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THE COMPLETE BOOK OF FLY CASTING John Alden Knight and Richard Alden Knight 1963 The first 52 pages of this 192 page work are devoted to the history of the fly rod with much interesting discussion of the progress of fly rod technology through the ages.
John Knight and his son Richard start the casting portion of the book with this advice following a description of all the different branches of the caster's art: "Master the basic rules, and your chances to become a good caster are excellent, always providing that you are willing to practice. Ignore the fundamentals, and the probabilities are that never, as long as you live, will you become a good caster." This second volume of casting lore from the Knight family begins with an admonition to avoid the thumb on top position at all costs in favor of the free wist grip - something like a V grip. The authors attibute the troubles of the many anglers who have not become effective casters solely to their failure to use the free wrist grip. The description of the body mechanics involved shows that the Knights want the wrist movement to be more in the direction of the back of the hand rather than in the plane of the thumb as the thumb on top grip dictates. They assert that the thumb on top grip limits wrist movement and thus limits casting effectiveness.They say " It is certainly true that wrist movement in the plane of the thumb and forearm is less than in the plane at ninety degrees to the thumb as anyone can demonstrate by holding the hand with the thumb pointing straight up and comparing the vertical range of motion of the wrist joint with the range of motion in a horizontal plane." Upon reading these statements one is forced to compare them to the usual bugaboo of casters - too much wrist motion. An entire industry is founded on building and selling devices that limit wrist movement in the fly caster. The authors then present the undeniable truth that a good back cast is the foundation of every good fore cast and state that the proper grip is important to the back cast. They emphasize the importance of a high back cast - 30 degrees above horizontal - and watching the back cast on occasion. The Knights feel that timing ( as in counting one, two three etc.) is the key to getting the high back cast started forward at the right moment and do not discuss any aspect of learning to feel when the line is ready to come forward. The Knights' wet fly chapter contains significant discussion of the importance of matching the amount of flip of the rod tip to the amount of extra power needed. They note that the more flip the more wave in the line. The price of the power from the flip is the wavy line and practice is needed for learning how much flip is needed for the cast in question. They say this: "With too much power applied at the finish the inevitable follow through will result with a wavy, crooked line going forward. To strike the happy medium is one of the refinements of good casting. The adjustment varies with the length of the line being thrown and it is not the same with any two fly rods. It can be learned only through practice and experience. It all depends on how willing you are to train your casting hand. " The Knights also describe a maneuver for enhancing the pick up. They suggest the caster start the pick up with the casting arm and rod extended horizontally toward the line with the line stripped in enough to straighten everything. The rod is then pulled back horizontally before the rod is raised into the pick up. This will start the line moving without using up the rod lift movement. He advises to do the same thing on the forecast - moving the rod horizontally to start the line moving and then launching the rod into it's angular motion culminating in the flip of the tip that completes the stroke. He explains "... so will the follow through on the back cast enable you to handle a longer line by increasing the allowable arc of motion of the fly rod in it's forward journey, thereby providing the opportunity to apply more power to the cast." "What is meant by the follow through on the back cast is this - the pickup is made as usual, with the final impulse imparted to the line at approximately one o'clock. As explained earlier, to get 'full lift' to the back cast raise the casting arm to a fully extended position about 45 degrees to the rear. As the line travels back, allow the rod tip to drift back with it to the two o'clock or two-thirty position, gradually lowering the elbow of the casting arm as you do. The reason for lowering the elbow is to make the line drop slightly as it travels to the rear. Remember the force of gravity always works against you. By lowering the elbow, the rod tip is kept in direct line with the back cast. Thus, when the forward cast is started, direct, full power can be applied to the forward cast. A few words of caution - when you are executing the follow-through, care must be taken to apply full power to the back cast at one 0'clock, the point of release, before the rod tip is permitted todrift back into the follow-through. If you fail to do this and allow the delivery of power and the follow through to blend into one motion, then, inescapably, a low back cast and consequent trouble will result."The authors go on to describe the