Gordy:
Thanks, I just ordered Borger’s book from Amazon. I think the difficulty I have
is this “ straight” concept. The straight path of the rod to and from the target
is relatively easy. Where the hand and tip of the rod are during the casting
stroke is confusing. I don’t see how the hand can be “level” at the same time
the rod tip is. One or the other has to off the line that I will refer to as
“level” in a hypothetical cast where it is the intention to have the line travel
level with the ground. For example, in a “laid back” cast (my term for lack of
knowledge of a better one) at the end of the back cast results in the rod tip
far below the level it was at the apex of the casting stroke although the hand
has remained at a relatively constant level from the ground throughout the
stroke. Another confusing description from Lefty is that the line travels in the
direction the rod tip stops. Jaworowski says the line goes in the direction the
rod tip is “moving”(???). I can’t find what Joan Wulff says except to make a
“power stroke” approximately beginning 90 degrees to the target, and that the
power stroke should be no more than 45 degrees. If the line travels in the
direction the rod tip is moving at the end of the cast, that can be entirely
different from the direction the tip stops. If I am making a long cast with a
flexible rod, the bend and subsequent recoil will be significant. After the
recoil, the rod recovers (with oscillations). Is the end of the recoil where the
rod stopped or the recovery position, or neither? Or do they just have different
opinions? I don’t have the Borger book yet, but does your answer below mean that
the rod
tip/hand “rules” are different (assuming the length of casts are the same) if a
vertical cast vs. a horizontal cast is made? It probably is pretty late after
doing it for thirty five years to attempt an understanding of what you have been (or should be) doing,
nevertheless….
Thanks
Laurence
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