Book / Bag of Tricks for, "wristing"

Another important book recently released...Fly Fisherman's Guide to Saltwater Prey....by Aaron Adams, Ph.D. A great book on how to match coastal prey fish and invertebrates with the fly patterns that imitate them. Stackpole, copyright 2008. ISBN 13: 978-0-8117-3460-8.

I highly recommend for both tyers and non-tyers. Aaron's previous work - The Fisherman's Coast is equally informative.

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

Dusty .... It was just a few years ago that some of started using the, "match the hatch" principle for tarpon fishing. The older attractor patterns still work, to be sure ..... but there are times when a fly that truly looks and acts like a shrimp will be the only thing which works in a, "shrimp hatch" and now (during winter) we often use sardine patterns during the very brief periods when big tarpon appear between weather fronts following schools of these forage fish.

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

I have been using Chuck Easterling's "embryonic loop" exercise initially with beginning students. I'm not sure who the author is, but Chuck introduced me to this last year at the Southern Council Conclave - so today he gets full credit!

The idea behind this exercise is to start with the student making 1/2 formed loops with 6' of line beyond the tip top. A half formed loop is harder to form than an actual loop at this length, because the caster has to focus on moving the wrist very little - its no more than a nudge. The end result of the embryonic loop is a pile of line about 3 - 4' from the rod tip. Once that task is accomplished, the student moves on to form actual loops at 6', 9', 15' and 20' of line. It really helps to have the student make 1/2 loops, then full loops to build control. The student makes many repetitions of 1/2 and full loops over a 5 - 10 minute period before moving on to the next longer length of line. This gives the instructor plenty of time to work with each of the students in a small group.

It's important to have the students start off forming these loops close to the ground plane (side to side) in a forward stance with legs at shoulder width. After the student has mastered loops at the distances listed, then the casting plan is elevated.

In a short period of time, the student will be making beautiful loops with controlled hand/ wrist movement. Enforcement along the way of how little the rod needs to be moved to create a nice loop is critical. We've had 100% success with this lesson... it really works!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`

Jim ...... A new trick for me !! I'll try it. Thanks to you and Chuck.

Here are some I've used:

1.) Have the student try a 3 point grip.

2.) Teach the caster to squeeze the thumb and 2nd finger of the casting hand at the back stop.

3.) Stand behind the caster.

4.) Stand on the rod hand side just behind the caster and stop his rod with your hand at the right angle and time.

5.) Use, "hands-on" technique. You cast and he goes for the, "ride". Next, the two of you do it together. Finally, he makes the cast and you go for the, "ride".

6.) Teach aiming the back cast loop at a high object behind the caster ..... a tree, tel. pole, 2nd story window, cloud in the sky, etc.

7.) With some students, simply teaching a high stop will help.

8.) There is the rare student who will respond to a carefully worded description of the problem and its solution.

9.) A couple of years ago, Bob Andreae and I were teaching a group of ladies from a women's club to fly cast at the IGFA in Dania. The only place available at the time was a pond with a high earthen berm behind the casters. They quickly found that the fly hung up unless the wrist was controlled..... great feedback !

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

Gordy I hope all is well.

A couple “tricks” immediately come to mind and are as follows;

Paint on a paint brush (also good for smooth application of power/acceleration)
1. I give the student a spot on an imaginary wall and have he/she pretend the rod is a paint brush wanting to fling paint to the specific spot I have given them

i. The apple on a stick scenario is also another approach to the same idea

I give the student a point of reference for their back cast such as branch on a tree, a specific cloud, feature of a building, etc.
1. This helps the student see specifically where the proper back cast should terminate and to develop a feel for it.
When teaching a beginner I always introduce the basic pick up and lay down cast we build from in two parts; the back cast and forward separately first.
1. I have the student make a back cast only, then turn around so the line is in front of he/she while I straighten the line then have them make another back cast, repeating this process 15 -20 times. This gives me the opportunity to just specifically address the back cast. I also do the same for the forward part of the cast before having the student put the two together.

Regards,

Bill Toone

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

From Liam Duffy:

Hi Gordy,
A very common problem, one "quick fix" I've used is to put the butt of the rod inside the students cuff (if he/she is wearing long sleeves) a lot of fishing jackets have cuffs which are fastened with velcro (i think you call it hook and loop in the States) open the cuff and reclose it over the butt of the rod, this will work with jackets, sweaters, and shirts.
For short sleeves I use a dog collar (puppy size) loosely around the wrist with the butt inside it
I never saw anybody able to make a downward back cast with this "fix" try it yourself
This trains muscle memory and can then be dispensed with later
Liam Duffy
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Liam .... Joan Wulff introduced a specially made strap which serves the same purpose. Others have copied it.

Tom White used to have the student turn the reel upside down. Hard to do, "wristing" with that arrangement. Gordy

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

From Mack Martin:-

Gordy:

AN OUT OF CONTROL WRIST

Well there are a number of ways to address this problem. Our approach is to start the caster off with horizontal casting in front of them so they can see what arm and wrist motion results in small or good loops. We point out the need to see the thumb nail from their peripheral vision at the end of the back cast. If they cannot see the thumb nail then they are too far back on the back cast. Sometimes we suggest looking at the backcast to see how they are doing. Every student may respond to different suggestions and these are just some that usually work.

M. A. (Mack) Martin Jr.

Manager & CCI Atlanta Fly Fishing School

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

Mack ... Yes, indeed. Joan Wulff uses horizontal casting to help with this, too. Gordy

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

Gordy,

When simple instruction won’t work and the student continually creates an open or wide loop I limit the movement of the rod handle; I constrict the rod handle to the students arm. I do this simply by placing a portion of the rod handle up the sleeve, or I use a piece of Velcro strap. Once the student sees the effect of this I then release the rod handle.

Simple; but effective.

Lou

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

From John Bilotta :-

Gordy

Discuss and demonstrate stopping the rod nearly vertical during the backcast.

.

Have the caster stop and look at the position of their thumb on top of the rod so that it is, “hitch hiking to heaven and not down the road.”

John Bilotta

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

COMMENT : Well there you have it. Some 15 different items for your bag of tricks to help solve one fault. MCCI candidates should distill these down to a simple list with few words and same them for later reference. Better, yet, go out and actually use them as you teach. That way, there'll be no chore in remembering them.

Gordy