back hand cast and emphasize that the casting stroke can be executed anywhere in the 180 degree arc from horizontal on the left to horizontal on the right, all with the same hand. On the off side it becomes a back hand cast. The authors describe conventional curve casts using the underpower and overpower method and then describes the single and double haul. These two authors start the haul when the rod starts it's angular motion but they also suggest hauling at different points in different amounts for different reasons as a general casting tool. They describe the roll cast, including a variety wherein the fly is held in the hand, by the bend of the hook, and loose line shaken out of the tip top followed by a roll cast. This is also known as the flats boat cast these days. They mention the roll pick up and the switch pick up - lateral shaking of the rod tip which raises the line off the water where an effective back cast becomes possible. The Galway cast is described as doing a forecast into a gap in the forest behind and turn quickly to make a forecast to the fish, using the forecast as the back cast. What they call the wind cheater is a variety of the grasshopper cast. A high back cast i is driven forward and down onto the water so that the line rolls out on the water, into and under the wind. The chapaters on bass bug and salt water casting are simply specific applications of power casting techniques to fishing with big luree in windy conditions. The Knights were part of the fishing elite of their time as evidenced by
their chapter on longer casting featuring a session with Joan Wullf while she was still
Joan Salvato. She is shown casting a shooting head and her cast is described in these
words: "Before starting the cast, Joan strips in slack until she has tension on the line, leaning frward and reaching out as far as she can. The line is started on its rearward journey by moving casting arm and body back so that the weight is shifted back to the rear foot, the right one. Meanwhile up comes the left hand, almost to the stripping guide, tograsp the line for the haul. Joan picks up the line from the w ater with a decisive lift, yanking down sharply into the haul as the line leaves the water. At the finish of the pick-up, she turns her casting hand into the free-wrist position (V grip) to enable her to toss the back cast up there where it belongs. The haul, working in conjunction with the pick-up and lift into the high back cast, aids in speeding the line to its rearward destination. As the line travels to therear, Joan takes no chances. You will note that she turns her head to watch its progress. At the same time her ;casting hand turns to the free wrist position. As the back cast nears completion she follows through with the rod tip almost to the two o"clock position. Before starting the forward cast, Joan reaches up again, almost to the stripping guide, to grasp the line. She starts the line forward first with movement of the arm and body, shifting weight gradually from right to left foot, but leaving he rod tip back near the two o'clock position. Next the rod tip starts forward, gradually accelerating. As she does this, once again the hand is shifted to place the thumb on top of ;the grip so that she can apply full power to the cast. As therod speeds up, the forward haul goes into action, finishing s the rod tip reaches reaches the point of release. Now the weight is completely on the left foot and Joan leans forward into the cast, putting all of her 115 pounds into the effort, her left hand and arm extended well to the rear at the completion of the haul. The accompanying photos show Mrs. Wulff with her left arm extended abehind her 180 degrees from the rod. The authors, who were undoubtedly present, remark that the dead straight rod shown in the picture of the completion of the cast means that no tip action was put into the cast. The photos do demonstrate that the rod was fully loaded before she started the haul on the forecast, her left hand being beside the reel with her right arm extended overhead, the rod at 1:00 and well bent. The rest of the book is about tackle. The Knights are very interested in the "free wrist grip" as a cure for many casting ills because it permits more wrist movement.People who fight the natural tendency to cast with the wrist may take comfort in the Knight philosophy but we note, first of all that they prescribe main stream short stroke casting technique, but with the V grip. We note further that the description of Mrs. Wulff shifting into and out of the free wrist grip and into the thumb on top grip "...so that she can apply full power to the cast" leaves an opening for unlimited hot stove league debate over the relative merits of the V grip, the thumb on top grip and the index finger on top grip. Steve Rajeff, our current champion, uses something like the free wrist grip, with the rod braced against the base of the index finger in order to permit greater arm motion in distance casting. This is pictured on his web site. STEVE AND TIM RAJEFF'S SCHOOL OF FLY FISHING The Rajeff grip works for full arm movement long casts but is not the grip for accuracy in your reviewer's experience. The two Knight books are interesting reading for a casting buff and have numerous little tips and tricks that make fly fishing more fun.
