Preload

[Lou Bruno]

Can someone define preload? Is this something casters can achieve?

Cheers
Lou

[Paul Arden]

Hi Lou,

I think the way most people think about it, no. Pre-load is mostly the belief that the small bend created when the line finally unrolls can be captured and made advantage of in the next cast. This often is accompanied incorrectly by the assumption that casting is mostly about load (springs). I've filmed a lot of casts and I've never seen someone capture this bend and continue bending the rod, despite what they may think! When I have timed my cast to try to capture the bend it "feels" too early and the loop tails.

However if by pre-load one somehow means pre-tensioning the line, then this is possible.

Cheers, Paul

[flyfisher666]

However if by pre-load one somehow means pre-tensioning the line, then this is possible

Can you explain this in more detail please?

//Joakim

[Paul Arden]

Not really. It's a subject that Gordy or James proposed but I can't currently find it I'm pretty sure it's in a pull-back thread. I'll have another look later.

Cheers, Paul

[gordonjudd]

Not really. It's a subject that Gordy or James proposed but I can't currently find it

Paul,
It is in the "preload" thread" on the old board.

Using Merlin's model shows that starting the forward cast with some initial deflection in the rod (how you could actually do that I don't know) would actually decrease the final line speed using the same forward acceleration forcing profile.

Starting the rod forward while the top leg of the back cast still has some velocity (with the very strong possibility of cracking off the fly) would increase the final line speed for a given forward acceleration profile.

That "kinetic capture" technique is something that distance plug casters use by swinging the plug in opposite direction at the start of their cast.

Gordy

[Lou Bruno]

Gordy
Thanks for the link, comes in handy. I'll get caught up on this topic.

Lou

[Paul Arden]

Hey Gordy, nice to see you around! I hope you are very well

Cheers, Paul