Gaze Behaviours in Fly Casting Accuracy

[Stoatstail50]

Where the problem often lies, is trying to introduce this long before the caster has learned to control loops, even with watching them. And often that can be because haven’t been taught to watch them!

Unfortunately, facing the target, not watching the BC, still seems to be the standard default start position for beginner instruction.

Within just the last month I have heard an instructor with 30+ years teaching experience say quite explicitly that looking at the BC is disadvantageous. They’re actively being taught not to watch them, because “everybody knows” it causes a tracking error.

What I have them do, to learn to make a backcast without watching, is to have them alternately looking and not looking at various periods while falsecasting. Target casting is really good for front cues being used to fire away a great backcast. It’s a whole set of training exercises to make the transition from watching to not watching,

No argument from me. Range and change is what we’re teaching people to develop and do if they want to fish most effectively.

There may be timing issues but that’s a different problem

See tip 10 of the Orvis top 10 tips for beginners.

https://news.orvis.com/fly-fishing/vi ... eginners

Minute 9.15

[VGB]

Within just the last month I have heard an instructor with 30+ years teaching experience say quite explicitly that looking at the BC is disadvantageous. They’re actively being taught not to watch them, because “everybody knows” it causes a tracking error.

If I hadn't been watching my backcast, fishing on the canal this week, I would have had lots of pulling the fly out of hawthorn errors. I also see a lot of people who don't watch their backcast having tracking errors (also me), I wonder what causes that?

Where the problem often lies, is trying to introduce this long before the caster has learned to control loops, even with watching them.

That's a self inflicted injury from the instructosphere, claiming that they can teach anyone to do everything in a couple of hours.

See tip 10 of the Orvis top 10 tips for beginners.

Tip 11 is ignore tip 10

Jesus there is a whole herd of elephants working their way around the bank and I just know they are going to be splashing around the boat tonight. Fifteen of them. I’d better prime the motor in case I need an emergency exit.

Get them to check your tracking while they are there

regards

Vince

PS Great FP from Chris today

[Stoatstail50]

Tip 11 is ignore tip 10

Who is going to tell a beginner watching YouTube to do that ? And why would they be believed over Orvis ?

Its Bernds point about the reputation and authority of the source having a greater weight on belief than the actual validity or usefulness of the information given to the student. Which, in this case, is none and zero respectively. Imagine the time wasted by a self learning beginner trying to make sense of this vs learning by looking at their back cast.

[Paul Arden]

It’s not loading for me. What is tip 10?

I think we can be pretty clear that taking shots at moving targets isn’t for beginners. Neither is not watching the backcast. This can only be learned once the backcast can be made consistently without conscious thought. Then we need to find cues that enable the student to be able to throw straight without watching.

There is a process in this. And we are not talking about a process occurring in only one or two lessons. This is a long term process taking certainly no less than 6 months coaching before introduction and usually a lot longer! This is not a beginner caster by any means and would be my “higher level intermediate” caster.

Cheers, Paul

PS moved the boat. It’s not worth the hassle.

[Stoatstail50]

If you don’t get timing right, your fly line will not load energy into your rod and you will lose momentum. 10-2, wait until you feel it pull.

Don’t look behind you Mavis

[Paul Arden]

Ah right. Well I tend to avoid this nonsense; life is too short.

Anyway, lesson now. Spey casting in the rain

Cheers, Paul

[Stoatstail50]

We’re able to recognise utter tripe when we see it Paul. Not everyone has that privilege.

We fret about new people coming to the sport and stuff like this just makes learning really difficult…it’s just sad really.

[Paul Arden]

It is, but I don’t know how to fix that. It’s certain not a short term solution.

[Paul Arden]

I’m pleased to say that the page still doesn’t load for me

[Bernd Ziesche]

After all, Creep, is usually the result of the angler shifting his attention to the next cast, before the backcast has fully unrolled. If his or her attention is focussed on the fly actually striking the bell, “Ting”, then Creep is not going to occur.

Hi Paul,
I very often have seen the early forward rotation to automatically have been gone, as soon as it was possible to pause the rod still and not loosing the bc by for example too wide loops, mismatched trajectory or mismatched line speed. Ime this marked the early forward movement to be compensating a poor bc and get away with it rather then rushing by anticipating the next cast.
Of course both is possible, but in my exp. compensation was the main cause.

If I'd tecommend to gaze on a straightened leader depends on set up and conditions. Long leader and tiny dry fly and many get in trouble by waiting a tad too long, if trying to ring a bell with the fly. I teach timing to be dependent...
Cheers
B