Accuracy workshop

[bartdezwaan]

This weekend we have a meeting from Fly Casting Sport NL and we are going to focus on accuracy.
I think this is a nice theme because it also includes basic technique.
Do you guys have any tips on which points to focus and maybe specific excercises?
I have some points that work for me. Those are casting through a tunnel, make sure to use translation in the backcast (on the forward cast I don’t need to think about this) and hovering.
Any more tips or exercises that work for you are greatly appreciated.

Cheers, Bart

[John Waters]

Hi Bart,

Excellent casting topic, I focus on

grip and full front on stance,
role of heel of the hand and reel position vs forearm for both false casts and delivery
rotation rather than translation,
line trajectory and rod block,
loop depth and speed,
movement range and role of shoulder, elbow and wrist,
tempo changes,
vertical plane rod movement as standard for delivery but other false cast options used for length judgment,
fly hover, fly sighting and variable fly height against target,
fly/leader before line on delivery,
leader build.

John

[Paul Arden]

Hi Bart,

Sounds like fun!

To add a few;

shortening the line in the air, which is a new skill for most learning this.
I also teach two targets, back and forward, with particular emphasis on the backcast.
Adjusting body alignments to be square to each target in turn.

One I always find interesting is to go around the course as quickly as possible without hovering. Frequently the scores can be higher. Which disturbs me

Cheers, Paul

[Lasse Karlsson]

Also, don't aim or focus on the ring, focus and aim for the center.

Cheers
Lasse

[John Waters]

Hi Bart,

One I always find interesting is to go around the course as quickly as possible without hovering. Frequently the scores can be higher. Which disturbs me

Cheers, Paul

Your observation illustrates the power of sub conscious vs conscious judgement of length Paul. I suggest it is a positive rather than something that is disturbing. The best don't think about whether their cast is short, long or the correct length relative to the target. You progress from a state of conscious casting to one of sub conscious casting, but the start of that progression is fly visibility relative to each target.

Excellent point,

John

[Paul Arden]

It is something I’ve thought about quite often, John. I think it is subconscious, and obviously much more practised. After all, it’s how we fish: pickup and deliver or 1-2 false casts and deliver. Making minor adjustments while repeatedly false casting is not part of fishing - but it’s bizarre that when we do make these adjustments the casting is often less accurate… and it’s infuriating!

To combat this, I imagine a large Giant Gourami swimming under the rings that requires a cast to be laid dead centre. No doubt one day I’ll get the shock of my life when the gourami actually eats!

I think part of the makeup of accuracy, is confidence and belief - in fact this applies to all things in general. If you firmly believe it’s going to go in, then you have given yourself the best opportunity to make it happen. But false casting while making minor length adjustments starts to make the shift from absolute confidence to an element of doubt. The solution? To practise practise practise practise. And then practise some more. The top guys (and girls) in this game are all machines.

Since we are in a never-ending lockdown I’ll pick up my accuracy rings this weekend. It will be a good test for my new 5WT.

Another topic, Bart, is adjustments when elevated on a casting platform.

Also how to practise. I score at the beginning and end of the session (at a minimum) and make a mark of the scores. The first score is the important one because that’s very similar to how we compete - ie cold.

Cheers, Paul

[John Waters]

You're right Paul. As is the case in any sport, the best believe they will win and expect that outcome.

John

[bartdezwaan]

Thanks for the great tips guys! Awesome.
I would like to pick subjects one by one and discuss them further.

Rotation rather than translation
@John I named translation as focus point for me, which seems to contradict a bit with your rotation.
When I started practicing accuracy in close stance I noticed my loops on the backcast where very wide. I see this with a lot of other casters too.
For me it works to add a little bit of translation. The loops get tighter and, especially with wind, it makes a difference for me.
I tried teaching translation when I thought it would help, but I'm not getting good results with students.
What are your thoughts about this? Would you mind sharing how you teach rotation?

Cheers, Bart

[John Waters]

Hi Bart,

I don't focus on translation for short line casting when accuracy is paramount. It's ok when accuracy is not paramount, i.e. when you only want to complete a cast a back, forward and delivery cast that gets out there, not on there. I use rotation and drift on the backcast, rotation on the forward cast. For accurate casts, the issue I have with translation on the forward cast is that you run the risk of losing tension and consequently, control and accuracy suffers. I focus on speed, trajectory and tension with the backcast, loop depth is secondary when compared these primary loop properties. I also use the double haul for all my short line casts and each haul should be late, fast, short and as close to the plane of the rod as possible. Tight loops on the backcast are for the benefit of observers, not the caster. For me, a two or three feet loop depth is more than adequate on the backcast. Different for the forward cast but it is the front loop that delivers the chocolates, whether it be a target or a fish.

John

[Paul Arden]

Hi chaps,

The reason I rotate through the stroke on the forward cast is that if I delay rotation I generate a high speed tight loop that kicks instead of hovers. When I watch others try to delay rotation I see a lot of inconsistency in loop turnover. So it works for me to rotate through the stroke. Basically I’m looking for consistency and a smooth turnover where the fly briefly hangs for sighting.

(I first heard this discussed about 20yrs ago by Steve Rajeff at a presentation in Idaho Falls. I ignored it at the time because back in those days Accuracy was for the girls. Times have changed).

Backcast for me is different and I use a controlled amount of wrist at the end of the stroke to throw a tight loop with an inclined trajectory.

Cheers, Paul