FLY CASTING WITH LEFTY KREH LEFTY KREH, 1974
This is a 127 page coffee table type book with many pictures of the author casting. The chapters are entitled: 1. The Kreh Style of Casting. 2. the Dropback 3. The Double Haul 4. Controlling the Shooting Line 5. Stripping Line on the Retrieve 6. The Vertical Roll Cast 7. The Roll Pickup 8. The Slack Line Cast 9. Mending the Line 10. The Horizontal Cast 11. The Change of Direction Cast 12. The Wind Cast 13. Casting From a Boat or Canoe 14. Catching the Line to Examine the Fly
The first chapter on the "Kreh Style of Casting" discloses the author's view that a low back cast with an essentially 180 degree casting arc (rod horizontal in front to horizontal behind) is the key to effortless good casting. he favors the thumb on top grip because of its mechanical advantage in forcing the rod to do the caster's bidding and an open stance, with the rod side foot back in order to allow more arm movement. In describing the pick up he wants the line hand to remain stationary while the rod hand is raised to the vicinity of the ear with a stiff wrist, before beginning the wrist snap "power stroke". ( this has the effect of creating a single haul) . This stiff wristed loading phase of the stroke produces a deeply bent - fully loaded - rod. He emphasizes that the wrist snap of the loaded rod must be of extremely short duration. In his words: "Up to this point your rod wrist has been almost rigid. After you lift the line from the water, however, you must snap your wrist backward and slightly upward . this 'breaking' of the wrist is the power phase of the back cast. The brevity of the snap will determine the tuype of loop you will throw. It is almost impossible to snap your wrist too briefly. this incredibly brief wrist action plus the prior loading of the rod on the pickup make a highly efficient back cast. " After the rod has stopped and the loop formed the line hand follows the rod hand, which is drifting back at this point. The author wants a low back cast, stating: ""When you drop the rod low behind you on the back cast the fly will do the same, since the line always follows the path of the rod. I feel that the lower the back cast is, the more efficient the can be the forward cast. In the conventional style of casting the angler throws the fly high behind him. Next, he brings it down, then throws it high in front of him. The line's flight path is roughyly a shallow V, which I consider to be inefficient. My style calls for a low back cast, whenever possible. If the fly is the lowest point of the line on the back cast, it is in the best alignment for making the forward cast. ",,,"But should the fly briefly touch the water behind you it is no deterren to a good cast and does not affect fishing adversly." Mr. Kreh also disfavors the practice of allowing the line to straighten out on the back cast in these words. "Most experts urge you to begin the forward cast when you feel the line tug behind you. that advice is like telling the hunter to shoot where the duck is now, not where it will be when the shot charge arrives. If you wait until you feel the line tug to begin the forward cast, you will find that the line has alaready straightened and is dropping to the water. You will not be able to develop a load on the rod, either." "On the forward cst, as soon as the rod tip has been loaded with the fast back cast, move your rod hand forward in a horizontal plane. This forward motion draws any shock waves from the line and continues to load the rod. The rod tip continues to move up and over during the forward/horizontal movment of the rod hand, and this motion loads the rod even more. All loading of the rod has been accomplished by the high speed of the back cast and the forward movement of the rod. No power has yet been applied. Soon after your rod hand passes in front of your head, apply the power stroke by snapping yhour wrist forward and upward. The brevity of this motion causes a tight line loop to develop. The left hand moves down and away during the latter stages of the forward/horizontal movement and keeps the line taut at all times. Under most conditions the small loop that forms in front of you will be climbing at a slight angle. Only when throwing into the wind should you direct the cast low, in order to eliminate the effect of the wind on the cast after the line has extended fully. If you direct the cast high, so that it opens completely and falls from a height, the wind may blow the leader and fly back toward you." "As the loop passes over your head, begin to lower the unloaded rod slowly. This drops the main stem of the line away from the loop, preventing it from tangling. Your thumb should have remained on top of the rod handle throughout the cast and should now be pointing toward the target as the rod continues its' slow descent. At the end of the cast your hands and the rod should all be in the same relative position they were in at the beginning of the cast." The foregoing quotes form the core of the book and are followed by photos illustrating the Kreh method. The photos confirm that a haul occurs not only on the pick up but on the forward cast as well and the line hand returns to its position by the hip. About thirty feet of line is outside the guides in the pictures.
