Learning tricks / Essentials

Walter & Group...

Here is a very good question from Lewis Hinks.  It brings up the subject of tricks we use for learning:-

Rene talks about the 5 essentials and notes them as SSSPP. I am having trouble with those letters and am wondering if you know to what he is referring.

 

Dennis (and I) use the acronym STAND in his school where:

 

S - You must Stop the rod to make it work

 

T - Tip. Line follows the path of the rod tip

 

A - Arc. We issustrate 11 and 1

 

N - No slack line

 

D - Don't forget to pause.

 

 

Lefty Kreh and Ed Jaworowski talk about 4 principles:

 

The end of the line must be moving

 

Casting hand and rod must be moving at an ever increasing speed and come to a sudden stop

 

The line will go in the direction in which the rod tip speeds up and stops.

 

The longer the distance the rod travels on the back and forward casting strokes, the less effort is required for the cast.

 

So if you can help me with the SSSPP I'd appreciate it. I cannot find references to match up with those letters in either Joan Wulffs books or Jason Borger's.

 

Now the part for the group which responds to the question about changing style.

 

I have indeed changed my casting style while fishing. One instance was a week or so ago when I was salmon fishing with a friend. It was a typical fall Nova Scotia day, cold and very windy. The high wind was making casting a challenge and I was a little sore in the upper arms and shoulders from raking leaves, but we had to fish, you know the feeling.

 

I decided to give my arm and shoulder a break and starting casting more with my body (or larger muscles) keeping my elbow on the shelf, as Lefty describes it. I also kept both my back cast and forward casts more horizontal, to stay out of the wind, and was able to comfortably cast and hit my targets all day. My partner asked how I was doing it and of course that presented a teaching opportunity.

 

All the best,

Lewis

 

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Lewis....

 

Actually, your first question would be a very good one for the Group..... 

 

Let me digress by saying that the questions you ask show me that you are a true student of fly casting !!!!!

 

 

There are many ways of looking at THE ESSENTIALS.  They all convey approximately athe same information.

 

The use of various mnemonics (letters used as symbols to help with memorization) including acronyms (words which do the same thing) is an excellent teaching technique.

 

Dennis uses his own mnemonics, in the form of his acronym," S T A N D "  which is fine.  You have already stated that.

 

Bill Gammel and his father, Jay Gammel wrote the little pamphlet which was embraced by the FFF several years ago.  (It is one of the little study books available from the FFF office.)

 

This is their list of ESSENTIALS, to which many of us have applied letters which serve as mnemonics to make memorization easier :-

 

 

S ..... STRAIGHT line path of the rod tip ("SLP").

 

S.....  SLACK must be kept to a minimum.

 

S....   SIZE of the casting arc (and stroke length) must vary with the amount of the line carried out of the rod tip.

 

P....   There must be a PAUSE between strokes (to allow the loop to unfurl.)

 

P ....  POWER must be applied at the correct time and in the correct amount.

 

Bill was one of my examiners back when I took my MCCI exam along with Tom Jindra.  When asked, I gave them the above as an answer and, when prompted, expanded on each for my longer answer.  I, then, stated that one might add another S ..... the STOP.  Bill agreed.

 

I suppose, one might consider another S ..... SMOOTH application of power.  As I teach, I add this one to the last P .

 

Floyd Franke taught essentials by adding these parameters to P ... POWER :-

 

            a.) TENSION      b.) ACCELERATION     c.) STOP

 

(We could have applied the acronym, " T A S ", but didn't.)

 

Under ACCELERATION,  Bruce Richards and Noel Perkins have recently introduced the concept of SMOOTH, CONSTANT ACCELERATION.

 

All these are simply the use of word pictures to get the message.

 

Lefty's list of PRINCIPLES is another way to look at some of the things which are needed for efficient casting.  Hard to disagree with any of them !

 

OK for a MCCI candidate to memorize any one system. (The best informed candidate will know most systems.)

 

  That, however, will be his short answer on an oral exam. 

 

  It will surely lead to questions which demonstrate an in-depth understanding behind his "list" ..... like :   "TELL ME WHICH ONE IS MOST IMPORTANT, AND GIVE YOUR REASONS FOR THIS DECISION"  or :  " GIVE ME EXAMPLES OF FISHING /CASTING SITUATIONS WHERE YOU WOULD GAIN ADVANTAGE BY DEVIATING FROM EACH ESSENTIAL "  (I love that one, because it really tests deep understanding !)

 

Best,

 

Gordy