For those considering a fly-casting class.

[Flysmallie]

43 minutes ago, tjm said:

Absolutely, but, the thread title doesn't mention fishing. It says "fly-casting" so only the casting components of the contest will be relevant. Distance and accuracy? or accuracy at distance? How much line  can be carried as well as how much line can be shot ect. ? I've never seen a casting duel before, so I don't know.

" just a circus routine. " well sure, that is why I want to watch. it's why the viewers will watch the video over and over, yes? the speedos might be a good idea after all...

Will there be a rematch after they share the jug? or jugs?

I noticed that Gavin suggested they use wrench's rod but he did say he'd use the line supplied by wrench. I've always thought the line was as important as the rod, maybe more..

That sounds horribly boring. I’ll be fishing. 

[fishinwrench]

33 minutes ago, Flysmallie said:

That sounds horribly boring. I’ll be fishing. 

Agreed.   I'm not even sure how/why it turned into this, I was just trying to save my friends here from wasting their money on casting lessons.   

My shop helper has gotten into flyfishing this year and bought himself a decent Redington outfit and has been absorbing everything YT.      He was having issues and to watch him cast I couldn't pinpoint anything he was doing poorly.   So I grabbed his rod and immediately noticed a few things that I would change if it was MINE.    He gave me permission to alter it.......and after I did he is now casting nearly as good as I can....In the yard anyway, still needs some time out on the water, but he'll get it. 

Anyone that has seen my oldest daughter cast, instantly comments on how surprisingly good she is at it.    Well guess who set her up?  😁.     

I don't actually consider myself to be all that fantastic of a caster, and I wasn't trying to glorify myself by any means,  but I do catch plenty of fish.....so I felt that I might have some tips that were worthwhile of sharing.  

That's all. 👍

 

[fishinwrench]

1 hour ago, tjm said:

. I've always thought the line was as important as the rod, maybe more.

That was my whole point in the initial post.   Not only the line though.  There are several aspects of a rod/reel/line/leader/fly combo that can make or break your satisfaction/success.    

Trying to fit your style to match an outfit that doesn't compliment your style seems to be (to me) a major hindrance and source of aggravation.      Kinda like trying to throw a piece of aluminum foil before wadding it up into a ball.   

For instance...... Cutting 15-18" off the end of a flyline can often eliminate tailing loops that would take MAJOR ADJUSTMENTS in your casting stroke to otherwise fix.   Ain't nobody got time fo'dat !

[netboy]

I don't know about you guys, but I rarely cast much more than 10 feet when nymphing or dry fly fishing. The most important thing is mending the line to making a drag free drift downstream to your target. I have much better line control going on a straight downstream mend.

[tjm]

1 hour ago, fishinwrench said:

Cutting 15-18" off the end of a flyline can often eliminate tailing loops

Cutting 10' off most DT lines would have you in the level line portion, and any errors caused by taper would be gone, I'd just buy a level line to start  with and save enough to buy a second level line. I use a level line a lot because it puts more mass right at the leader, good for short casts and for heavy stuff.

However no amount of line tinkering will cause the rod tip to travel straight and only a dip in the rod tip path can cause a tail. I think many people confuse trailing loop with tailing loop, and the cause as well as the fix are different. Trailing loop is when the fly leg crosses the rod leg once and the fly leg remains straight. just trailing below an ideal level. The cause is most likely low line speed and gravity.

Tailing loop is when the fly leg crosses the rod leg twice with a dip and curl like a pig's tail and the cause is always a dip in the tip travel path. As you mentioned previously the line always follows the rod tip. 

Charley Reading has a simple fix for the tail - Reading 

I think Joan Wulff sells a wrist splint to teach that.

And this guy talks about what is not a tail- What A Tailing Loop Is Not

Now I won't argue that we can't learn to cast adequately by ourselves, too many millions of fly anglers have in the past 150 years alone. I won't even argue that we need to cast farther than 30' to catch a fish, lots of people stand where they should be fishing. I often say that fly casting is over rated, because it is. I took Joe Brooks' book to the church yard and taught myself the  basics and the curve left, curve right, steeple cast  ect. in about 3 hours. then I went fishing.

