Step up drill

[Phil Blackmar]

Hello All-

I have recently started using a new drill on myself and a couple good casters with a fair amount of success. I will not attempt to describe why it works because I really do not know. For the two people and myself who have done the drill, the result is a straighter and faster fly leg. The drill is a little advanced for the entry level caster.

With 50-60 ft of fly line and leader out of the end of the rod, begin making level false casts with parallel lines. You must use either yarn or nothing because hitting the ground behind you will be a problem. Now elevate the trajectory about 15 degrees. Stay at this trajectory until you can create parallel lines. Then increase by another 10 degrees and once again stay at this trajector until you can create parallel lines. Then add another 10 degrees. Then, take your trajectory back to level to the ground but keep the same feel developed in the elevated trajectory casts.

That's all there is to it. I know it violates the 180 degree rule, but, the three of us have benefited from using this drill. Curious if anyone else is doing this?

Thanks
Phil

[Paul Arden]

Hi Phil,

Cheers. I’ve just tried it, but I don’t have a different feel between the different trajectories. I guess that already means I’m at the end point

I’ll have to try it on a student. Certainly it’s very common to have the student aim too low.

I have often in the past gone the other way incidentally. Taught someone to cast into the wind with a high backcast/low forward cast, which has fixed a low backcast and said, ok that’s how to make your backcasts with no wind

Cheers, Paul

[VGB]

Maybe I’m misunderstanding but apart from the transition between different angles, why does the cast break the 180 rule. If I have understood the description correctly, it is a drill Mark put me through as a mentor albeit at 40ft to increase my range of control.

Regards

Vince

[George C]

Brings to mind Jason Borger’s “Trajector-cize” drill.
Page 69-70 in his excellent book. It moved the forward target rather than the back target but same idea.

When I started to reach 100’ with huge power and atrocious loops I realized I needed to learn how to cast, rather than chuck, a fly line. I started over concentrating on casting 20’ well and this drill taught me a lot about line positioning and force application.

[Mangrove Cuckoo]

Phil,

I'm a bit confused. Can you clarify if:

The rod plane is approximately vertical, as in usual casts?

When you say elevate the trajectory, you mean the forward trajectory?

Or, do you mean to raise the trajectory of the back cast?

And... if you raise either one - don't you lower the other to keep the legs parallel?

And, if so... why would that break the 180 degree rule?

Sorry... confused as usual.

Gary

[Phil Blackmar]

Hi Gary-

Sorry, I made a picture and forgot to attach. I suppose you could do it in either direction but my intent is to begin on the forward cast. Rod plane is vertical or nearly so. Yes, it does break the 180 degree rule and the ground limits the amount of line you can use, but, surprisingly you can use a fairly good amount.

In my extremely brief experience messing around with this drill, all three of us tend to either throw a tail or at least get one of the following loops.

elevated drill loops.pdf

(44.11 KiB) Downloaded 46 times

. Pic number 2 is meant to represent a dangle of sorts.

Either way, It feels to me, sorry, that I have to reach out and over "on top" of the intended fly leg to get the desire loop. When I do, it feels, sorry, to me, that I have lengthened my tip travel under load.

I'm sure this drill will elicit different feels to each person depending on their casting tendencies.

Hope this helps.

Phil