Fly Casting Sport Competition Training

[VGB]

What I would actually suggest here is that you start playing with two styles. Use the compact closed stance style and work on a faster haul. And then switch to open and try some body shift. Switching between the two will make it more fun as well!

Cheers, Paul

Did that over the last year. I topped out just shy of 99ft with the closed stance but was very inconsistent, I suspect that was down to haul timing. I haven’t hit the same distance with a compact open style but have a much better average cast, I think I’m probably hauling too early to lace it.

Regards

Vince

[Paul Arden]

It’s a very tidy stroke. All my “shots” are closed stance. It’s my opinion that anglers switch to open too early. Indeed some are taught this way, so it’s just an opinion.

Cheers, Paul

[VGB]

I used to fish very closed, the switch to open is very recent. I think there’s pro’s and cons but now wish I’d learnt open first as the transition would have been easier between styles.

Regards

Vince

[James9118]

Tracy's BFCC women's #5 record is now 121 feet - she exclusively uses closed stance.

[Boisker]

Hi Paul
I’ll give that a play in a month or so...
I’m avoiding casting further than 60-70’ for a while whilst i try a range of daily exercises to hopefully strengthen my shoulder...
impacted shoulder... it’s nothing serious and affects a lot of people, but not great for longer casts... so I thought i’d make a concerted attempt at improving it.

[Paul Arden]

Hi Matt,

In that case you may have to make compromises and find the style that suits your shoulder best. I’m not familiar with the condition. I’ll do some research. I’ll ask Dr Ling on Sunday. He’s a good source of all information!

Cheers, Paul

[Boisker]

Just noticed iPad must have corrected my dodgy spelling...
Not impacted
but impinged...
Shoulder impingement- “where a tendon (band of tissue) inside your shoulder rubs or catches on nearby tissue and bone as you lift your arm.”
Luckily it doesn’t effect it on fishing distances out to 60’... which is way more than I actually need on SW England rivers.
But, i’ve been playing a lot more with ‘euro’ style nymphing this winter and I struggle to hold my arm up and extended out for long periods. So not a biggie, if it doesn’t improve with exercise I’ll just have to modify my euro nymphing rod technique... not the end of the world

[Paul Arden]

Hi Matt,

you can take some smalll comfort in knowing that this is not comfortable for anyone! I often support my arm with my other arm. I’ve watched Zjlko switch arns pretty regularly.

Do you get this with all styles, eg Oval/Lefty as well?

Cheers, Paul

[Boisker]

Hey Paul...
No lefty would be fine as the elbow moves horizontal..
It’s only lifting the elbow up higher / further back or fully holding the arm out straight and slightly raised like ‘high sticking/euro’ that irritates the shoulder.
I can fish all day on rivers casting to usual fishing distances absolutely fine, no issues until I start casting past 70’ and even then only with the repeated casting you do when practicing...
So it really isn’t a problem for my usual fishing in any sense, just sustained practicing distance and fishing ‘euro’..
I think I could probably still relax my right arm and grip a bit when practicing casting further... which would help, but it’s a hard habit to break

The West Country rivers I fish most regularly mean I change my casting style all the time, I usually fish neutral/closed if casting over head (especially if targeting rising fish or any time needing to be really accurate), but I probably spend at least 50% casting off the side or under the tip due to overhead tree cover.... and then all the usual random ways of casting in tight situations.

I was pretty chuffed yesterday... 5 x 15cm targets, in a sort of W shape at differing distance 7-15m... laid them out and cast to them pretty much as soon as I hit the field...
three turns at casting at them... so 15 casts
Landed the fluff on 7 of the targets and was within 8” of all but 2 of the rest... the best I’ve done when first hitting the field.... Closed stance
.... alas one of the poor casts was damn near a feckin metre off I must have switched off!
That sort of distance I can cast and practice as long as I want without any issue....

[Paul Arden]

That’s good going!!!! I find accuracy very interesting. It’s almost as if belief is the most important thing of all. Then it’s all a mental state. I remember Carlos recommending I read Zen in the Art of Archery for throwing at targets. It’s an interesting book!

There is certainly much more in the Lefty/Oval style than the Board gives credit. I suspect that this is because In comp distance every little extra matters and it’s difficult to make the Oval cast work without a small tracking error. I spent an hour with Lefty at a Denver show and it was in his cast too. At fishing Distance this is not so critical, where it matters nowadays is on the platform. So don’t feel that to be consistent at 100 feet you need raise the shoulder, because you don’t.

One of the advantages of the Oval/Belgian style is that you can throw a very tight and low back loop right from the very first cast. I often use it on my very first backcast with a tail wind in any case. Many years ago I used to demonstrate a single Belgian cast without false casts, that with a reasonably long pickup and a tight low backcast would send the line out to its full length without problems.

Have you experimented with the finger/“cradle” grip that I use in the comp distance video? You should find a few extra feet here.

Cheers, Paul