Odd question(s) to ask, surely, but indulge me for a moment. My fly casting journey was driven originally by the simple idea that by casting better I could fish better. It was a practical endeavour. After a while that changed somewhat when casting became something… Read More
All posts filed under “Casting Technique”
Fly Casting Practice Update 2.1: 80% is a Magic Number
If you search the internet for something like “learning practice skills 80/20” you’ll get a surprisingly broad range of hits on everything from the Pareto principle to corporate sales success and rock climbing. Refine the search by adding “sports” between “practice” and “skills” and you… Read More
Casting Efficient, Narrow Loops – Why, What and How
There I was down at the park again dodging rain showers by standing under some fir trees with their obligingly dense foliage. While I waited I played with side casting using PUALDs and false casts producing delivery casts out to fifty something feet. Circumstances limited… Read More
Fly Casting Practice 2.0 : Efficient Effort
Let’s begin by briefly touching base with the the Famous Five Essentials or rather the most important essentials, the Straight Line Path (SLP) and its best friend Smooth Power Application (Acceleration). The SLP is what happens when we apply power efficiently – basic mechanics. Producing… Read More
Fly Casting Movement: Effort as an Organising Idea for Control
Introduction As a curious person I want to build my understanding of fly casting on solid ground. It remains a work in progress. As a metaphor I was recently attracted to the means by which a railway viaduct designed by Brunel was constructed over marshy… Read More
Distance: Lost, Found and Why
Introduction Going back a few years now I decided to expand the zone within which I could cover and catch fish effectively and reliably from about 60′ to about 80′. At 90′ I would still be very much in the game but for my fishing… Read More
Fly Casting Practice: My Bag of Tricks
As many of you know by now I practice regularly to maintain and improve my casting technique. Some of what I learn finds its way into this blog and I’ve written extensively on how I structure practice sessions to optimise my sensory motor learning. This post is… Read More
Practice, Learning and Happenstance
I’ve been busy researching and writing about the teaching of fly casting but recently I had a pleasant reminder of what it’s like to be on the other end of the process – as a learner. There I was down at the park only to discover that the summer… Read More
“Power Snap” Out of It?
Emerging (slightly) from a two month lockdown last week saw me have my first casting practice session for what seemed like a scary long time. It was exciting to string up for a cast but I did it with some trepidation in wondering how much… Read More
Fly Casting: Distance, Technique, Effort and Practice – Redux
Recently, I spent five or six practice sessions concentrating on tuning up my back cast to get rid of some bad habits that returned during a long fishing trip. Structural restoration has been achieved but deeply grooving the changes is ongoing work. Doing that work led to… Read More
The Curious Fly Caster 
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