The drop back chapter emphasizes that the "drop back" is horizontal movement of the rod hand, accompanied by rod drift which combine to permit a substantial amount of rod tip travel during the loading phase of the forecast. Between the angular motion of the rod, which is nearly horizontal at the end of the back cast and the foot or more of horizontal rod hand movement before the wrist comes into play when the rod is vertical, the rod is well loaded when the wrist takes up its duties.
The double haul chapter states that the haul is most effective if applied to a loaded rod. Where the author departs from many other casters is in his advocacy of a short haul. He is of the opinion that the haul doubles line speed and that it should be short. "When using the double haul, remember that it works well only during the power stroke phase of the cast. The really great fly casters make such a brief stroke with their left hand that they seem not to be using the haul at all. The man who does not understand the double haul usually appears to be working a pump handle as his left hand drops from hishead to his hip and back aain. The only reason the double haul works for him is that sometime during the long drawing motion he has made the power stroke. If he could learn to perform the power stroke and the haul simultaneously , he would do much better. The flick of the wrist to make the power snap for the double haul moves only a few inches." The photos of Lefty Kreh show that the movement of his rod hand away from the stationary line hand in the loading part of the pickup is in fact a haul, followed by a faster haul from line hand movement while the rod is fully loaded. A somewhat similar but not so extensive slow speed haul occurs on the forecast followed by a longer high speed haul, so the haul illustrated is longer than the one described. Chapter 4, Controlling the Shooting Line, explains that the line should not be released but should be retained and controlled in a ring of the line hand fingers. Chapter 5, on stripping in line teaches how to strip the line throught the trapping finger of the rod hand. Chapters 7 and 8 on roll casting and the roll cast pickup are conventional as is Chapter 8, showing how to wiggle the rod and make a slack line cast. Chapter 9 describes a surface mend of a dry line and Chapter 10 a conventional horizontal cast. Chapter 11 demonstrates a change of direction with about thirty feet of line. Chapter 12, the Wind Cast, shows an off shoulder cast as a way to defeat wind from the casting hand side. Chapter 13 suggests that when casting from a boat or canoe one use a back hand cast or learn to cast left handed. The last chapter, 14, has pictures of the author catching the line in his hand by using a soft back cast and then casting it out again after inspecting or changing the fly.
This is an interesting discussion of an unconventional approach to casting by one of the best known fly fishers of our time. The author has produced countless books and articles on fly fishing and casting and indeed has some desciples in the teaching and authoring ranks, as will appear later in these reviews. It appears to be directed at people who already are casting by conventional methods and is heavily weighted toward pictures. Less than 15% of the page area is devoted to text. The instructions are clear and concise but would best be followed by someone who has already learned to cast and false cast with some comfort before experimenting with this approach. The book contains no reference to the place of tip snap in casting but the photos show the author using tip action in his demonstrations.
