Tracking ... tracking ... tracking

[Paul Arden]

Hi Mark and Mark! Thanks, always great to know where people fish!

Seven-weight, I would really look at building a classy vertical accuracy stroke as an absolute first. This vertical stroke will should never hook even when you extend distance - then it is certainly a tracking error. Spending a month or three throwing at targets is a really useful and should be part of your regular routine. Make it a game! Compete against yourself every time you try it - but be honest! You should see the result from this very quickly. The best drill would be to cast using the same rules as the World Championships with FFing tackle.

The second drill is distance pure and simple. Again you need to measure your casts and a video camera is very useful - both to see what you are doing and for posting on the Board, where we can help. But I would really not underestimate the value of the first drill. The second without the first is not very useful. 1 builds great tracking which you will have to adapt to 2 when you start opening up.

There are really only four key points in flycasting practise; accuracy, distance, anchors and mends.

Cheers, Paul

[SevenWeight]

Thanks for all the great comments and advice everyone!

In line with what several of you have said, it looks like I'm tracking the rod in a slight crescent shape, wrapping the tip slightly behind my head on the back cast then routing it outside my shoulder and back in front of me with a slight supination of my casting hand during rotation. I hope that makes sense.

So... it makes sense that pronating my casting hand helps to straighten the cast. I've managed in practice to make some reasonably straight casts in the 55-62 foot range. 55 is my maximum range on a pick-up-and-shoot cast ... in other words a cast with no false cast between the pick-up and presentation (hauling on the pick-up as well as the shoot and any false casts, of course). With one false cast I've done 62. Realistically, 60 feet is the most I'll want for the type of fishing I'm doing, but as Paul said in an e-mail, if you can cast 80, casting 60 straight is easy. All of this has been with 7- and 8-weight rods with Orvis Bank Shot lines. Paul recommended a "distance" line to carry more line and I'm looking into that. My "good" casts are accomplished by manipulating my casting had as described above.

7wgt.,
Are your back casts straightening?
Are your back casts hooking?

Craig ... I'm not a very good backcast watcher. However, FWIW, I think that my back casts don't show the distinct hook or hump that sometimes appears in the forward cast, and they're straightening reasonably well. I'll post some video at some point.

...If pronating your wrist at the stop tends to fix the problem could the "foundational source" be that your normal stop has a supination of the wrist?....

Yes, I think that's exactly what's happening.

...
Here's a simple way to identify where the tracking issue is happening. Pretend your index finger is your rod. Stand next to a vertical surface like a wall. Pantomime your casting stroke with your finger/rod tip just touching the wall. If your finger tip leaves the surface during the stroke you have found the place where your tracking error is happening. You can further break it down by doing just wrist casting, elbow and wrist, elbow only or shoulder only casting to find the offending joint.

Once you have located the exact cause of the problem you can use the exercises in the other posts to fix the problem. You can also practice the finger on the wall exercise with the finger lightly touching the wall throughout the stroke. If you are currently experiencing extreme arctic weather like we have in Calgary you can to this without going outside which is a nice bonus.

Good luck.

Thanks Walter. The pantomime cast against a wall confirms a tendency to supinate my casting hand on the back cast as described above. No arctic weather here ... I'm on the Gulf coast of Florida and it's about 80 F here. I was in Calgary the year of the big floods ... 2013 I think ... on business during the big rodeo festival. My hosts took me to the chuck wagon races, something I'd never seen or heard of before!

[SevenWeight]

I meant to mention ... I do intend to practice short upright accuracy casts and work my way up.

[Phil Blackmar]

Question for this thread.....I use an open stance and my shoulders rotate when making long casts. When I begin my forward stroke, my shoulders begin rotating back to square to the target and I believe it takes the tip of the rod away from my line of cast causing a bit of an arc instead of a straight path. This, I believe, is the cause of my fly coming from the right or outside of my path on the layout which has to be less efficient. thoughts?? Thank you

[Phil Blackmar]

I've just been out practicing with a broom stick on the side of the house..LOLOL. I will let you know if this drill works.....BTW, I come from a golf background. We like our drills and training aides in golf. There may be an opportunity for a tracking training aid here that adjusts to the plane, height of person and allows actually casting a line.....

[Paul Arden]

Hi Phil, possibly yes but also have a close look at where your targets align. The majority of casters have the fault that instead of their back target being 180 from the forward target, is is off shoulder, not uncommonly by as much as 30 degrees. And that’s the primary cause of the fly hooking over from right to left (right handed caster).

Graeme taught me this: Place the rod on the ground pointing at front target. Walk around to the tip (don’t stand on it!) and follow the line of the rod back to see your rear target. For distance I look at the target, cast, look at the target, cast.if you watch your loop fully unroll you can’t pick your target, so don’t!

Now obviously this is training to be straight, when sight-fishing we should never take our eye off the target. In which case the rear target is still there, but in your mind.

Also important is to have a cast with a rod plane that is close to the vertical. If the rod is tilted that will also cause problems at loop straight. (Counterflex pulls in across the body, the loop is slightly canted, often if puts a wave in the fly leg that, despite being small, will hook the fly).

Feel free to post some video. It makes life very much easier! There has been some good articles from Nick on tracking recently and of course there are many pages and videos scattered around ‘Loops.

Incidentally when twisting the shoulders (I do too but I’m careful not to go overboard), I twist the shoulders first before applying the bulk of the force. On the forward cast I come into position, rotate the shoulders to get the shoulder in behind the rod, and then explode. (Distance).

For everything up to around 80’ (maybe even 100’) I’m closed stance. I think most people open up way too early, indeed some casters only use open stance! I think they would benefit greatly from learning closed stance for close - mid range shots.

Cheers, Paul

[Paul Arden]

Crossposted A mirror or a video camera facing your cast is a good if somewhat unflattering idea

Cheers, Paul

[Phil Blackmar]

Wow, flattered by the in depth response....you nailed me on both. I tend to back cast too far to the outside of a straight line, and I do like to cast on a slanted plane. I am working on making a suitable video to post for everyone's amusement.....Hopefully today or tomorrow.....

[Phil Blackmar]

I have experimented with the closed stance, seems so restrictive, but I will get back that way. I'm, I think, pretty good at squaring up before applying force to the stroke.

[Paul Arden]

It’s good to have a variety of styles and stances. One can help teach the other. I liken accuracy to a dart throw and distance to javelin.

I think this might appeal to you Phil. Comp 1 Trout Accuracy https://www.icsf-castingsport.com/uploa ... nrules.pdf

That’s about tracking, targets, loop control. Really it’s a cornerstone to flycasting. There are a couple of competition techniques in there, that might be separate from fishing – hover and shortening the line in the air for example, but it’s a good game to play and these are easily mastered.

Distance is another one of course – however it’s interesting: the things you learn from accuracy are all there in distance too. Often I get distance casters to work on their accuracy style.

I bet you’ll find a lot in common with the golf swing! I know when I play pool I find a lot of flycasting techniques in the shot. Particularly tracking and the hit. I’d be fascinated to learn what you find similar.

This may be a ways off for you – I don’t know, but I might when I see the video – here is something to work towards in the future... https://www.sexyloops.com/index.php/ps/ ... -challenge

That there is an excellent level of fly casting and incorporates all the essential elements.

Right I’m going for a cast off the roof and I’m going to experiment with your hauling idea!

Cheers, Paul