JC,
I’ve got lots of questions I’d like to ask you about casting, gurus, etc… but for now just one.
Doesn’t that picture of Dave Micus show him in the "reel out " position?
I took that photo and can guarantee Dave was able to cast 20 feet if he could cast an inch.
Actually the nice thing aboutr watching Dave cast was his consistency. His form throughout the day never faultered.
jed
Actually the nice thing about watching my casting is my consistency. My form throughout the day never faulters. I catch a White Pine, on every backcast, even if I am casting from a boat, which is a mile out from the shoreline.
~ Parnelli
“Strange sight, seeing all those White Pines floating upright in the water, wearing life vests!”
[This message has been edited by Steven H. McGarthwaite (edited 02 April 2005).]
Howdy Duck
I am just guessing but I think the picture was taken after the stop. Speed of the rod, the posistion of the hand and how far the rod is ahead of the body.
If am right then Dave has just turned his hand out(AFTER the STOP)This is done to stop the line from slapping the blank on the way out the guides. If the guides are turn to the outside the line coming from the water up to the rod will not hit the blank after they clear the guides. Makes a lot of difference on distance cast.
Again this is just a guess. I rotate my rod much latter as I use a more open style of casting.
ol Al
Ol’ Flysoup
Flycasting is as easy as flysoup
Flysoup, I disagree, the photo is not after the stop, his wrist is still in the open position a critical part of the power snap is the closing of the wrist. Also you can see he hasn’t completly hauled yet. As for the guy on top, he’s a mess!! There is a guy with a poor backcast and someone who will develop elbow problems.
[This message has been edited by Ray (edited 03 April 2005).]
let me clarify. i don’t know what the hell i was doing. we sure as hell weren’t catching fish! (actually i turn my wrist out on the back cast and straighten it at the end of the forward cast. just one of those bad casting habits.)
D.Micus, I think your casting looks great(just get the reel in line), you have excellent arm position, I bet you can cast all day!
thanks, Ray. I can cast all day; I just don’t catch fish all day…
Ray, RW here
I can catch fish all day, and I can’t cast worth a sh##. Do you think there is any particular reasoning behind that?
Dave: I’m a Yankee fan. Do you think that has something to do with it?
Later, RW
“We fish for pleasure; I for mine, you for yours.” -James Leisenring on fishing the wet fly-
Saw a fly casting demonstration at the Great Water Expo, by a FFF Instructor from Washington State.
Taught us two major casting mistakes that cover 90% of all casting problems.
Mistake #1:Big Cast for Short Distance, and Small Cast for Long Distance!
If you are casting short distance, you should reduce your casting stroke, will increase the speed of your fly line in the air while casting.
If you are casting long distance, you should increase your casting stroke, reach further back in the backcast, and further forward on the front cast. Bigger cast means higher fly line speed, and more power to get out further.
Mistake #2: Snapping wrist too early!
Said the best way to learn when to snap the wrist at the end of th cast, to help speed the line at the critical moment in the cast, you should practice using a paint brush and a bowl full of water. Then dip the brush into the water, than do your normal long or short cast stroke. At the end of the forward cast, you snap your wrist as the final motion of the cast. The water should shoot off the brush tips, in a forward direction as your fly line would be traveling. Any other direction, up in the air, or down at your feet, is either too early or too late of a snap.
Tried both of those tips today in the side yard and they work.
Also show me how to do the Belgium Cast for my Bass and Pike Flies, on a 9 wt rod.
Belgium Cast
With the fly line laying on the water in front of you, with all slack line picked up…
Do a backcast out to the side at about 45 degree angle between horizontal and vertical with the fly rod stoke…
Do Not Stop at end of the Backcast…
Instead, continue with one sweeping motion, bringing the fly rod tip to the vertical position as you continue directly into the Forward Cast and Release the held spare line that is off the reel.
The large fly will shoot out over the water and there will be no dropping off of the fly from slow line speed that would happen with a tradition cast.
Tried this one also today with my 9 wt, and a large Muskie Fly. Shot out farther than I have ever cast it before, and there was no slowing of the line, tapered leader, or tippet. The fly continued out to the end of the casted line.
So easy once you have tried it, and it is easy to learn.
~Parnelli
[This message has been edited by Steven H. McGarthwaite (edited 04 April 2005).]
Parnelli, your post may confuse a few people, let me add to it if I may.
“If you are casting long distance, you should increase your casting stroke, reach further back in the backcast, and further forward on the front cast”
This statement is very hazy at best. The reach you are refering to is a drift AFTER you stop the rod, the stop is the same. The reach is to drop the rod tip to allow for gravity dropping the backcast you get with the extra line in the air so the line doesn’t get below the casting plane.
The power stroke is the same.