Friday Fly Fishing Facts. Or a Squeaky Autumnal Rant
A few things on my mind as we move into the fall season.
Facts are what I have been entertaining the past 3 weeks. Fly fishing facts. Physics. Norms. Things of that sort.
Disclaimer: If you don’t like criticism, or reality, or fly fishing realities, or anything honest at all in your fly fishing blogs…we know you don’t like conversation based political talk here, and you may not also like realties of fly fishing and casting. If you don’t want to look reality in the face, stop reading. If you have a hard time being honest with yourself about your personal movement patterns, stop reading.
Friday Fly Fishing Facts
- If you drop your rod tip on the front cast every time you cast, you will never progress as a fly caster. Or angler for that matter, because you will not achieve greatness with a fly rod tip or rod that stops parallel to the water every cast. When you do this, you decelerate the rod. And that my fishy friends, never ever, eve,r ever, ever works. It is a physics equation. And even you fishing gods out there cannot overcome physics. Ever. If you drop the rod tip on the fore-cast you need to be comfortable with your current state in fly fishing. Because, you will never progress past the point you are currently at. Ever. Never. No matter how hard to try to stop that rod tip parallel to the water or ground. It will never work. Ever. Never.
- You should also stop it on the backcast. At some point. For longer than a nanosecond.
- Take a casting lesson and practice. And then another casting lesson and practice. And take another casting lesson and practice. Those who are good at any sport take lessons. Casting lessons on the water, while fishing, do not work. Practicing here not eh river, while fishing, will not change your cast. Ever. Never. Practicing for 10 minutes a week on this one concept will change your fishing life forever. Stop the rod on the forecast before it comes parallel to the water.
- No sir, the trout did not miss the fly. How often do you miss your mouth with a fork?
- Dragging the fly repeatedly does not constitute good angling.
- The river “does not owe you anything” sir.
- Trout are wild animals and hunting wild animals requires technique. Wild animals are not stupid.
- Creatures in nature are not stupid. If they are, they die.
- A pic or two of trout is OK and encouraged. 17 photos of trout is not OK.
- Bring Rain Gear. No sir, I am not a weatherman. I am a fishing guide. I’m gonna bring mine.
- A fishing guide brings you to the fish, coaches when he/she can, cheerleads, uses the net, has a good knowledge of what happened yesterday, has a guess to what will happen today, and does not guarantee trout to hand.
- Any fish on the line is a fish according to the guide. Clients generally count the fish to net. A guides job ends when the trout is on the line. Guides count every fish on the line.
- Yes, the wind will blow today.
- Yes sir, I did fish yesterday. Everyday you go to work sir, I go fishing. And I practiced casting this morning before work.
- No sir, I don’t want your leftover sandwich and half your fruit for dinner. Thanks though.
- Great flies do not make up for poor, dragging, drifts. Never.
- Dropping your rod tip rapidly, faster, or stronger while letting go of the fly line at some magical point on the forward rod arc will not work. Ever.
And, that is it for now. I’m sure there are more things driving me mad the past year. But that is enough to let me breathe easier this Friday.
Love all of you. I do. But this thing, the epidemic with the rod tip dropping, and anglers not aware of it drives me insane. Trust me, nobody ever taught you that. Nope. If you did the same thing with a football, throwing a football into the ground…after the 3rd time the ball hit the ground, you would make a change. Immediately. But we do not recognize our issues in this quite important hurdle in fly casting.
I strongly suggest if you are an angler who desires improvement, you seek help. You need to change this movement pattern, this behavior, today. Find a competent partner, an instructor, and seek help. You will, you cannot, improve if you drop the rod tip. Ever. Never.
So best of luck out there. Get help today. And, I must remind you that it is most anglers, certainly most men anglers. As far as I can tell, my personal survey, 99.9% of men do this. Maybe more.
We can help. Squeeky can help. Book any casting instructor at Headhunters of Craig and we can get you lined out. But let me remind you that this is a change that will take some practice, some time, maybe a bundle of time. Book your local casting instructor.
Or, be comfortable with your current plight in casting life.
6 Comments.
I had the good fortune of working with Bruce Richards when he still lived in Michigan. Even worked with a casting analyzer that he connected to my casting arm. We worked accelerate and stop (stop that rod high forward and back cast ie a big arc will kill the cast – rod tip on a straight path please – I don’t care what the trajectory is), creep, jabbing, and the guts of tailing loops on forward or back cast. His book with Lefty on fly lines is gold – learn it. Ed Jawaworski’s book on casting and faults is also really good. What I think is key here is why accelerate and stop is important – you cannot load that rod and create line tension and make cast without controlled accelerate and stop forward and back. The rod only wants to straighten – a workhorse tool that can move line easily with little effort ie shorter, straight line casting strokes with elbow in. That line ALWAYS follows path of the rod tip – so keep that tip higher when you stop forward and back – with the accelerate and stop – instead of as Mark states dropping rod tip which only unloads the rod completely defeating the forward or back cast. Teaching casters to not bend at the wrist to avoid big arcing casting strokes is still a challenge for me today. BTW – a bigger slower arc is actually ok for nymph rigs….helps keep two fly rigs from tangling but you still need tension in that line to deliver the cast.
Love the disclaimer. How many people do you think read that and stopped reading??
Awesome tips Squeaky and John. Thanks for the prodding.
Loved it.
I miss my mouth with my fork all the time😀 or do I miss my fork with my mouth?
great advice