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Loose grip no squeeze stop?

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tinpusher
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Loose grip no squeeze stop?

#1

Post by tinpusher »

I've been trying a very loose grip without a squeeze stop and I find my loops are much tighter. The rod is held (thumb on top grip) so loosely it can freely rotate fore and aft 5 degrees. Is this a viable technique or am I straying down a bad path?

Thanks
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Paul Arden
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Re: Loose grip no squeeze stop?

#2

Post by Paul Arden »

Hi Doug,

Yes I would recommend developing this. It’s what I refer to as stopless (because that’s how it feels). I teach and use three stops: hard stop, pull-back and stopless. Ah - and torque twist sometimes as well. Stopless and hauling is a great combination for me. So I would definitely recommend developing it.

Cheers, Paul
It's an exploration; bring a flyrod.

Flycasting Definitions
Boisker
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Re: Loose grip no squeeze stop?

#3

Post by Boisker »

Any particular application/situation for the stopless?
nicholasfmoore
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Re: Loose grip no squeeze stop?

#4

Post by nicholasfmoore »

Any particular application/situation for the stopless?
Casting into the wind :cool:

All the best!
Nick M

"Memento Piscantur Saepe" :upside:
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Paul Arden
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Re: Loose grip no squeeze stop?

#5

Post by Paul Arden »

It depends what we mean by stopless. If we mean no hard stop, no squeeze of the hand, then all distance casts for me are stopless. In fact I think most casts with a haul are often stopless.

Many years back Jon Allen had a rod that he had built a second handle in parallel, attached by two horizontal pieces of metal. The idea was that a student could feel the stop by placing his hand on the second grip - because as we know some people are uncomfortable with physical contact!

However the interesting thing was, when we tried it while hauling the stop became imperceptible. And that applied to all the good casters. So arguably as far as I’m concerned the hard stop normally disappears when we haul. In fact last week I was working on my left handed casting to remove this stop.

It’s a bit like throwing a ball. We don’t make a hard stop to throw a ball, we just let go.

I remember one of my Malaysian friends told me when we first met about 8 years ago, that when they started working on their distance they couldn’t understand why the Sexyloops distances were so high. It took them a long time to figure out that they had to unlearn the stop, but when they did this they were throwing much longer casts as a result.

Fully stopless/170 delivery, well as Nick says that’s a great cast for into the wind, but I also use it for taking shots, or even sometimes for hitting targets.

Cheers, Paul
It's an exploration; bring a flyrod.

Flycasting Definitions
Boisker
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Re: Loose grip no squeeze stop?

#6

Post by Boisker »

I keep forgetting the 170 is equally called stopless :whistle:
That want what I was imaging. With regard the original post I was more imaging Paul’s first few points.
I had in mind something along the lines of a ‘softer’ stop migrating into Jason’s layback

Funny how some descriptions work at an individual level and some don’t, I don’t really like stopless as a term, as it doesn’t marry up with any mental picture for me.... the rod either has to have a stop however strong or weak, or alternatively the rod is in continuous motion as in a oval cast
tinpusher
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Re: Loose grip no squeeze stop?

#7

Post by tinpusher »

Thanks for the replies. Paul if you get a chance could you add stopless, cradle grip, and 170 to your list of definitions?
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Paul Arden
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Re: Loose grip no squeeze stop?

#8

Post by Paul Arden »

Hi Doug,

definitions would be interesting. That’s not something I’d attempt on my own but I’ll have a chat with the guys in the next days. Explanations and history I can do! But definitions would be much better. (And very difficult!! :D )

It would sure make like a lot easier though, so it’s a great idea - thanks!

Cheers, Paul
It's an exploration; bring a flyrod.

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Carol
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Re: Loose grip no squeeze stop?

#9

Post by Carol »

Paul/Nick, what about the basic overhead cast? Do you use a squeeze, or do you just stop? It seems to me, and I certainly am prone to being wrong, that you don't need to squeeze the stop, so long as you stop. I feel like the squeeze just punctuates the stop for the caster, like a period. But you can stop firmly without the period
Carol
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John Waters
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Re: Loose grip no squeeze stop?

#10

Post by John Waters »

Hi Carol,

For sighting and accuracy casting it is essential to squeeze the grip into the heel of the hand to block the forward cast. I do that to achieve hover on a false cast and to achieve the best sequence in the delivery i.e. fly to alight first, or as close as feasible to first. Unfortunately, that delivery sequence does not get the focus it requires whenever short line casting for accuracy is discussed. The only thing that changes is when the squeeze/block happens in the stroke, early during a false cast when sighting is the objective, later for delivery when turnover is the objective. The degree to which both are achieved is a factor determining how accurate your casts are. The most accurate casters do that more effectively than the least accurate casters.

Very important, but undervalued,

John
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