Recent FP from Paul

[Bianchetti Ivan]

What I’ll do Ivan at some point is video Snakehead practise shots with 8 and 10WT lines. Many years back I did measure up PUALD short pickups to long shots at 25m on the lake. But 25m is no use because even without a false cast the fish has gone by the time the fly arrives. 20m would be a long shot here (but possible). Most shots are 10-15m so it’s a stealth approach leading to a money shot. I do think the 8 is quicker than the 10 and I mostly use that myself. But it’s a problem when you hook a lunker.

This whole idea of uplining for quicker loading and faster shots is all ‘big spring’ related. And it’s just not the case when you are dialled in for fast shots. Adults with babies is easier and you have a longer shot (and a warning!). Free-risers is seat of your pants stuff. Take your finger off the trigger and you miss your shot.

Anyway I’m on my own this week so it’s just not possible to film that. I don’t think we are going to see a significant difference in timing of no-false casting shots. I’d need to do the exact same casts many times and take the average. But I can have a go

Cheers, Paul

What I was referring to is the fact that to reach a certain distance a heavy line needs fewer false throws, this is the discriminant, sorry if I don't understand the explanations, maybe you have already thought about it.

[Paul Arden]

Ah right. I don’t find that to be the case. I think you can shoot approx half of what you have outside the tip and I think that’s for all line weights. For me I think optimal line weight (not shooting head) for distance is around an 8WT. Certainly I can throw an 8 further than and 6 and also further than a 10.

Of course a shooting head is going to be different but I don’t take shots with a shooting head.

I do think on a long distance cast (not really a “shot” for me) that the energy losses of a lighter line become an issue. For the same reason that lighter lines are poorer performers in the wind.

Most sight fishing “shots” however are 20-70ish feet? 100’ would be a seriously long shot. And it would be a going away shot. For otherwise you could let it come closer.

Here for Snakehead anything over about 60-70’ is waste of time. The fly takes too long to get there even without false casting. (So you close the gap, trying to anticipate the next rise).

That’s how I see it anyway

Cheers, Paul

[Bianchetti Ivan]

Surely I have never caught those fish, but I am used to fishing with people who use line 2/3, I see on the river that to get there they continue to make casts that would be useless for me using line 4/5 obviously it is another environment and not I insist without certainty

[Paul Arden]

The lightest I’ve used is a 3 WT, but mostly a 4WT. I guess that we need to make another experiment! Starting with 2m of flyline outside the rod tip, how many false casts to hit targets at 50’, 75’ and 100’ with 4, 6, 8 and 10WT lines.

Can we drop the line on the water between casts? Ie multiple PUALDs? That would obviously reduce casts considerably. In fact I would imagine this way they could all be hit with either 1 or max 2 casts. Keeping the line aerielised would possibly mean an extra cast in some circumstances. I have a serious advantage here over water

Cheers, Paul

[Paul Arden]

That sounds like a fun one and quite easy for me to do with floating rope and fish shoes.

[Lasse Karlsson]

Do the non dominant 100 feet challenge too then

100 feet with a 4 weight is serious business though....

Cheers
Lasse

[Paul Arden]

Easier with a DT than a WF4 I would think. Yep I’ll do the LH stuff. I bought 150’ of rope a few weeks ago. That way I can measure stuff up without sinking the measuring tape.

[Lasse Karlsson]

Floating rope? Make a speylane type measuring rope, it takes alot of guessing out, until you really want to be precise

And yes, definetly easier with a DT than a WF!, not that it's easy

Cheers
Lasse

[Bianchetti Ivan]

The lightest I’ve used is a 3 WT, but mostly a 4WT. I guess that we need to make another experiment! Starting with 2m of flyline outside the rod tip, how many false casts to hit targets at 50’, 75’ and 100’ with 4, 6, 8 and 10WT lines.

Can we drop the line on the water between casts? Ie multiple PUALDs? That would obviously reduce casts considerably. In fact I would imagine this way they could all be hit with either 1 or max 2 casts. Keeping the line aerielised would possibly mean an extra cast in some circumstances. I have a serious advantage here over water

Cheers, Paul

I think touching the water is not the case, but letting the line flow behind and in front is.

[Paul Arden]

I’ll see what I can do. We are going into lockdown Friday. Means I’ll have to park up near a friends resort again. At least the weather’s nice.