When watching others cast it always amazes me at the differences in the amount of effort various casters seem to exert to get the same distance or result. Some seem to cast so effortlessly. Real poetry in motion. While others seem to muscle the cast. I know all about line speed and stop and start , and get the line moving and the slack out and although all the casters I watch seem to do things right…there is still this ‘smoothness’ difference. At first I thought maybe it had something to do with how tall the various casters were (not coming close to 6 foot myself) I pay particular attention to those casters closer to my stature. That does not seem to be the answer as I’ve watched JC and Les cast along with Ray and others at the fish-ins.
Of course I have never had someone tape me casting, but I know, like you know, that some days my own casting just doesn’t seem as smooth as other days. I admire these effortless guys, these always effortless guys, and would love to consistantly cast as beautifully, fluidily as they.
Yes, it is easy to compare poor casters who slap and rip water, bring rod tip too far forward or backward, but just what is it that make the smooth casters look so smooth and effortless from those that don’t even though they get the same accuracy and distance?
Just like the golf swing. It’s all in the timing and tempo. Some have that gift more than others.
practice, go fishing, lawn cast… until it becomes second nature (no thought involved).
Later,
Peter
I once had a golf pro tell me that if you do everything you are supposed to do in the golf swing no matter how fast you do it it will never seem or be too “quick”.
Seems to me that holds for the casting stroke too.
An example…if you don’t finish your back swing the swing will seem too quick…if you don’t let your backcast unroll and load…well, you get the point…as Gramps said timing and tempo…
Perhaps as Gramps said…it is a gift. One of the groups I fish an annual several days with in May on the Beaverkill consist of 7 fine casters and fisherman. One of these guys casts as pretty as anyone I have ever seen. They are all excellent casters but this guy’s casting is the smoothest and most effortless of the group. He is not the guy who catches the most fish, (might be because he only fishes on top) nor the one who knows his insects the best, but he is the most fluid caster of the bunch. None of these guys need ‘practice’ or do anything wrong technically. So what is it that makes this guy stand out?
Perhaps it is a gift but not in my case. I flailed around for years before I could keep a line aerialized or make even a decent loop. After fishing for just a short time I decided I was going to learn how to cast.
Many factors translate to “smoothness”. The beginning caster probably thinks his line is going to fall to the ground and hurries his stroke to keep the line in the air.
I would sit on the bank and watch folks I thought were good casters then try to practice what they did. Weather permitting I practice 2-3 times a week and have for many years. I don’t try to throw a whole line every time or hardly ever - I just throw loops back and forth again and again.
Keeping my timing just as sharp as I can.
Bob I would guess the caster of which you speak also practices alot
Bob, yes, I can cast smoothly. It requires learning how to cast correctly, then practicing, cast after cast, casting smoothly. Watching every loop, front and back, watching every ‘line’ in the air and when it has little wiggles in it, get rid of them. I do think some guys are just naturaly better at it, the reat are like me. I have worked at it, I want to do it well, smooth casting is in the end, the easiest casting. Casting is so much fun and works almost no matter how you do it that hardly antone actually practices ‘getting better.’ They just practice the same old casts. That will not improve anything.
This is not meant to imply your casting lacks anything. We have fished together and you are not in need of anything. But, perfection can be a taunting imposter, and a worthy goal. Just like your fantastic flies. You have to make ‘every’ thread wrap count; same with casting practice and then, out on the stream.
Bob,
Having not seen any video of myself, I’d have to say that a ‘smoothie’ I am not. I also submit that I am not even remotely a distance caster. Sometimes I find funny ways of casting to get at specific locations. For example I’ve used what I call a ‘bounce cast’ to get under trees. Nothing smooth about it. Watching the fly line go back and forth on each cast? Not for me. I don’t need a corkscrewed neck plus I want to watch the target so I can adjust my cast, in flight, if I have to. How many sports where hand-eye-coordination are involved do you see the person look away from the target? Not many.
Now, I’m not talking about casting as in casting events. I’m talking about casting as in fishing. In this regard, the End justifies the Means.
H.
Yes, you can work hard to develop a good casting stroke. It may take some years. Others much less. However, you always be behind the natural who has gifted timing and tempo.
Do you think with hard work alone you could swing like a pro golfer? Pro baseball player? Throw a ball like a pro quarterback?
The caster who stands out and look so smooth that it looks like no effort. Has a gift.
Like Gramps said, I’ll never be as smooth as Bond, James Bond, no matter how many shaken vodka martinis I drink. And I keep telling my wife I can never dance so there is little need for ballroom dancing lessons.
Point being, everyone has a limit no matter how much they practice, and everyone has a limit on the amount of effort and time they are willing to improve a skill.
I think most people get to a point where they are “good enough” to get the job done and that’s all they really want. If they have extra time, perhaps they are more interested in improving their golf swing, or learn the samba.
If you are right, then we should all give up and accept the fact that we will always cast like a schmuck. Practicing and improving are pointless. And watching a backcast is worthless too. Just look at the target and slop it out there. Then write about how great that works so new guys don’t feel badly that their casting sucks too.
I suppose there are those folks who figure what they are doing is good enough and any more time spent to improve would seem to be a waist of time.
If all those who say they don’t need to double haul (for example) could they would be singing the praises of it like those of us that can do.
They would then say the investment in time was cheap compared to the reward.
If I didn’t practice regularily,I wouldn’t cast worth a diddily.I even gone so far as to build a 4.5ft. rod from the tip section of a 2pc loomis blank
I picked up on Ebay so I can practice in the garage when the weather gets really nasty and cabin fever is starting to kick in.
I taught myself to flyfish and never realized that double hauling was something that you learned.I incorporated a double haul right from the beginning so it just seems natural to me.I’m still not a great caster but I put enough hours in every year that by the end of the season I can put a fly pretty dang close to where I want on about every cast.
Don’t count out the effect of a good, tapered leader.
One trick to practice is to use as little power as needed to get the job done. That really seems to help in getting rid of those wiggles Mr. Castwell mentioned. It also teaches you economy of motion. As your practice progresses so can the length of line you can comfortable carry without inducing all sorts of faults. It’s a fine line between too much power and too little, though the results of too little power are readily visible and corrected.
As Lefty always says, you don’t have to rip your undershorts to make a good cast.
Excellent point Jackster. Agreed. Less effort and, shhh… quieter, less sound, less noise, gentle, ease off, relax, half the force, listen, if you can hear the rod on the cast, use less effort. IF the SOUND is uneven!!! for sure you have a problem. ANY sound must be the same on both the front and back casts. This is one of the “101” things that any casting instructor should know. So far we have never talked to a CCI who had any idea what we meant though. 
Aw shoot.! Nice knowing you Hen…
Jackster that is an excellent point. Guys are generally physically stronger than me, and they are amazed a “little thing” like me can cast at all, much less well. It isn’t about strength - except a lot of men do overpower their cast. Al Kyte started his beginner classes by having everyone learn a basic cast, then told them to do the same cast with ‘half the effort.’ Keep the same stops on both ends of the cast, but put much less effort (physical power) into the whole process.
Relax! Casting should be fun - not work. The better your casting is, the less work the whole experience will be.
Timing and tempo.
Without even reading any of the posts before answering your question, I’m going to suggest it’s because they want to. And because they have practiced to become so. Yes, of course there is more to it than that, but I would only be expanding on those two things if I went into detail.
Cheers,
MontanaMoose
Now I’ll read all
the other posts ! :))