I thought this was fun to watch, and messing around with a few of these might enhance my understanding of line control:
Kinda fun to watch, but I couldn’t really see where the need to do all the fancy flips and rolls enters the picture, with the possible exception of the cast that puts all the s-curves on the water. Most of them look like a good way to wind up with a hook in yourself. Maybe I’m just not insightful enough, or maybe I’m a bit jealous. :mrgreen: I’m all in favor of learning to control line.
Yea, that’s the ticket. I do that and didn’t even know it was trick casting. Learn something new every day.
Unfortunately, the alarm clock usually goes off and forces me to wake up right about the time a 26" brown is rising to a fly I just laid out using one of those trick casts.
Jeff
I’ve had my line alight gently on the water with wavelets like that…right after the tag alders let it go…
The first time I saw this I thought they were just tricks of no particular value. They are exagrerated in the video, but the snake roll is very useful as is the multiplied roll cast. I also use a variation of the voodoo cast to move the line from one side of my kayak to the other leading into a quick cast in a different direction. It teaches you that you do not have to make a straight backcast to load the rod when conditions don’t allow one.
A lot of the casts are adaptations of 2 handed casting on a single hand rod or perhaps it is the other way around. The purpose of many of those casts is to aerialize (new word) the line to eliminate drag from the water. Some are the opposite and made to position the line to achieve stick from the water to load the rod. Many are good to use when there is a shortage of room for a back cast. Some are for show or at least it appears that way to me. All will get a hook in you if you are not careful.
Can only cast with one hand, huh? 
Didn’t see anything ‘trick’ about them. Most everything he did was just spey techniques with a single handed rod and with some overly exaggerated moves. Why do I never hear heavy metal music when I’m out casting on the river? Does the music make it ‘trick’ or something?
rf
I wouldn’t call the hauled roll cast a trick cast …but a good one.
What struck me was how effortless it was - almost looked like slow mo.
Watching that was pretty neat…but, as pointed out there are only one or two that I can see being useful (especially when there’s an easier cast that will do basically the same thing.
Why do I never hear heavy metal music when I’m out casting on the river?
there really wasn’t much heavy or metal about that soundtrack…just sayin’
These so called “trick” casts are all spey casts or variations on them. The best trick and value in all of them is they keep the fly on the water where you are actually fishing.
Note the absence of false casting.
I too, noticed the spey tecniques in most of the casts he was doing. No backcasting room. Watch it again and notice that in every case the fly touches down just long enough to anchor the line (anchor point and D loop= spey) before his forward cast. He is very good. I know cuz I am very bad.
Gary
While no expert caster here, I have been mezmerized by that footage of that guy casting since last season. Even spent a few hours doing those casts. I fish many places where there is little to no room for a true overhead backcast and the one hand adaptation of the spey casts are just wonderful. A whole new bunch of fellows are fishing with switch rods these days that allow for one handed use of a longer rod but also allow for two handed casts. These 10 1/2’ to 13’ rods are on the wish list and seem to provide some real utility. I have a 10’, 7 wt that is almost there, but not quite, the handle is a one hand application only. I have seen a handle extention that might end up on this rod one day though.
Pretty video indeed with some real world application.
Just stirring the pot a little…
Who cares if there’s no direct application for the cast itself? It becomes an exercise in coordination then, like all ball-handling tricks basketball players have been doing since the Harlem Globetrotters started touring. It’s just fun to do.
Personally, I think at some point every one of these might have some applicable situation and the indirect results of becoming that comfortable with your equipment have other impacts to your “applied” fly-fishing.
That man really understands the concept of loading the rod and unloading the rod. As someone said early, he makes it look effortless, he isn’t forcing things, the rod is doing the work and not the arm. I have to remind myself of that often when I find myself forcing things.
By the way, last year, those casts were an inspiration to my daughter to try fly casting. She wasn’t excited about going "fishin’ with Dad, but after viewing some of those casts she said, will you teach me the Voodo cast? Seriously cool inspiration. It allowed me to put a fly rod in her hand and spend some time with her on the water. She’s only 12 and views my fishing activity as boring stuff.
Rick