Welcome Haysie (Peter Hayes, Tasmania!)

[Michal Duzynski]

Hi Peter
My name is Michael Duzynski, the guy who you tested and passed for a CCI in 2010.
The one with a coffee filter explaining casting stroke and the tip path...
Just wanted to say THANK YOU as after that great weekend in Tassie a fantastic fly fishing life and adventure started for me. I became competition distance castef and even compeatex in WC in Norway in 2012.
Now Im back to Australia- Brisbane and dont compeat much more, but instead Im trying to chase the immaginary saltwater species.

Thank you Peter
mike

[Haysie]

Hi Peter, Glenda here. I have been fly fishing for many years now and after a fly casting day with Peter Morse, I learned I am very weak with my double haul on the front....... I have tried to rectify but to no avail. Fine on the double haul at back, in fact very strong.

I also have problem with remaining still when practice casting.....I am trying to get out at much line as possible but this would be no good on a boat.

Any pointers you could proffer would be grateful.

Hi Glenda, Trust you are fit and well. The short answer is to come along to one of my casting weekend workshops at Cressy. Get the casting right then stay a few days and enjoy the fishing. I have weekend slots in November and then again in February. Another Idea is come down to the next 'Girls Gone Fly Fishing' event in April. It will be the third and we have upwards of 30 women there that are mad keen. You might also want to join their spacebook group.

The longer answer: from what I remember of you a slight wind would blow you over. I figure I would recommend some body weight transfer. Its maybe more important for you than me but still important to me too. You can transfer weight greatly between feet and still not rock a boat if you cast properly.

The fact that you are a boat rocker actually tells me something is wrong with your general style. I'm guessing your casting arm is too straight. Your hand is too far away from your body, your wrist too stiff, the rod butt held too tightly under your arm, too much tension in your hand . If I am right then all of this would make you a rocker and the haul timing would not come very naturally on the front cast. Your front cast would suck anyway and I bet you $100 bucks you would be inclined to creep at least on the delivery. For what it's worth most people haul better and more naturally on the back - Just ask Paul about the chopstick challenge late at night after too many red wines in my hallway! My mates and I still laugh about that. Using a chopstick and dacron backing as the line the Great Paul Arden could only cast his backcast. His forward casts died just 2 meters on. The backcasts went 12 meters. It took him a full 30 minutes to understand why.

So, get more compact. Keep your casting elbow bent and in near your core strength. Minimise the movement of rod so that nice smooth and perhaps tighter loops are rolling off the tip. Back off the power so they only unroll slowly.

Practice Hauling at no more than 40 feet. Turn more side on so you can VERY easily see your back loops. Use a heavier line than the rod says and maybe do it at 35 feet. Use as slow a tempo as you can get away with - you don't want high line speed and short pauses when learning hauling. Paint your thumb nails the brightest red you can find and just watch your thumb nails as you do your short casting, smooth loop, slow unrolling loops. Start with the red nails together - touching. Pull them apart for the haul then immediately touch them again before the next stroke. Try a different rod hand grip. Do this for me..... hold your casting hand palm up so you can see your palm. Now forgetting your thumb you should have the underside of 4 fingers facing you if your hand is anything like mine. Close the middle two fingers against your palm. That is the grip I want you to use while you are learning proper hauling technique. It wont allow for you to strangle the rod.

Here's another thought but I want you to spend time on what I've already discussed first. Do some pick up and lay down casts (PULD) at 30 - 40 feet. No haul at first. Then keep the red nails touching together for the backcast ( watch them to be sure). Watch the backcast so you confirm narrow smooth loops on correct trajectory. Then haul the delivery cast only. Do this 100 times then go back to double hauling.

Apart from that Glenda just make sure your not a crappy caster first off with a crappy haul that makes the whole thing more crappy. It is so important to get good at hauling Glenda. It takes so much load off the rod and therefore allows for less rod hand effort and much better rod hand control. Don't believe it when people tell you that hauling increases the rod load.

[Haysie]

Hi Peter
My name is Michael Duzynski, the guy who you tested and passed for a CCI in 2010.
The one with a coffee filter explaining casting stroke and the tip path...

Thank you Peter
mike

G'day Michael,

How could I forget you. Off the cuff I asked you to cook 20 steaks on my crappy BBQ and make them all medium rare. You went and did it. Perfectly without any moaning.

I still show all FFF CI and MCI candidates your coffee filter which I still have thank you. To me it is one of the easiest ways to explain the variable casting arc.

Sounds like your world travels have slowed. Last time a client came across you it was on a cruise ship in the Mediterranean, the time before that in a michelin star restaurant in Venice.

Pleased you still have the disease. Be sure to pass it onto as many people as you can.
Peter

[Haysie]

Hi Pete, thanks for the encouragement . I have recently returned to fly fishing after a 5 year sabbatical away :
doing volunteer Conservation & Wildlife surveys. Can't pass comment ..
I have decided to change casting hand ( Arthritis in fingers )..Have you any experience of others changing over ?
I have always changed over casting hand; especially in difficult wind conditions.. my difficulty, is hauling with my right
hand: and just as important ,roll casting off my left (( I.m right handed )).
Tom

Hi Tommy,

I wish that I could have 5 years to volunteer doing something like you have done. Alas...

