Casting Practice Anyone?

[RexW]

I've been practicing casting at home for a while now. Casting on grass has improved my casting skills, but I'm still not a very good caster. It is a good thing that you don't have to be a good caster to catch fish.

Today a group of friends met at a park to practice casting. Wow! I am impressed. I think I learned more this afternoon than I have learned in the last year. Casting with other people helped indentify some of the things I was doing wrong in my casting. We're going to try to meet once a month.

Anyone else ever practice with other people?

Rex

[deathb4disco]

Rex,

I usually practice alone. It's easier.

If you haven't already, you might want to hook up with a good casting instructor. An hour or two spent with an instructor can save you lots of frustration. He can spot problems with your stroke that you (and your friends) might never notice. You don't want to be practicing a casting error!

Check the archives -- lots of good casting info there.

[white43]

I also practice alone, mostly, but I usually practice sitting on my butt. Besides driving my elderly Norwegian farmer's wife next door nuts, it is great practice. I'm usually sitting when fishing, either in a canoe, boat or float tube. Sitting also forces me to use better arm mechanics. I also want something to cast to -- a traget. Someone mentioned having their kids sling a frisby, and if he couldn't hit it with his practice fly he'd give them a piece of parade candy. I use plastic butter container lids. Big or small. I don't use a lot of false casting. I'd rather pull the line and zip it to the next lid. I go from one lid to the next rather than continue casting at the same one. I go from sidearm to overhead, back across my chest. Sometimes I try casting left handed. Just some thoughts. JGW

[This message has been edited by white43 (edited 26 March 2005).]

[OkieBass133]

I usually practice alone, I don't really have that many fly fishing buddies close to home. Went out to the city lake the other day with a friend of mine, he was fishing, I was casting. Set my personal best distance cast, 115 feet. Of course, I did it with a 10 weight and a shooting head, but that's still good enough for me lol

[RexW]

I've never been able to work with a casting instructor. Casting alone, I knew I had some bad habits, but I wasn't able to figure out what they were.

One of the folks that showed up yesterday is a new FFF CCI. He spotted a problem that really helped my casting. I agree with the suggestion to work with a casting instructor. That would definately shorten the learning curve.

I'll still do most of practice alone, but I think working with other people yesterday will make a difference in my casting.

Rex

[Robert McMahan]

Rex,
I love to lawn cast. Almost always alone. I have a little routine I follow. I cast for accuracy, distance and then I'll usually do some specialty casts like a reach mend left then right then I'll try to hook a cast around behind a tree trunk (try that with spinning gear) then I'll do a pile cast then I'll do a backward cast (a really handy cast when fishing from a boat with several people in it) then I'll cast side arm and low trying to stick a cast under a low hanging bush, then I'll do the same side arm cast across the body then I'll do a wiggle cast and if I'm really feeling energetic I'll cast left handed (I'm a terrible left handed caster though).
Go to a FFF Conclave sometime (like the one in Mountain Home Ark.) and hang around the casting pools and join in. You'll get to see some really good fly casters and some not so good. Pick the brains of the good casters. Lawn casting is fun!

[Gigmaster]

I practice by myself, mostly out of sheer embarassment and respect for other fly-fishers. I don't want to give them a bad name. My casting technique is reminescent of the one used by "Rowdy" Yates on the classic "Rawhide" TV series! I've actually heard bystanders begin to hum "Muletrain" while watching my dismal attempts at artistic fly presentation. I'm never sure whether I am catching fish, or simply knocking them out! Even avians are not safe around me. Once last year, our local Game Warden, after watching me try to gently drop a dry fly in front of a log, wrote me a ticket for Dove-Hunting without a license! It's a good thing you don't have to be good at casting to catch fish! I've invented a new type of line-mending as well. It's called the "Depth Charge", and can be heard as far as 200 yards away, calling beavers in from all points of the compass. I may not be the greatest, but I wouldn't trade it for any other kind of fishing!

Semper Fi!

[No-tye-much]

I am part of a group that meets monthly to cast and play some casting games. In two years, 2 have recieved their FFFCCI, and one moved up the the Master level. Group casting works, especialy if you do not have a video camera.

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The thrill is not in the kill. It's in the deception.

[Robert McMahan]

No Tye Much,
Is Allen Crise the Master? Who are the others, if you don't mind me asking?

As much as I hate to admit it, must of the time when I go fishing. It's really casting practice, on water. LOL