FLY CASTING with BILL CAIRNS Bill Cairns, 1974
This is 107 pages of mostly text by a tackle industry professional who is also a casting governor for the Federation of Fly Fishers fly casting instructor certification program. The book deals with both casting and fishing so this review will be limited to the casting aspects of the work. The author begins with a justification for practice in these words: "The casting fundamentals should become so well ingrained that you are not really conscious of them. You spot the intended target, the rod raises instinctively, the backcast unrolls to tug nicely against the rod, the rod moves forward. Line, leader and fly unroll to drop - just where they should. " Cairns goes on with his philosophy of fly casting by remarking that: "The novice caster must realize that fly casting is an acquired skill, not an instinctive ability. Each fine caster has spent a good deal of time in mastering his craft. Yet, as we progress through the various casts you'll come to realize there are only a few moves that must be made correctly. Literally anyone who can tie his shoes without tipping over can and will learn to cast a rather good line." He emphasizes focused practice as the route to the instinctive control of the line that makes for comfortable fly fishing. Thumb on top grip is favored for the usual reasons as is the open stance - the casting side foot behind the other foot. He feels that this allows an easier look at the back cast which he advocates in the learning phase as an aid in learning timing. This book is designed for the beginner and the instructions for the new caster's first cast are detailed and effective. He has the caster do a pick up and lay down on the grass or in the water with twenty feet of line and a stiff wrist, raising the rod until the thumb on top is vertical, which makes the rod a little past vertical. He has the student watch the line roll out high behind in order to know when to commence the fore cast. He pounds home the idea that the back cast is the most important part of casting and that after a good back cast the forecast takes care of itself. He warns that allowing the rod to become parallel to the ground on the back cast will ground the back cast. The author devotes a chapter to false casting and the roll cast and then goes into chapters on the steeple cast, conventional curve casts, including the low profile horizontal, or side cast as he terms it, a wiggle slack line cast and a chapter on shooting line. Bill Cairns double haul chapter details a long haul, commencing at about the commencement of the back cast with plenty of line hand movement. He explains that a tiny haul is useful whenever a little more line speed is wanted for releasing the line from surface tension or to gain some speed. He advocates commencing the haul on the forward cast at the point the line is straight out behind and ending up with the line hand in the hip pocket position. He also points out that more velocity can be obtained by drifting the rod and the hand back a foot or so to almost a horizontal posture on the back cast. In common with a number of other authors Bill Cairns does not mention tip action in his text but demonstrates that it is part of his arsenal of casting skills by the position of the rod tip in his photos. In particular, the photo of his long distance cast from a fully drifted back cast shows the tip thoroughly bent down as the loop is forming on the fore cast, a sure sign that the tip was heavily snapped at the end of the stroke.
His chapter on wind problems points out the troubles of too much tail wind when he says "That now familiear feeling of the line snuggling against the rod is now missing. There is no sense of proper rhythm and control. The first few casts may simply collapse in a wind blown heap. This is especially true if you are trying to handle a long line on the back cast." He then points out the solution - a short back cast with plenty of haul - and then a high forecast, to catch the wind. He also suggests a horizontal back cast, to stay below the wind transferring into a high forecast. For cross winds he suggests a belgian cast type of approach with the back cast wide upwind and the forecast brought forward onthe down wind side of the body. He also recommends casting on the down wind side with a back handed cast to present the fly. In other words, face mostly away from the fish and cast back handed to the fish on the downwind side.
His chapters on the roll cast pickup and changing direction are conventional but he does introduce the snap pickup, where the rod tip is snapped sharply downward to create a wave in the line which travels out and then propels the fly and leader back to the caster. (this is a great way to show off after you get it down) He also shows a switch pickup which involves snapping the tip sideways to send S curves down the line which have the effect of lifting it off the water whereupon a back cast is commenced. The remainder of the book is devoted to fishing stuff such as retrieves, flies and equipment.
This book has very sound casting techniques described and demonstrated and includes some little tidbits, such as the fancy pickups and the very practical advice on dealing with a tail wind that are seldom seen in the literature.