For what it is worth I think we should all spend equal time with a rod in both hands. Every newbee I get gets this drill. Set up a target at 40 feet on the water in front of you.

With a fixed line length to a tight drag roll cast to the target ( no line hand use). Immediately switch hands with the rod and roll cast with the non dominant hand. Immediately switch hands and cast again with the dominant hand etc. After just a little practice you will be able to do the rod hand changeover while the loop is still unrolling. This is the point of it. I want you to continue the exercise as quickly as you can - I don't want time for you to overthink what you are doing.

Now you're ready to do the same thing false casting. Stand with your back to the wind and false cast with the rod tilted away at 45 degrees casting plane. Cast sideways or right angles to the wind. If you're facing down wind then the way I look at it you are now doing a cast to your left followed by a cast to your right. There is no backcast as such. False cast with 30 feet of line - no more. Do it at a moderate but not fast tempo. First use your dominant hand for say 2 false casts. Then on the cast to the left ( if you are right handed and are casting with your dominant hand) simply pass the rod to your other hand for 2 false casts. Then pass it back, and back again etc. Sing your favourite song or remember your past conquests to take your brain from the game.

[Graeme H]

Graeme, I assure you that I change my views very often. In fact I always change my views if someone can show me a better way. I may be a luddite but not when it comes to fly fishing.

I think it's more a reflection on our ability to change the minds of each other than on your malleable mind. Nobody on the internet ever changes their mind.

Are you going to be at Morsie's testing event in September? If so, I'd love to pick your brains in person, or at least share a beer/red wine/whiskey with you. (I'm sitting for my CCI there.) If not, I'm sure we'll eventually meet along the creek somewhere.

Cheers,
Graeme

[Tom Benson]

Pete, thanks for that lucid & helpful exposition. Wont bother you again ; although many questions I'd like to ask!
just a few thoughts tho... I,m an early member of the CKWS & GFS group.. only saving is my sons ( MEN ) &
almost as important , Grandchildren .
Would spend serious dough on Fosters to see yee & Mr. Arden @ a 'Clave
many thanks Tom

[Tom Benson]

Pete........ forgot to mention ; have ordered from Mr. Arden a ht 9' x 4 wt. rod . I am , a small River fly fisher man!
What is important for me , is the reformed "" Handle"".. known in the UK as a Maniform !
For any fly fishers of my age ((( I'm 72.. years .. not head size ))... this could be """" the comfort zone """.
keep your encouragement & enthusiasm ............. Tom

[Paul Arden]

Hi Haysie,

It would be great to see Australia attend the world championships in flycasting with fishing tackle. Have you thought about doing this? I know there is such a great competitive scene in Austalia, on a par with both USA and Norway. It's such a shame that no one has attended as of yet from Australia. Particularly so because many of us like to compete down there too! Any thoughts on this?

Cheers, Paul

[Haysie]

Pete........ forgot to mention ; have ordered from Mr. Arden a ht 9' x 4 wt. rod . I am , a small River fly fisher man!
What is important for me , is the reformed "" Handle"".. known in the UK as a Maniform !
For any fly fishers of my age ((( I'm 72.. years .. not head size ))... this could be """" the comfort zone """.
keep your encouragement & enthusiasm ............. Tom

Hi Tom,

If I was 72 Years Old and a river fisherman there is no way I would give Paully and money for a 4 weight hot throbbing torpedo. Having said that I've never cast one and "it depends" on what small river fishing is to you. To me a current rod better suited to my river fishing would be a Sage Circa #4 of 7'9" or there abouts.

The handle shape is such a personal thing. For me I hold the rod so lightly it doesn't matter much for river casts, its more a comfort factor than a performance one. I would certainly not let handle shape take precedence over rod length and action.

Go cast a Circa then tell Paul where to stick that hot throbbing #4 torpedo.

As an aside I first cast his HTT at a conclave in Malaysia. We were casting off a dock into a lake on a dark and warm night. We had had much to drink. After the first very powerful delivery cast hit the reel like a brick I said "Bloody hell Paul - you need to sell these rods with a pair of lead wading boots to keep you on the ground on the delivery" . Everyone laughed and unknowingly to them when i retrieved in for the next cast I held onto the backing with a couple of meters slack to the reel. Of course on the next cast I let rip and said "Jesus" as I delivered and threw the rod way out into the lake.

I said "the cast was so powerful the outbound line ripped the rod completely out of my hands". Of course we pulled it in by the backing.

[Haysie]

Hi Haysie,

It would be great to see Australia attend the world championships in flycasting with fishing tackle. Have you thought about doing this? I know there is such a great competitive scene in Austalia, on a par with both USA and Norway. It's such a shame that no one has attended as of yet from Australia. Particularly so because many of us like to compete down there too! Any thoughts on this?

Cheers, Paul

As you know Paul there are some of us that would love to. I think that Jackson and Gavin might be able to beat you easily on most days of the week . Howell and I might keep you honest too on a good day. I think its just too far and too expensive - that's all. Were certainly not running from a fight here.