However, I've read enough stories of how instruction has shortened the learning curve for others   that I wouldn't discount it's value. I've even read where guys that had flyfished for decades got a lesson and was so happy with the improvement that all they can say afterwards is "get a lesson from a certified instructor".  And on the learning curve I was back in that church yard a few times a week for months just practicing that curve left until the fly landed behind the statue from me. Wore the plastic off a n SA DT in less than three months and here I  am 50 years later a mediocre caster. But I did catch a few fish along the way.

Although we don't need to cast farther than we can spit most of the time, it may be handy that one time. And although our casts don't have to be perfect for us to catch a fish, having a good cast can make things more pleasant. Believe it or not I've talked to people that liked casting better than fishing? 

 

[fishinwrench]

19 minutes ago, tjm said:

Cutting 10' off most DT lines would have you in the level line portion, and any errors caused by taper would be gone, I'd just buy a level line to start  with and save enough to buy a second level line. I use a level line a lot because it puts more mass right at the leader, good for short casts and for heavy stuff.

However no amount of line tinkering will cause the rod tip to travel straight and only a dip in the rod tip path can cause a tail. I think many people confuse trailing loop with tailing loop, and the cause as well as the fix are different. Trailing loop is when the fly leg crosses the rod leg once and the fly leg remains straight. just trailing below an ideal level. The cause is most likely low line speed and gravity.

Tailing loop is when the fly leg crosses the rod leg twice with a dip and curl like a pig's tail and the cause is always a dip in the tip travel path. As you mentioned previously the line always follows the rod tip. 

Charley Reading has a simple fix for the tail - Reading 

I think Joan Wulff sells a wrist splint to teach that.

And this guy talks about what is not a tail- What A Tailing Loop Is Not

Now I won't argue that we can't learn to cast adequately by ourselves, too many millions of fly anglers have in the past 150 years alone. I won't even argue that we need to cast farther than 30' to catch a fish, lots of people stand where they should be fishing. I often say that fly casting is over rated, because it is. I took Joe Brooks' book to the church yard and taught myself the  basics and the curve left, curve right, steeple cast  ect. in about 3 hours. then I went fishing.

However, I've read enough stories of how instruction has shortened the learning curve for others   that I wouldn't discount it's value. I've even read where guys that had flyfished for decades got a lesson and was so happy with the improvement that all they can say afterwards is "get a lesson from a certified instructor".  And on the learning curve I was back in that church yard a few times a week for months just practicing that curve left until the fly landed behind the statue from me. Wore the plastic off a n SA DT in less than three months and here I  am 50 years later a mediocre caster. But I did catch a few fish along the way.

Although we don't need to cast farther than we can spit most of the time, it may be handy that one time. And although our casts don't have to be perfect for us to catch a fish, having a good cast can make things more pleasant. Believe it or not I've talked to people that liked casting better than fishing? 

 

Can't argue with any of that...... And 30' is typically more than enough line to have out on any of our local trout streams.   But stocker trout aren't the only thing that we have available to cast flys at.    Matter of fact, for many of us, trout in spring creeks are at the very bottom of the list.    

You won't catch many Smallmouth, Largemouth, hybrid stripers, white bass, or even Crappie or bluegill if your max casting distance is limited to a mere 30'.  

[fishinwrench]

42 minutes ago, tjm said:

Believe it or not I've talked to people that liked casting better than fishing? 

I guess I can understand that.  I enjoy target shooting more than actual hunting.    

[Gavin]

Casting shoot out, fish, drink, any order is fine. I’m grinding out the last two weeks of duck season. Will start fishing again on 1/5/2023.

[Gavin]

I’d bet that FW can school me at fishing. He does it Allot more than I do. He has good knowledge to share.

[tjm]

45 minutes ago, Gavin said:

I’d bet that FW can school me at fishing. He does it Allot more than I do. He has good knowledge to share.

Did you goad him into this contest just to get a free lesson from him?