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February 15th, 1998
Casting Shows
From time to time I get comments and remarks about,
"these guys who gotta cast a country mile." And, no they are not always
from the ones who can not cast that far, but mostly they are. The excuses
usually run something like," I can catch all the fish I need within thirty feet."
The truth is I do too. Most of us do. Probably I catch most well inside of
that, in fact. But, it does not keep me from having the fun of casting a long
line, and some rather interesting casts, and specialized presentations.
I have just returned from a fly-fishing show in Somerset,
N.J. and one in San Mateo, CA. I saw guys from each coast of the U.S.A.
casting all kinds of rods at all kinds of distances. Some were simply trying out
possibly new fly-rods, others finding the limits of new rods on todays market,
but, most were doing it because they could. It was fun, they enjoyed it, it was
challenging and at the same time rewarding.
In N.J. there was a Scot with a spey rod outside
in weather ranging from snow, to rain, to just darn cold. He was there
because he liked to show how to cast. Several others joined him on the
lawn for conventional casting too. Wind, snow, rain, cold; three days
of it, and it was fun. On to San Mateo showed only a slight change in
temperature. But, still cold, rain, crummy stuff. Hundreds of casters
braved the elements to use the outdoor casting ponds at that show.
The point is there were no fish in the ponds, it
was just for fun; the ponds were eighty feet long. The game was
anywhere from twenty feet out to as 'dern-fer-as-it-will-go.' If you
are limiting yourself by not learning how to cast farther than you may
need to right now, give it some thought. Perhaps if you can learn to
cast farther you may find fish at fifty feet you did not know were there,
and have fun in the process. ~ JC
Till next week, remember ...
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