THE ESSENCE OF FLYCASTING MEL KRIEGER, 1987 This 129 page coffee table sized book with large photos on nearly every page covers the basic fly cast, roll casting, the double haul, the uses of drift and a number of the slack line, curve, mends and specialty casts. Mel Krieger describes three grips, the thumb on top (which he calls the "extended finger grip", a V grip and a palm out grip and recommends the thumb on top grip for acccuracy and for a strong back cast. He describes rotating the hand counterclockwise (for a righty) to the V grip for a comfortable general purpose grip and recommends further rotation to the palm out grip for casts requiring power and a longer stroke. In fact he recommends a thumb on top grip for a powerful back cast with a rotation to one of the other grips for a powerful forecast. His palm out grip is very much like the power grip demonstrated by Steve Rajeff on his casting tips web page and is favored for casts using a long stroke. This is the only reference to changing the grip between fore cast and back cast that I have found so far. Krieger advocates keeping the hand close to the shoulder for shorter casts with a shift into the more baseball throw like stroke for long distance. He remarks that right foot forward is good for accuracy, right foot back is good for the times you are watching the back cast and advocates a square to the water stance for general purposes. The wrist should be very firm in the early stages of learning the art, almost a stiff extension of the forearm. In this way he wants the student to learn the feel of a good casting stroke without the floppy wrist that plagues many casters. Mel also advocates muscle memory building exercises of phantom casting strokes without the rod. The roll cast is recommended as not only an extremely usefull and versatile casting method but as a way to develop a casting stroke in the early stages. He teaches the conventional static roll cast with hand thrust and tip snap. His roll cast photos demonstrate a ferocius tip snap rolling the line out low. the same tip snap higher would have put the line in the air. He never uses that language but calls it " a powerful stop". or, his favorite "whumping the rod". Mel goes on to teach the "long roll cast" which would be called a switch cast in Europe or a dynamic roll cast in other parts of this web site. This is the one where the loop is thrown behind the caster with the fly and leader staying on the water. The forecast is commenced at the moment the loop is at its maximum distance behind the caster, in the air preparing to fall to the water. He adds a haul to the roll cast for more distance. He suggests that if you don't have a double taper line it is best to use this shooting technique with a weight forward line. Kreiger starts his discussion of the overhead cast with a full page devoted to tip snap. He uses various words to describe it :"stopping the rod", "flipping the tip","power snap","wrist snap", "hand snap", "popping the tip", and his favorite "whumping the rod". This is the most significanat page in the entire book and, indeed, the most significant page in any casting book I know of. Mel teaches the student to try snapping the tip with a rod without a line to get the feel. He describes the student's ability to snap the tip with just a few inches of stiff wrist movement and, most importantly, he points out that tip snap should be a part of every casting stroke, both forward and back, but in different amounts: sometimes a whisper and sometimes a shout. He tells the student to practice this motion with a rod, with a rod and a line, horizontally and vertically and in pantomine, without a rod until the feel is ingrained. His next step is to practice pick up and lay down on grass, after reviewing "whumping the rod" at 1:00 and 10:00. The shorter the stroke the tighter the loop and he asks the student to feel as though the rod tip is being thrown into the cast. He mentions that sometimes a tailing loop can be cured by using a little less "whump". He advocates watching the back cast once in a while and starting the forward cast just before the line straightens out behind. He feels that watching the back cast is helpful in evaluating your casting. Mel teaches false casting, horizontal, angled and off shoulder casts and shooting line. He includes a caution to be sure to whump the rod while shooting line. He suggests and describes a single haul while loading the rod on the pick up. One thing he mentions is the need to learn casts that will keep the fly away from your fishing partner in the boat. Mel devotes a chapter to the application of power and emphasizes the things needed for short tip casts and then for middle distance casts, using more of the rod and finally for long casts. He describes in clear simple terms changes and alterations in the casting stroke and points out that the hand should lead the rod on these longer and more powerful casts. His words are to pull the rod rather than push it. He points out the need for a longer stroke and continued whump of the tip for these long casts and the fact that the wedge shaped loop will appear at this stage. His photos graphically demonstrate, from the down slant of the line leaving the rod tip, that he continues to whump the rod ( snap the tip). He describes a pulling - pointing motion of the rod which brings the line and loop low and fast for wind or for great distance. At this point Mel Krieger repeats one of the basics of all learning. He tell the student who is having trouble reaching the next level to go back to the level where good casts are being made and try again to build on what is being done at that level of performance. He suggests that the advancing student try different rods for different feels of the stroke and that strong rods cast well at distance but not close by and vice versa for softer rods. He goes on to describe the "progressive action" rod which represents an effective compromise between the high powered pool cue that works well at eighty feet and the softer tipped wisp that can cast a nice loop at twenty feet but runs out of gas at fifty feet. He notes that no rod can be all things to all people and recommends his variable stroke whumping exercise as a way to test fly rod action. He suggests snapping the tip in the fly shop as a way to gauge the rod's capabilities and action. Mel Krieger's double haul chapter is a classic and definitive description of this indispensible casting tool. He describes his "downup" method of capturing the rhythm and feel of the double haul. He further notes the many and varied uses of the haul, not only for great distance but for added line speed in any amount, depending on how hard you pull, for curing a deteriorating loop or producing just the right amount of turn over on a long leader. Mel Krieger advocates having the haul motion start at the beginning of the loading phase of the cast and end at the whump, at the end of the power stroke. There are other theories on this subject which you will find in reviews of other authors and there are different types of line performance that can be produced, depending on the way the haul is started and ended. But that is another subject. Mel Krieger represents the vast bulk of casting authority on just about everything he teaches. The next chapter deals with drift and its place in the arsenal of the accomplished caster. He also explains the belgian cast, with its circular back cast. The fiinal casting chapter deals with the various slack line, curve and other presentation casts.
