AWAY / Teaching loop control

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

Tell the student to imagine that the rod is a paint brush and using the tip a straight line must be painted on the ceiling. Don’t take the brush off the ceiling! Just stop the rod up there! Works a lot of the time and its fast!

Best wishes,

Ally Gowans

See my web sites http://www.letsflyfish.com and http://www.flyfish-scotland.com

Trout fly fishing and fly casting school "Tackling Trout" at The Kenmore Hotel May 16/17/18. Spey Casting and Salmon Fishing School at The Kenmore Hotel June 13/14/15. See my web sites for more details of schools

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

COMMENT: Another good method. Many of you know Lefty Kreh's use of the paint brush...... dipped in water. Then you have the student try to flip the water straight ahead onto something like an outside wall without getting in on the ground. Requires a straight line path of the tip of the bristles.

Macaulay Lord teaches a straight line path in many ways one of which is to take a glass of water quite full and try to splash it forward to a target. If you tip the glass you have a convex path and you can't hit the target.

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

Hi Gordy;

I have found that the best way to sink into a student's head how to correct a bad wide loop casting problem is to grab ahold of his arm and execute the cast over and over for him until he or she gets the feel for the proper movements to execute a tight loop.

They have to feel the rod load, be aware of the 180 degree plane, make the stop tight and abrupt ( and feel it too), and feel how to lower the rod for the presentation to the water.

robert
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`

Robert.... Yes, indeed. This is the use of kinaesthetic sense ..... the sense of FEEL. I'll often use this after going through: 1.) Explanation. 2.) Demo. 3.) The student tries to do it.

I like to do that in 3 stages. 1.) I make the cast with the student, "going for the ride". 2.) We do it together. 3.) The student does it while I, "go for the ride". Sometimes takes several repetitions.

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

In short, following a discussion on loop shape and having seen a demonstration of how to make narrow loops with a short line, the student attempts initially to make parallel loops across the body in a horizontal plane. A very short line - only 5ft or so of line plus a leader without fly - beyond the rod tip so as to eliminate the complication of rod loading is used to begin. Both the rod tip and the loop formed from each "forward" and each "back" cast are visible throughout each casting stroke. Each loop is allowed to fall to the ground. The student adjusts their stroke by feel to achieve parallel loops. No wrist movement is required.

Subsequent incremental lengthening of the line up to 10ft introduces rod loading and the requirement to increase stroke length. At this stage the student is encouraged to cant the rod to about 45 degrees off the horizontal and to false cast in the air. Further incremental lengthening of the line to 20ft is accompanied by an almost automatic lengthening of stroke and a more abrupt stop in order to maintain the loop shape. At 30ft the power snap is introduced followed by the concept of drift.

This teaching causes the student to unwittingly apply the six step method. Knowing the desired loop shape they do whatever is necessary to maintain it. Two recent students, each of whom had fished for many years oblivious to their wide back cast loops, were able to quickly recognise and significantly tighten those loops.

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

This scenario addresses the fact that there comes a point when we need to have not only a straight line tip path for a tight loop, but the requirement to do this with different lengths of line out of the rod tip and with differing amounts of power yielding different rod bends (loads). Things get a lot more complicated for the student at that point.

Tony's description, uses the idea of self critique. In order to work, however, the student has to have an idea of what to look for and what to do as a result of what he sees.

Not a bad idea to finish the session with this one, because you end with the tools the student needs to go out and practice on his own.

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