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I'm reading The Fly Fisher's Playbook. In the book the author, Duane Redford talks about nymphing and about vertical drag caused by the different speeds of the water: the surface, the mid-level, and the bottom. To prevent this kind of drag, he suggests using a vertical mend. But after reading his description of the technique, I'm still not sure how the vertical mend is done.
Can anyone describe the technique to me?
Thanks,
Randy
maybe like a parachute cast?
This week's Midcurrent.com has a short video about a "Bucket Mend" - which sound like what you're looking for. Cliff
Thanks Cliff, for posting the info about the bucket cast video. I know just the place where I'm going to give that a try!
Duane demonstrates here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtGOBORMFU4
...any further question? Go to his BLOG and ask him:
http://flyfishersplaybook.wordpress.com/
PT/TB ;)
Before discussing vertical drag, I want to introduce the concept of "Effective Drift Length (EDL)."
We all unconsciously apply this concept when we dry fly fish. Because we can see where the rise is when dry fly fishing, we instinctively know that the fly must be in the right current seam, on (adult) or in (emerger) the surface film, AND drifting drag free. Only when all of those three things occur do we have a chance of catching the fish.
The identical principal applies when we are nymphing. The fly must not only be in the correct current seam laterally (1) but vertically (2) in depth as well, and the must be as drag free (3) as possible. Only when these three criteria of lateral and vertical location and drift speed are correct is the drift effective in catching fish. The fishing method that gives keeps the fly at the correct location at the correct drift speed for the longest length has the best "Effective Drift Length".
With this concept in mind we can examine "vertical drag."
The definition of drag is tension on the fly that causes it to deviate from a path it would take if it were unattached. When vertical drag is used in nymphing it means to me that the fly is being pulled in the vertical direction by the leader/line drag. Vertical drag can be up or down but since we use floating fly line when nymphing, vertical drag is almost always in the upward direction. I don't know if Duane uses the term "vertical drag" in the same way I do.
The surface current is faster than the mid-current, and the mid-current is faster than the bottom current. A routine straight up stream cast places the leader and fly line downstream of the "splash point" of the nymph. However, as the nymph starts to sink, the leader and fly line are in a faster current seam, and there is both a downstream and upward tension on the nymph. So there is both DOWNSTREAM and VERTICAL drag.
Both types of drag limit the "EDL."
Downstream Drag causes the fly to speed downstream above the holding water of the fish and shortens the available length of the drift that remains when the fly does reach the level of the fish.
Vertical drag slows the sink rate of the nymph. By slowing the sink rate, there will be less EDL left in the drift.
To defeat vertical drag, the cast must place slack tippet on the splash point of the fly. To defeat downstream drag, the cast must place the leader and line upstream of the splash point of the fly.
So the cast must place the nymph downstream of the leader and fly line, AND place some loose tippet on the fly. When both things occur, the nymph can sink WITHOUT vertical drag AND downstream drag. This allows the nymph to sink quickly and delays the downstream drag of the faster traveling fly line. Immediate upstream mends of fly line are then placed to negate the downstream drag of fly line to maximize the EDL.
The correct cast for this is the Tuck Cast which results in the vertical mend and upstream position of leader and fly line. The tuck cast has the advantage of driving the fly into the water and this causes the fly to sink even faster than normal cast. This means a longer EDL because the fly reaches the level of the fish faster.
http://stevenojai.tripod.com/tuck.htm
http://www.flylife.com.au/library/casting/tuck.html
Folks, thanks so much. Watching the Redford video was very helpful.
Randy
One thing that is NOT mentioned in the bucket mend is that any aerial mend that places line between the rod tip and the target must account for shortening of the cast in placing the mend. If you place the mend without shooting line to account for the extra slack, the cast will fall short.
See the video on the simple reach mend below.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14njsZy47qg
The caster correctly states that you SHOOT LINE into the cast but he never says why you shoot line, It is to make up for the fact that placing the cast on an angle to the target places the rod tip further from the target. Said another way, when you reach to the side, you shorten the effective fly rod length. The rod cannot reach as far forward to the target when it is reached to the side.
Now look at the bucket mend video below. The caster never says to shoot line or to account for the extra line that is placed into the aerial mend. However, the same principle remains. This extra line must be accounted for by either lengthening the cast before the mend or shooting line into the cast during the mend.
Watch very carefully and you will see that the fly falls short of where it would have fallen if there had not been a mend.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d26S-v3eB4s