This book is an expensive coffee table type book, large, with big pictures on nearly every page and nicely bound. It is deceptive in that, although it is not truly encyclopedic, it includes just about everything one needs to learn in order to become an accomplished and versatile caster - a master of the rod and the water. The text is concise and informative with enough repetition, in subsequent chapters, to tease the reader into absorbing the indispensible basics that Krieger emphasises. With the tools taught in this work anyone can fish the water well.
THE CAST Ed Jaworowski 1992
This 222 page large book, rich with photos and a glossary and index starts with an exposition of four principles to guide the student. They are: 1. The further you move the rod the easier it is to cast; 2. You can't make the cast until you make the end of the line move. 3. Continuously accelerate, then stop the rod. 4. The line will go in the direction the tip was moving when it stopped. This book is devoted to long stroke casting. The author begins with this explanation: "In a typical cast when you start with the rod low to the water and the line and rod in a virtual straight line, you ensure two things: you allow yourself a longer stroke; and as soon as you begin to raise the rod, the end of the line starts to move so no motion is wasted and you get an efficient, effortless backcast. It is then difficult to understand why you should do something different when making the forward cast. Specifically t;he rod and line position to the rear, as you start your forward cast, should mimic the position they were in when you started your backcast and for precisely the same reasons - you are allowing yourself to make a longer stroke, and every inch the tip moves forward it will be moving the end of the fly line." The author explains that his long stroke principle is more useful because the longer stroke with constant acceleration is easier to produce than the short stroke with the same amount of accelleration over a much shorter time frame. The long stroke requires less force at any one time and is easier to time. Jaworowski teaches the thumb on top grip and recommends against both the V grip and the index finger on top grip. He advocates an open stance - the right foot a little back for a right handed caster. The photos of the demonstration cast show that hand movement is the dominant feature of this casting system.The wrist moves very little during the entire stroke. If the wrist were to move in this stroke the rod tip would be in the water at the end of the back stroke, rather than nearly parallel to the water. The casting hand is well forward of the body, at belt level with the rod level. The rod travels up and back with the hand and arm going away from the body and back and up, with the rod hand winding up about as far back of the body as it was in front at the beginning. The back cast is in a plane considerably away from the body with the forecast closer to overhead. The final position of the rod on the back cast is past 2:00. The forecast is a reversal of this with the rod hand traveling on a downward slant from well behind the body to well in front. The total rod arc is in the vicinity of 165 - 170 degrees. Jaworowski continues through the roll cast, beginning with a static, then a pickup roll cast and including something he calls the cheat roll cast. This is a normal static roll cast whith the rod being stopped in the power stoke by contact with the other hand. You put thehand in the path of the rod and bang the rod into the hand. This is described as a way to get a little extra distance out of the roll cast. Then he describes an "Extended Roll for Distance" which is in fact a switch cast - what I call a dynamic roll cast - where the line is lifted enough to throw a D behind the caster with the forward roll cast starting with the D still in the air behind. His chapter on distance casting starts with the quote "Long casts have no disadvantages" attributed to his mentor, Lefty Kreh. He explains that this means that the skills learned to cast long will make shorter casts better. He sums up distance casting with two statements: "Make the casting stroke much longer and the loop much tighter. Remember, the longer the cast the farther you must move the rod. By movingthe rod farther(not necessarily harder) you can get the rod moe deeply loaded, get the line straighter before casting it, and smooth out your stroke, all without hard, forceful motions or exceptional coordination and timing." He continues thus: "As for the second part, remember that a tight loop travels faster, farther, straighter. It is often claimed that a wide loop provides too much wind resistance to travel forward efficiently, but wind resistance is negligible. The really critical point is that the energy in a wide loop is directed off at tangents by the front of the unrolling line. Much of that energy is dissipated in directions other than that in