...just a little farther out

[betzel]

i've tried to spend some time casting in my front yard, just for some practice when i can't fish as much as i'd like.
i can hit 66 or 67 feet pretty comfortably without hauling.
if i throw in a haul or two, i can hit 75 feet consistently with 78 or 79 feet being the max.
how do i get those few extra feet of fly line out? i want to see that backing knot go through my guides at least once.

if the type of rod matters, i'm using a 8'9" 4wt. winson LT.

thanks
bryan

[This message has been edited by betzel (edited 07-25-2001).]

[fishindoc]

Betzel,
KEEP PRACTICING !!! If you want to cast the whole fly line you need to:
1) have a very fast line speed
2) have tight loops
3) have a very crisp stop
4) have a backcast as good as your forward cast

These are the things I see limiting most of the casters I give private lessons to who come to me seeking greater distance. Your 4 weight rod should be fine. A friend of mine Glenn Young (National sales director for Gamakatsu hooks) won the best of the West competition a couple of years ago with a five weight at 105 feet. The only problem with the 4 wt. is if the breeze is blowing, then a bigger line size will cast farther. I practice all the time and can attest from my experience you'll just have to keep practicing...if you do you will one day you'll see backing in the guides.

scott@atlantaflyfishingschool.com

[bbell]

I would be pretty happy with a cast that long on a 4 weight. It probably exceeds any distance you'll ever need on the stream by 2x!

In addition to the above comments by the instructor, I would recommend a heavier or faster action rod. I can cast an entire line much easier with my RPLXi 8 weight than with my LL 4 weight. I'm not sure what the action is like on your Winston, but many trout rods are built to perform well at short distances and "fold up" at long distances. My LL is a great example....it is pretty tough to extend an entire line.

In the meantime, try making your hauls short and very accelerated...it may give you the extra punch you need.

And be careful when shooting into the backing...that can create some horrific tangles.

[betzel]

bbell...i know i don't have to cast that far, the only time i have routinley cast 60+ feet in a day with that rod was a 12 hour shoalie float.

i was playing around, and have determined that my double haul needs some serious work. i was getting the same distance with a single haul on the front as with my psuedo double haul technique.

any suggestions on targets to use for accuracy practice? i've tried frisbee golf disks but they blend in with the ground.

[DAWGFISH]

Betzel,

I have a 8 ft, 4 weight, Winston IM6 that I can honest to God, cast the whole line with (Scientific Angler XPS taper, 90 ft.). Again to reiterate what the others have said this is only during practice casting. It is totally unnecessary in real world fishing situations. The key to long casting, as FishDoc has noted is practice, practice, practice. I personally feel that a good back cast is just as important as a good forward cast to acheive maximam distance. The backcast is what loads your rod for the forward cast, the more you load the rod on the backcast, the more oomph you will have on the forward cast. Also, as the amount of line being casted increases, the length of the casting stroke will also be slightly increased. How much so again is determined by practice and learning to interpret the signals your rod is transmitting to your casting hand (Winston rods are one of the best at doing this imho). Throughout the casting stroke, a smooth fluid acceleration is necessary followed by a hard complete stop to initiate long casts. One of the biggest mistakes I see people making with their casting is not constantly accelerating the casting stroke all the way until the hard stop is made. They instead keep the same velocity throughout the stroke. Try to shoot more line as well. One word of advice I can give for Winston rods (at least the LT's and IM6's)is that they perform better with a more relaxed, slower, and slightly longer casting stroke.

[Chris England]

Bryan:

I duct-tape a hoola-hoop to a camera tripod. It's a permanent fixture in my garage, that can be plucked out, and put on the lawn anywhere, and at any distance. The drill is the same as at the "Spend a Dollar Expo" where you cast the fly through the hoop. I find it works really well for building that accuracy required to pitch into mangroves in FL.

-- tight lines

[The Owl]

The easiest way to get what you want is to simply run the backing through the guides BEFORE you tie on the flyline. Then, as you spool it on the reel, watch for the knot. http://www.georgia-outdoors.com/ubbngto/wink.gif


Congrats on the long casts! Impressive! http://www.georgia-outdoors.com/ubbngto/smile.gif

Owl

[Kent]

Betzel -
That's a tough question. If you're hitting 70" plus with a 4 wt Winston, you obviously have a good cast with pretty sound mechanics. From there, it's fine tuning. The best bet would be to spend a little time with a trained and experienced casting instructor (like Fishdoc), or maybe try video-taping your casting.

From your statement I'd be tempted to look first at the haul. If a "haul or two" is only adding 8-10', something is not happening quite right there. Could it be a little too early, or perhaps not feeding the line back after the haul? If you haul on the back-cast, but don't "give the line back" immediately (by bringing your line hand to your casting hand at the end of the backcast), when you start the forward cast you introduce a bit of slack and rob the rod of some of its load.

Another suggestion I always give those seeking distance especially is to shoot line strongly on the final backcast. This eliminates the pitfalls of trying to carry lots of overhang in the false-casts and really loads up the rod for the delivery stroke.




------------------
Kent
Flyfishing West Georgia & Beyond (http://kje.home.mindspring.com)

[flycast]

You've gotten some awesome advice from these guys. Just remember this: Usually on on the final delivery forward cast we (I) have a tendency to want to just way overpower my rod and that my friend, will kill any kind of distance. Mirror your back and forward casts and lengthen your casting stroke to accommadate the length of line the rod needs to hold in the air and to cast. you'll be amazed with yourself with 15 to 30 minutes a day of practice.

[This message has been edited by flycast (edited 07-26-2001).]

[Windknot]

I think I'm gonna bookmark this thread!

Bryan, you asked about targets. One thing I got from the last Fling was using hula hoops as vertical targets such as Chris described and as horizonal targets. I use them as regular targets and sometimes as targets to curve around.

In my yard, I can wander a bit and use shrubs, low-hanging tree limbs, the occasional cat, etc. as targets or obstacles of opportunity. This, plus a movable vertical target, keeps my lawn time from becoming boring. I wish I could tell you my tree-trout quotient was lower as a result, but... http://www.georgia-outdoors.com/ubbngto/smile.gif
Don