Walter & Group:
From Bob Tabbert........
Gordy, help me understand something: where is the "stop/rotation " in the cork screw curve cast? ....I keep watching my wrist to see the rotation or closure ....I thought would be necessary/required to make this cast ??? Perhaps I am not casting a true cork screw curve?? My casting mechanics: with 30 feet of line out of the rod tip, casting with right hand, after a crisp back cast, come forward with a slight movement to the left and a then a down ward half circle to the right and presto: there is this nice curve, almost a hook, with the fly curving to the left....where is the rotation? What have I missed? What don't I see a clean rotation? My wrist does not seem to rotate the butt of the rod??, Maybe I am making the downward half circle after the stop like movement to the left??? and the half circle down ward movement to the right really is a quick mend..... the movement is so quick I cannot perceive that I am making a mend???
Off to Mt. Home and Chuck Easterling's CCI & Masters Instructors class with Bill Gammell, Al Bhur, Al Kyte and Chuck, should be an interesting opportunity to learn. Look forward to visit and casting with you out at Livingston, still waiting on Molly to set up a time and place for a meeting of "Gordy's Gang". .
Bob
Robert L. Tabbert Winter: 211 Ursuline St,
Lafayette, LA 70506 337 989 0815
Summer: N14925,W Turner Lk Rd
Lac du Flambeau, WI 54538 715 588 2395
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Bob...
Your description is that of one good way of making a curve cast .... technically, a "curve cast-mend". This is because your, "downward half circle" is after the stop. (Considering a definition of MEND as repositioning the line after the cast or after the stop.)
Here is my own way of making a long distance, "CORKSCREW CURVE CAST" when I want a very big curve with the fly way out at a distance, fly to the left, apex of the curve (belly) to the right, using my dominent right casting arm :
I start with a slightly overpowered forward stroke and very quickly make my rod tip go an almost full DOUBLE 360 degrees in a clockwise direction while also going forward as I make my rod arc. The rod tip stops with it going to my left.
This forward motion of the rod tip combined with the 1 3/4 x 360 degree rotation makes the tip go in a corkscrew path.
For a long time, I had trouble figuring out just how far beyond one full circle (360 degrees) I was really moving my hand. Tom White videoed me from in front. When we slowed down the vid. speed, it became obvious. Once we figured out what I was really doing, I became a lot better at teaching it.
The wider the circular motion, the bigger the resultant curve. If I want greater distance, I carry more line. For even greater distance, I shoot the whole thing out.
when I first started to try to teach myself how to do this, I carefully read Jason Borger's description of it and his quotation from Bob Pelzl's article on the subject in his, THE NATURE OF FLY CASTING, under the heading, "corkscrew curve module (SM), pp 184-186.
When I followed his quote of Bob Pelzl's text with the description of, "...two traveling waves, or loops: a simple pulse loop followed by a corkscrew-shaped loop " (p 185 paragraph 3 ) I got what he describes .... a distance hook cast.
When I modified it by making almost two full circles of corkscrew rotation with no, "pulse loop", I could get better distance and have a layout with a well controlled giant curve. This despite his writing: "if a full circle is made, two corkscrews develop and the line will end up in a tangled mess."
Jason gives credit to Bob Pelzl for first describing and doing this.
For me, it's much more difficult to do it in the other direction. I don't achieve as large a curve or as great distance, but I can do it. The reason for this is that it is much harder for me (and most right handed dominent casters) to make as good a controlled, powered counterclockwise move.
I find this one of the most difficult casts to teach. My usual teaching sequence is:
1. Demonstration of the actual cast. 2. Slow demo of the rod movement 3. Slow demo of the hand movement. 4. The student makes the pantomime movement of the hand alone. 5. The student makes the pantomime movement slowly with the rod (I start this with the student making the movements in a painfully slow manner .... one of Harvey Pennick's tricks in teaching a golf swing) Then we go faster and faster. All this with no fly line.
6. Only then do I have the caster do it with a fly line. 7. Hands-on approach is usually needed: a.) I make the cast with the student's hand, "going along for the ride". b.) The the student and I do it together. c.) The student does it and I go for the ride. d.) The student does it without me.
Since it requires such a complex set of movements, once the student, "gets it", I find it best to STOP ..... and give him some time alone to play with it.
An occasional student gets it quickly. Tom White being a super-caster, learned it in 5 minutes.
Gordy