It’s for this reason I like to see accuracy done over water, John. Also it’s very difficult to see ticks otherwise. We had a comp in KL last weekend and it was extremely difficult to measure over grass (I was measuring). When flies jump about you have to be careful not to blink or you’ll miss it!
In Hungary I have some nice splash pans but they are on the small size. 1.8m splash pans would be perfect but the size of the plant pot would be huge
I’m fine with either way of measuring, straight or down the line. Flycasting distance is generally measured down a tape as in the WC, BFCC, BoW, SL and so on. With T38 and T120 it’s measured to the fly at ICSF. Makes a difference how you deal with veering winds when you are taking the shot. But you adapt to the rules at hand. Both have relative skills.
Back when I was first getting into this we used to set the course up at all angles, from crosswinds to headwinds. If we had a strong wind in one direction we would first cast into it and then later cast with it. Back then we felt that casting with the wind was cheating. But of course times have changed now
Mind you the experience of this helped me win a comp in Montana which was set up to cast into a headwind!
Cheers, Paul