which we want the line to go; hence we work harder but get indifferent results for our effort. Most fly fishermen are amazed at how effortlessly a good caster can throw ninety feet of line. First note the size of his loop and then how far he moves the rod(or how hard he casts if he doesn't)." He advocates turning the hand to the side for really long casts in order to make your back cast off to the side and lower as well as to reach your arm well back. He suggests further a low back cast and a high forecast for great distance. His message on the double haul is to do it late. He says "Throughout this text I have talked about the rapid speed-up and stop that comes at the end of the casting stroke, whether it is a backcast or forward cast. When you haul , you simply add a short, quick pull on the line with the left (line) hand, precisely at the same time as the right (rod) hand makes it's final speed-up. Essentially the hands pull apart at this point. This motion increases the line's speed as well as the load on the rod tip so that it generates higher speed when it straightens." He recommends against long hauls, feeling that it is wasted motion. He mentions that some casters use the haul to correct the effect of ineffective casting methods and suggests that the student trap the line against the handle and try to make a long cast using only one hand, with the other hand hanging by the side. If the student can make a long cast with one hand the haul will add to that cast. If the student cannot make a long cast one handed then the student needs to improve the casting basics before adding the haul since the haul will only mask the incomplete casting stroke. The photos show that the haul is about a foot with the hand returning to the reel between the back cast and the forecast. Ed Jaworoski fishes in the salt a lot and he describes the water haul and the double water haul for sinking and very heavy lines. A sinking line can be brought to the surface with a roll cast pick up and then started into the back cast while still on the surface - a single water haul. If the caster wants the benefit of a water haul on the fore cast the line is permitted to land on the water behind to allow another water haul on the forecast using long extended motions both ways. The water resistance further loads the rod. Several times Jaworowski mentions that the back stroke is ended with the rod being "stabbed" back and up, at the end of the stroke. His technique for the positive curve cast, or a hook cast as he describes it, is to cast sidearm a little harder than normal and stop the rod very smartly, so as to cause the tip of the rod to snap around to the left. He describes this as an example of the fourth principle - the line will go in the direction the tip is moving when it stops. He also describes another method of making curve casts, less of a hook and more of a curve, by casting overhead and moving the rod tip to the right or to the left as the forward stroke is completed. Another of his favorites is the "Up-hook Cast" accomplished by casting side arm and raising and lowering the rod tip at the end of the stroke. This causes the end of the line to fly up in the air and fall to the water in curves, giving much slack at the end of the line. He teaches both the reach or aerial mend and the classic on the water mend as well as tuck, steeple and grasshopper - skip- casts and a variety of the Galway cast for casting the fly into a hole in the trees behind and then turning somewhat to make another forward cast to the fish. He teaches a couple more slack line casts he calls the tug and pile casts. There is a chapter on "Problems Faults and Corrections" which contains a couple of shots of a cast he describes as: "Problem: Short backcast stroke and rod stopped just past vertical. For very short casts, small flies and ideal conditions this motion will suffice, but for longer casts it will make you work harder; it requires more force, coordination, and timing. To deal with wind or cast heavier flies it will likewise be woefully inadequate." The photos show Ed Jaworowski performing this cast but the picture could have been included in many casting manuals as a model cast. This is a nicely printed slick paper coffee table casting manual with about twenty pages of text spread out among the photographs that fill the 222 pages. The theory of casting offered is a derivative of the Lefty Kreh method and is pretty much irreconcilable with main stream casting theory. The closest he comes to talking about tip snap is in the roll cast where he advocates stopping the rod by hitting the off hand, which has been placed in the path of the rod. This has much of the effect of a tip snap and about the only photos that show a tip that has been snapped are the roll cast shots. He directs the caster to stop the rod by "stabbing the rod tip in the direction you want the line to go." Visit Counter
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