Old MCI exam / Tight v Wide loops /

Hi Gordy,

Here's the master's test that Tom White probably took in the 90"s. (I only have one page so there may have been additional requirements). There was an oral portion also. The group might find it interesting.

Kirk Eberhard

Single hand fly rod, maximum of 9 feet

Floating line not to exceed 9 weight

1. 90 foot cast

2. 55 foot roll cast

3. 50 foot roll cast- back handed

4. Pick 50 feet of line off the water smoothly and drop back straight to the water

5. Cast all planes and angles with 50 feet of fly line

6. Presentation casts, Accurately throw straight, crooked (slack), angled (reach) and curved line on command, long and short lines.

7. False cast and place the fly on target at 20, 40 and 60 feet with reasonable accuracy

8. Pick line up, no false cast. Change direction of cast 45 degrees and cast forward 60 feet

9. False cast at least 45 feet. Still false casting strip line in and place fly 20 feet away

10. Hold fly in hand, drop fly and make one false cast and shoot line forward to 60 feet.

11. Starting with 30 ' of fly line, using the double haul, cast 80 feet. (Making no more than 2 back casts and two forward casts. )

12. Cast over opposite shoulder and cast 65 feet.

13. Deliver a back cast to 75 feet

14. Demonstrate a variety of slack line casting techniques used for upstream, across stream and downstream presentations.

15. Demonstrate well controlled curve casts to the left and right a "moderate distance".

16. Cast 70 feet, no haul

17. Carry 70 feet of line in the air, haul o.k.

18. 40' cast with slack leader

19. 40' cast with slack in middle of line

20. 40' cast with slack in end of line nearest the rod tip.

Kirk

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This called for an outfit not greater than a 9 wt. I'm told, Tom passed it with a 5 wt.

Gordy

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I consider this an important message from Troy Miller:-

Gordy

One thing jumped out at me, and I plan on expounding on this in great detail at SRG (the bamboo gathering in Mt. Home in October). It regards our insistence on SLP through all of our teaching. In my classes, I teach that SLP is the best method of maximizing loop efficiency and straight-line casting (distance or accuracy). But I also teach what happens when we DON’T achieve SLP, and how we can use those loops to our advantage in other applications. This is exactly what I’m referring to when I talk about the difficulty in getting big hooks out of 1’ fast loops. Those loops were never born to curve. I want students to know that a fat loop is not ALWAYS a bad loop. A non-SLP tracking is sometimes desirable. All depends on what you’re trying to achieve, and how well you can control these “casting errors” which are not really casting errors at all in my opinion. We just have to learn what rod movements result in what loops. Then we can call on them when we need them. ALL of my intermediate students understand this concept (whether they’ve become proficient at doing them or not…).

JMHO

Regards -- TAM

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Troy..`

I'm glad you brought this up. Our FFF casting programs have been criticized in the past by others who have gotten the idea that we concentrate too heavily on TIGHT LOOPS and HIGH LINE SPEED.

Our best instructors, such as you, do teach those concepts..... but not this alone. They go on to teach a balance of techniques including the use of the various kinds of wide and open loops as well. This is important when we realize that a trout fisherman on a stream may well have a wonderfully productive day of fishing without having made a single tight loop, had a single instance of rod tip SLP, and with the use of moderate or low loop speed.

Many useful fly fishing techniques demand the use of wide loops ..... As you point out, this includes most curve casts, hooks, and mends. Wide loops are used for casting weighted nymphs, Clousers and other weighted or bulky flies including bass bugs. Elliptical casts certainly have no tight loops for the back cast.

For a while, the thought prevailed that if you could learn to make a tight loop with high line speed, that the skill to make other types of loops would fall into place. This is certainly NOT true.

I, for one, like to see an MCCI candidate be able to make those tight loops, to be sure ...... but I also ask to see at least three different kinds of well controlled wide loops and medium sized loops. I won't pass a candidate who makes only a doming (convex) path of the rod tip throughout the stroke when asked for a wide loop. I do want him/her to be able to do this, to be sure ..... as an example of the way a new casting student is likely to do it. Beyond this, however, I want to see a well controlled wide loop made with the rod tip convexity out near the end of the stroke as well as a wide loop such that the fly leg is high and the rod leg more or less parallel to the ground by placing the convexity of rod tip near the start of the stroke. (This one to help the wind to, "kite" when casting with a wind from behind.)

The very best instructors teach LOOP CONTROL. That's the name of the game !

Here's a good oral exam question: What is a, "good" loop ?

So often, I'll get this answer: A tight one.

Best answer: It's situation dependant. A "good" loop is one which meets the casting/fishing objective.

You get the idea.

Gordy