Curve Cast??

[davefritz1066]

I've been reading up on making curve casts both the 'easy' and 'difficult' ways... neither of which seems easy at all... :bang:

Am I doing something wrong if i'm not getting a really define 'break neck' curve in my line, or is it going to be a more gradual curve?

Does it have something to do with using a very slow action rod? Perhaps a faster rod would make it easier to overpower the side arm cast to produce said curve?

Also, I'm practicing in the yard... I doubt water would make much of a difference, except I would be able to see the 'drag free' results of my curve attempts...

Any hints would be appreciated...

Dave-

[Josh Barnett]

You may have already seen this, but if not here it is:

http://www.sexyloops.com/flycasting/tcurved.shtml

[Kent]

Dave, fast rod won't make much difference - slow should work as well or better. Over-powered curves take line speed - if loop is open and slow, it won't have enough power to "kick" around.

Try standing sideways to target (on grass). Get about 30' of line out and absolutely straight behind you. Make a 6' stroke with the rod tip - the line should go straight. Now try again, this time with a 10' stroke - it should hook to the left. The amount & sharpness of the curve will be determined by the line speed, the tightness of the loop & the firmness of the stop.

[davefritz1066]

I'll give it a try this afternoon... let you know how I do...

[Windknot]

Dave,

I've looked at diagrams and write-ups about the "difficult" curve casts, and frankly thought they were too weird for me.

That changed the day a guy posted after casting at the Fly Fishing Show in Atlanta a couple years ago. He was talking about making huge casts over the casting lanes (damp plastic sheeting) of 90' - 100', which he described as "straight as an arrow, except for the leader and tippet swinging to the left."

That clicked for me! On a power stroke when he (or I) let the wrist direct a "flick" by rolling over the rod hand just a little bit - presto! Instant left curve on an upright cast. I don't know if I described it well enough, but the guy's results (and its cause) were crystal clear to me. I hope this helped you.
Don

[Ty]

There are two curve casts that I use. One is a smooth round curve that can be made by simply rolling your hand/wrist during the power snap as windknot describes. For a righthanded caster, roll your hand during the the power snap so that your palm is facing up at the conclusion of the cast. You should see a nice sweeping curve to the left. To make the same curve to the right, roll your hand so that the back of your hand is facing up at the end of the cast. The curve to the right is tougher to pull off because of the anatomy of the wrist. At least I find it tougher anyway.

The other curve cast I use has a very sharp "corner". This is the "corkscrew cast" described by Jason Borger in his book The Nature of Flycasting. Basically, you make a horizontal "V" with the rod tip during the power snap (the point of the "V' facing to the left) immediately followed by a very quick, small clockwise motion of the rod tip. This will give you cast with a 90 degree angle in the line to the left. I know it sounds complicated and I have probably done a poor job of describing this cast, but it's not as difficult as it sounds. With practice you can vary the size of the angle and where you put it in the line. It's a pretty neat cast once you get a feel for it.
I recommend getting Mr. Borger's book. It goes into a lot more detail on this cast and other curve casts. Good luck.

Ty