Slack line / Wiggle casts & mends

Walter & Group......

Question from Gary Eaton:-

Gordy,

 

 This is aligned with what I have learned. While we are on this topic.

Wide wiggles - How wide for MCCI?

Narrow wiggles - How wide for MCCI?

When the test says "45 feet" am I correct in assuming that is the length to cast and that the actual layout will be much shorter due to the wiggles?

 

If not, it will need to be longer than the distance cast to reach 45 feet with all of those wide wiggles.

 

 Thanks,

 

 Gary

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Gary...   Most examiners on MCCI exams are looking to see if the candidate has good control of the casts and mends and a firm understanding of exactly what to teach a student to make wide and narrow wiggles.  His/her demonstration should yield a very obvious difference betwen the wide wiggles and the narrow ones.  No specific width has been defined.  I'd think the candidate would do very well with wide wiggles being roughly 4 to 6 feet wide and narrow ones about 18" wide.

 

The examiner might request the candidate to place the wiggles way out near the fly with the fly landing at about 45 ', and then to make a cast of about the same distance with most of the wiggles close to the caster and a straight layout from the wiggles to the fly.

 

The way I teach this is to have the student make the 45' cast, then wait until the fly has almost landed as the leader is about to unfurl.  The rod is lowered slowly as the loop travels out.  At that point, a series of side-to-side movements of the rod tip is made with the rod tip close to the water or grass.  The wiggles will be close to the caster.

 

To make the wiggles go way out near the fly, I teach the student to make the same 45' cast, but with a higher trajectory and to make the side-to-side movements of the rod tip as soon after the stop as  possible.  The rod need not be dropped.  To that, one can add higher loop speed and shoot the wiggles even farther.

 

Simple explanation:    For wiggles close in, make them LOW AND LATE.

     

                                    For wiggles way out there, make them HIGH AND EARLY.

 

                                    For wide wiggles, move the rod tip back and forth FARTHER in each direction.

 

                                    For narrow wiggles, move the rod tip SHORT DISTANCES in each direction.

 

                                    For long wiggles (or long mends) move the rod tip to either side SLOWLY.

 

                                    For short wiggles (or short mends)  move the rod tip to either side more RAPIDLY.

 

All this applies to wiggle MENDS.  (Because these moves are really done after the cast.)

 

If you wish to do these maneuvers as true CASTS, then you must do them during the cast.... BEFORE THE STOP !  I find that to be technically more demanding .

 

A well prepared candidate will be able to accurately place a single mend to either side around a target 35' from the caster, the fly landing about 45' out.  (A true expert can shoot a single mend out to kingdom come.... but that is not required.)

 

Many examiners will want the candidate to be able to tell the fishing / stream circumstance requiring each one.  (I've actually witnessed candidates who can do all of the above.... then blow it in not having the faintest idea of WHEN to use a wiggle cast in an actual fishing situation or the reason for it !)

 

Gordy