Tailing loops

[pinkpiranha]

Wondered if someone can help... I had 2 questions

I'm having a small problem with tailing loops. When casting upto about 45ft my casts are ok, but as soon as I extend that to 70+ feet, my loops are ok, but the end of my line and leader do a little dance and form a tailing loop. I'm very conscious of speeding things up on the last forward cast...could it be for applying an incorrect amount of power.

Secondly I've just started fishing for bass with some big chunky flies. On the back cast when the line straightens out... the fly is still catching up. Could you possibly suggest a way of coping with this.

Thanks

[Paul Arden]

Hi Pink Piranha, and welcome to the Board!!

I’m just off to bed but I’ll certainly add some thoughts tomorrow!

A few quick questions… do your tailing loops also occur when you have a smaller fly? And what sort of leader do you use? And where are you based? (The last question has nothing to do with tailing loops; I was just interested )

Longer answer from me tomorrow. Welcome!

Cheers, Paul

[pinkpiranha]

Great ..thanks. I was practicing with a 9ft 6wt rod, tapered leader I use for mullet down to 9lb, which is about 12ft long, and a bit of fluff on the end.

I'm based close to Chichester. I fish some of the rivers in Wales (where I used to live), and just started around the local harbour for bass and mullet.

[pinkpiranha]

I should add I was an associate member with GAIA, training to be an instructor, and sort of understand the physics of the cast, but don't seem to be able to get my brain to do it.

[Lasse Karlsson]

Hi pinkpirana

Is it just at the end of turnover? If so, you made the flaw early on in your stroke, and usually its rushing the cast, not waiting for it to roll out behind you. As we extend the line we need that fraction of a sexond longer for it to roll all the way out.

Dancing lines are fun



And yes, its always force at the wrong time

Cheers
Lasse

[whinging pom]

Lasse
Damn they are just some of the prettiest, most elegant, picture book perfect tailing loops that I ever did see!
(and ive seen heaps )... Just Gorgeous.
Can you not do anything just plain ugly and rubbish?!
Great video .... again
( cant help the OP but looking forward to learning from the answers)
pom

[Paul Arden]

Hi pinkpirana,

As Lasse writes, starting the stroke too early is a common cause (one that is often given very little consideration actually). A tailing loop is a transverse wave in the flyline, usually put there by the rod tip path during the casting stroke. This wave then runs along the fly leg from the front of the loop towards the fly. Usually increasing in height as it does so. The later in the unrolling of the loop that the tail crosses rod leg, the earlier in the stroke it must have happened.

So in your case it is undoubtedly a transition issue between back and forward casts.

What happens if you allow the backcast to fully straighten and lose its tension? You can throw the loop back, and then after it’s unrolled it briefly hangs perfectly straight and then fractions of a second afterwards it noticeably sags when the tension disappears. If the tails disappear after the tension has gone then this will isolate that cause.

Cheers, Paul

[VGB]

As Lasse writes, starting the stroke too early is a common cause (one that is often given very little consideration actually).

Often because the caster does not or cannot watch the back cast

Regards

Vince

[Lasse Karlsson]

As Lasse writes, starting the stroke too early is a common cause (one that is often given very little consideration actually).

Often because the caster does not or cannot watch the back cast

Regards

Vince

Absolutly! It's also something I often see with candidates for various tests. Since the majority of casts are a fixed length, timing becomes ingrained, and then when lengthening the line, timing stays the same behind, but the visual clue in front changes.. It one of the hard ones to learn to do on commando, but cool when it sits there

Cheers
Lasse

[pinkpiranha]

That brilliant. Thanks very much for the advice. Have to be honest... I don't often look at the back cast, just go by feeling. My normal casts are done in rivers, when I don't really exceed 45ft, and don't generally have problems.

I'll give it a go over the weekend when I next practice.

Thanks again....and great video by the way....