Sorry folks, no how-to content in this one. It’s just me reflecting on how we think and talk about fly casting. 

Rather than trying to make and take analytical points I want to put up a few thoughts and questions which will rise or fall where they may. For those familiar with my fly casting journey – research, theory and practice – not much of what follows will come as a great surprise.

Starting with something relatively uncontroversial I’d wager that most casting teachers would agree the most common problems experienced by their students (and lots of anglers who aren’t anybody’s student) are over powering and over rotation. The two problems are rarely seen apart implying that they are causally related. My guess then is that over powering a cast frequently (if not invariably) causes over rotation. Too much effort produces too much rotation. The reverse seems unlikely – that over rotation causes over powering. Keep those thoughts handy as I leap to the next stage.

Distance casting has a huge influence in the fly casting world. It’s almost literally the elephant in the room.  I’ll pan away from tackle design and marketing to ask why casting further is such a pre-occupation. It once was for me too. The logic seems to be that casting further requires and demonstrates improved skill. If I can cast a long way that means I’m a good caster – doesn’t it? If longer casts necessarily imply more skill then it’s a short step to assuming that the longest casting is performed by the best casters. Thus casting a long way becomes a demonstration of casting authority – knowledge and expertise implied by performance.  If the passage of most casting threads on the forums I (still) occasionally visit are any guide, then the allocation of authority, express and functional, generally follows this road.

As has happened often in my life, I found myself on a different road with a different outlook. My deviation prompts me to offer two questions for your consideration.

What advantages and disadvantages come from the assumption that greater distance is the primary objective and Key Performance Indicator of our fly casting?

What would happen if the focus shifted from absolute length to relative effort?