Styles and techniques

[GoldenDorado]

Great post today. Constan tension casts such as Belgian/austrian/Bebetstroitter, or the sadly forgotten circle/bicicle cast are EXCELLENT casts that are equal or better than OH for fishing in many situations: -Using rigs with two or more flies, for example, a New Zealand with two tungsten nymphs. If you make an OH cast, it is quite possible that you end with everything made a huge nylon mess; using any of the constant tension casts, as the line and the leader unroll in a down- up direction, as opposite in a OH cast, there is no rebound from the heavy flies.-For extremely large7heavy flies; same as ftor rigs, here in Argentine ,for golden dorado and #8/#9 rods, we use 15- 20 cm streamers in 4/0-7/0 hooks, with XL lead dumbell eyes: csting those flies in OH is, aparto from dangerous ,really unpleasant, you feel the "tuck" in every back cast, and , as it rebounds it goes down, in the forward cast tne end of the line and the monster fly come in direct collision with your head, or the tip of the rod; in a Belgian or circle cast, it comes well over your body. -Also, they are far easier to learn than OH casts. So, an advice:start practicing and using them, you'll be surprised.

[Paul Arden]

No question we need it all, Sebastián!

For many of those situations nowadays I’ll use Stopless/170 which has the advantage that tracking is always straight and rod tip/fly collisions are virtually impossible because the rod tip can finish at the water surface. “Kick” can be minimised with more open loops and any kick leaves the fly in plane of the target.

Not sure what the others think about this?

Cheers, Paul

[Lasse Karlsson]

Oval casting works because we maximize strokelength and use a shortish length of line. 170 is doing the same while helping in maximizing the force input.
If one want to use a short stroke, then one needs alot of drift between strokes to take out the boiing, or really adjust the force input. All casts are constant tension, and tension varies throughout the cast.

Pike fisher, flies in the 15-25 cm range with lead dumbell eyes and rods saying 8 above the handle mostly. Lines are shootingheads not saying 8 according to AFFTA

Cheers
Lasse

[Paul Arden]

Hi Lasse,

I agree, in fact I’m not sure if any casts are “constant tension”. I think what people are really thinking about is what the fly is doing at loop straight. We can make a smooth transition between back and forward casts even in the same casting plane; it’s just a bit easier with different planes.

The problem however with different planes, is by its very nature, you have abandoned straight tracking. Maybe it’s not so important for what is required at the time, but when it does matter then the 170/Stopless is the way to go IMO.

Cheers, Paul

[Lasse Karlsson]

Only if you define straight (which Bernd says doesn't exist) as over the top if the rod in a single plane, and then I am for one looking very much forward to some day see someone being able to do that I've stood behind and in front of enough "expert" casters by now, to know it doesn't happen. A good oval caster has as good a tracking as any good OH caster. And more OH casters would really fit in the oval box, if they had someone take a closer look

Otherwise its 180ish degrees from the rodleg behind you, that you want to send the flyleg out in front or vice versa, and thats happening in oval casts too.

I actually think all casts have tension, its damn hard to cast without it, even Lefty knew that with his, no cast until the fly moves, example.

Cheers
Lasse

[Paul Arden]

Hi Lasse,

All casts have tension. But “constant tension” is definitely not the case. Even “continual tension” is debatable.

Some guys are very straight even on the distance stuff. Mikael Blomberg one of the best I’ve seen, much straighter than me. But on a shot 30-70’ it’s much easier to be straight.

When I throw a heavily weighted fly at speed using a Belgian Cast, it’s very common to see the fly kick left. In fact I have a Snakehead curve shot where all I do is tilt the casting plane to 45 degrees and with the speed I’m using the fly will curve around the back of the babies. A heavy fly has its own momentum. It’s almost as at times we are casting the fly as if it was a spinner/weight and casting the flyline into a loop to have the loop roll out, the fly will travel 180 degrees. In fact on a short-medium shot and heavy fly, the flyline actually inhibits the distance the fly would otherwise travel.

Cheers, Paul

[Lasse Karlsson]

Ok, so you're looking at tension between the line and the rodtip as the defining factor? Remember to then look at it from the right perspective

And yeah, natural movement is always outwards on the backstroke like that, and messes up tracking. Every single selftaught flyfisher I have met on the coast have had that backstroke. Every single one! Every kid throwing a stone or ball has it too, something with how our body moves
We have to work on making it straighter, but as you say, shorter casts works ok because you can overpower and counteract the kick.

Cheers
Lasse

[Paul Arden]

Tension is in the line. Constant could mean that it has the same value throughout its length, which it doesn’t, or that it has the same value throughout the casting cycle, which it doesn’t. I think when people say “constant” what they really means is that there is always some tension present in the line, which would be “continuous tension”, which is still debatable! About to hop on the bike.

Cheers, Paul

[Paul Arden]

I have a theory. The “constant tension” idea has come about because with such a cast the weighted fly swings around as we change plane. This makes it far less likely to pull or kick back directly against the rod tip. It’s the vertical equivalent of opening the loops.

I remember about 12 years ago fishing with Graeme Scooby Doo Williams of Insight Fly Fishing in Darwin for Barra in the mangroves. These were all tight shots reaching far into the back of the mangrove system. I came armed with the Belgian Cast but just had a hell of a time sticking the fly through the tight slots that was required. I could see the fish but could I get the fly into the back of those mangroves? The loop would be on target and the fly would kick over to the side. It was all very frustrating.

So I passed the rod to Graeme, who has been guiding for decades. PUALD vertical casts, fly straight into the back of the mangroves. That’s when I abandoned the Belgian cast idea for heavy flies.

Cheers, Paul

[VGB]

I have a theory. The “constant tension” idea has come about because with such a cast the weighted fly swings around as we change plane.

My theory is that people are attracted by techy bollox which adds another layer of mystery to performing and learning. Continuous movement would have made more sense but that would be too easy for people to understand.

Regards

Vince