How To: Trick Casts
- This topic has 19 replies, 9 voices, and was last updated Oct 22, 2006 at 11:17 pm by
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Hey guys –
Lauren and I did a photoshoot over the weekend and I have some interesting mid-cast photos to illustrate what I am about to describe.
A Word About Loops
When you’ve made any of these casts, or just when you are out practicing, have a buddy stand off to the side and help you diagnose your loop size.
Well your definitly a better caster than I am, not that I think I’m a bad caster I just don’t practice enough.
Wow Zach! That is some cool stuff! I could use a lesson with you! How about this, you come to Montana and give me a lesson or two and I will take you and your lovely wife on a guided trip or two. We could hit the Blackfoot river or the Clark Fork river or if your up for a hike we could pack some float tubes into some of my favorite high mountain lakes in the area.
Moosedog
Moose- the Spiral/SNake Roll is a ridiculously great way to cover rising trout from a tube or boat. It lets you change direction over a very large arc 90 degs plus. Picture this, your fly is off to right, a trout rises off to your left. You can either ” round the flat clock” make all the false cast moves to get the line in line with the fish OR simply make a spiral and cover the fish in one move.Cool cast:)) I,d have to agree
Nice expanation & pictures Zach!
Explanations like this helps people improve their casting. But of course the best instruction is when you can see & try them together an instructor.I love practising casting alone or with students.
The one thing that I almost always encounter is people holding their arm too high. The elbow is almost up to their shoulders. That will result in tiresome shoulders. I telll them to keep the arm relaxed next to the body.Moosedog:
I’m getting pretty jealous here in The Netherlands! :-/
Sounds like great fun!When casting a wet nymph terminal tackle fly to fish it under the water surface, which casting characteristics are more ideal…
Slow or fast?
Wide or narrow?
In the water roll or in the air forward/backward?
When casting a dry dun terminal tackle fly to fish it above the water surface, which casting characteristics are more ideal…
Slow or fast?
Wide or narrow?
In the water roll or in the air forward/backward?
Should various casting types be related to each other to understand the overall fishing system or should casting techniques be related to fishing techniques and also related to tackle in order to understand the overall fishing system?
Should the equation be casting technique = system
You know, RSTrouts, while there may be situations when a wide loop can be advantageous, for instance when throwing a large, heavy fly into a wind, for the most part opening up a loop isn’t going to add any advantages to a cast of any fly.
It actually won’t matter if you’ve got plenty of room and you won’t get tangled if you do the cast right, it will go right over your head.
You know, RSTrouts, while there may be situations when a wide loop can be advantageous, for instance when throwing a large, heavy fly into a wind, for the most part opening up a loop isn’t going to add any advantages to a cast of any fly. I can’t think of a single situation, dry fly or wet, where I’d want a big wide loop on a roll cast; not because a big wide loop might not deliver the fly, but because a tight strong loop would do it better. I really think a large loop’s best use is as a casting crutch when a tighter loop is resulting in tails too often and the flies are tangling. In that case I’d advise the angler to open them up, since a wider tailing loop is somewhat less likely to tangle than a smaller.
Loop size isn’t a function of speed at all, so I don’t think we need to address whether “fast” or “slow” are better (generally I’d argue a slow presentation is more life-like). Loop size is solely a function of how much arc the tip tracks before the power comes off of it; I sometimes throw 6″ loops that barely stay airborne when practicing shooting through hoops (a fun game).
An on the water roll is never an advantage over one that breaks free. That’s not to say it’s a bad cast, it isn’t. Typically a roll cast that stays attached to the water does so because the angler or the rod overstrikes, driving the tip well past horizontal and down into the water, dropping the lower leg of the loop on to the surface as well. What looks like a perfectly good cast is actually one that could have been quite a bit better. While a 20′ roll cast might never need to go airborne because it’s simply not that hard to make, that doesn’t detract anything from an airborne cast as a fishing cast. There are just no disadvantages I can come up with for a roll cast breaking free of the surface.
