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When we first start fly casting nothing much works. We swing the rod
back and forth and are rewarded with big messy piles of coiled line
and leader. Then we progress, slowly but surely. At some point we
discover that stopping the rod is what makes the line form into a loop,
both in front and on the back-cast. That stage may last for a long time,
or not, depending on how far we need to cast. If a long cast is needed
we learn the double-haul and add that to our arsenal.
This is about all there is to fly casting. All unless you want to get even
better at it. There are all kinds of 'presentation' type casts, going by far
too many names to list. Names like roll, curve, slack- line, recoil etc. I'm
not going into them here. Where I am going is to let you in on a secret
known only to the very best distance casters. Come back next week
and I will reveal it to you.
Naw, I wouldn't do that to you, here it is: Remember when you learned
that stopping the rod made the line go? And then you learned the double-haul?
And found that by ripping the line with your 'off-hand' you could sling the
thing a long ways? Well, it was right there that you forgot something. Don't
feel bad, it's normal and happens to nearly everybody.
Because of the distance achieved by pulling the line a person gives real power
to the rod, both in front and in back. But, the effort is more of a swinging
of the rod and not a hard stop on both ends of the cast. Often it shows up
at about 65 feet. As one makes his casts, stopping the rod well, he will start
to swing the rod and force the double-haul to gain the extra line speed and
distance.
If you can remember to continue stopping the rod, even harder, on both casts
as you add the double-haul you will find even greater distance available. In
the beginning we cast the rod, then we learn to cast the line, now we need
to again learn to cast the rod. It's as simple as that. Keep your mind on the
fly rod. Watch the great casters closely and you will see they still make a
very hard stop on both ends. Good luck and there is another fifteen feet
of cast, perhaps even more. Have fun with it. ~ James Castwell
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