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I have learned to cast so many times I'm not sure
which one is right! In reality, there certainly
are several methods of doing just a 'normal'
forward cast. By that I mean a cast one uses for
fishing for trout - not the rip your shorts stuff
Castwell wrote about.
Several things in the past
month or so have brought this to mind. The
current article in the Bamboo
section here is about the requirements for a fine
fly rod. Part of that says the rod should perform
flawlessly with the thumb on top of the grip, on the
side, or with the forefinger on top.
Which of those are the 'right'
way? It is accepted for accuracy, the forefinger
on top is best. And a thumb on top, with a tendacy
to punch the rod produces a tailing loop. The fix
for that tailing loop is to place the thumb on the
side of the grip.
So maybe thumb or forefinger
placement is a matter of personal preference or comfort.
I can buy that. And I know there
are many various speciality casts mostly used for dry
fly presentation. Curve casts, slack line cast and
so on.
However, generally folks who have been
casting a while, and certainly those who teach casting will
tell you the number one rule in casting a fly rod is: The
rod has to stop for the line to go. I have been teaching
fly casting for years, and truely believe you have to stop
the rod to make the line go. I can prove that by stopping
the rod with the palm of my hand on a foreward cast.
But what we know and can prove is not
always the way it is.
I had a casting lesson at the recent
Fly Fishing Dealer Show in Salt Lake. The instructor was
Sandro Gatti. The owner and designer of Gatti rods. To
be honest, several members of the Gatti Pro Team had a lesson.
And it was a real eye opener.
First of all, the fly rod is lined
very differently. By American standards one would put a
6 wt. line on a 6 wt. rod. For this method of casting,
it requires using a 3 or 4 wt. line on a 6 wt. rod. And
a long leader - 12 to 14 feet.
It is flat amazing. It works.
The back cast is not made the 'normal'
way. Instead, it is a 'tower cast'. That is the cast
is directed straight up, not back, making sure the
line opens completely behind you.
Then - here is the kicker - a very
fast forward cast with no stop! Literally a whip-like
stroke. You only stop the rod to keep it from
crashing into the water!
What happens? The line rolls out
perfectly! With a little practice, very accurately!
The advantage, is the line unrolls on the water, with
the leader finally unrolling barely off the surface of
the water. Great to reach under over-hanging branches
or brush. A gentle, accurate cast using the power of
the rod - without the transferred power of a heavier
line smashing down on the water. Amazingly, a longer
cast can be obtained as well.
One of the joys of fly fishing is
I will never know it all. How very neat!
~ Deanna Birkholm
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