As for nymphs versus dries, well, I already said a slow cast is usually more lifelike, and that goes both ways. Wide or narrow loops have no real function here either; both are going to get the fly out there but one is going to be more accurate and easier to aim and less likely to result in a piled up crash cast than the other. So I guess I’d also always prefer a narrow loop to a wide. Finally as to this question:
“Should various casting types be related to each other to understand the overall fishing system or should casting techniques be related to fishing techniques and also related to tackle in order to understand the overall fishing system?”
Casting is pretty universal. Any rod under load is going to react in the same manner when the load comes off of it. Tackle can vary widely, but the fundamentals of casting hold true. I can’t honestly say I cast a 10 weight any different than a 3 weight when it comes to the basic movements of my body and the casts I select. I may use more power to handle the equipment, but I’m always going for the same goal: a tight-ish loop that I can aim well which will deliver the fly to the target I select in the most economical manner, without a lot of false casting and what my grandma called hemming and hawing.
HTH,
ZachWet is the exact opposite of dry, agreed?
If so, then wet and dry casting techniques, fishing methods and tackle selection should, ideally, be opposite, agreed?
My previous reply’s questions were made to ask about the *purpose* of various casts, rather than the *quality* of them, in relationship to the other parts of the fishing experience… fishing and tackle.
Yes, a wide loop is beneficial for the purpose of casting a heavy and/or wind resistant fly.
I think you expressed yourself well enough there, RSTrouts, that I don’t need to provide a lot of counterargument; people can see our positions and decide for themselves.
Wet is the exact opposite of dry, agreed?
If so, then wet and dry casting techniques, fishing methods and tackle selection should, ideally, be opposite, agreed?
I understand white is the opposite of black too….
I love casting with fly rods!
I just bought Jason Borger’s book on fly casting “Nature of fly casting”.
This book is amazing! Unlike most other books I’ve seen/read so far (Jawarosvki, Wullff, Kreh) this book approaches casting a completely different way. The modular approach looks too scientific but because it splits down the steps of casting in to small bits of actions or movements it’s very logical.No book for the faint hearted, but who really wants to dig into casting I’d say go have a look.
One thing about pictures of casting instructions in books:
one always sees the caster, the rod and line from the side. Why don’t they show a picture as the caster would see the rod & line go too?
Zach,
OK, it’s prophetic. As it happens I’ve been working on my roll cast, which is a major weakness. I have a couple questions.
In the photo, you are holding the rod in your right hand but the line is to your left to form the D loop. Have I been misreading instruction on the roll cast? I thought you lifted the rod to form the D loop on the same side as the rod?All my roll casts seem to fizzle halfway down the line, and i’m only talking 30 to 40 feet. If they do unroll all the way, they do so in a ziggy way, not straight.
I’ve tried with different rods, but all with WF lines. I’ve ordered a couple DTs to see if it helps. What action is best for roll casting, fast, medium, slow?
Thanks,
Roger Stouff
LouisianaRS, I throw tight loops when needed and open them up a bit when I think it’s needed. When throwing multiple flies along with splitshot and maybe an indicator a tight loop is just asking for time off to untangle. I’m willing to bet if we rigged Zach up with a set up like that you would see a change in his loop size… whether consciously or subconsciously. Most times you will find skilled casters using some sort of Belgian cast to prevent shocking the rig when throwing a mess of hardware or big, heavy flies. Regardless… from my observations it seems their loop sizes change too.
In fact, I have a friend who is quite skilled at casting who claims Rio Clouser line automatically opens your loop. Never tried that line so I can’t say it’s true for sure.Well, I worked on it a little tonight, and I still suck at it, but I think I got a little better idea what I’m working at. I did it about half the times I tried with no more than 30 feet of line out.
Thanks, guys, I’ll keep at it! It’s almost a prerequisite fishing down these little bayous in swampy coulees. I have no instructors around here, and am in fact one of only 4 fly fishermen in the whole parish (county) all of us self-taught!
R
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