Fly Fair review

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Wolfman Woody

Guest
That Hywel Morgan is impressive although why anyone would want to cast 66 rods all at once I don't know. What would he do if he caught 66 fish on the same cast?

To put out 40 yards on a fly line is truly a feat though. I wish I could do half that much of the time. Perhaps with a following wind......
 
R

Ron 'The Hat' Clay

Guest
I used to get over 40 metres regularly in my 30s and 40s, mainly with a shooting head. These days I am pleased with about 30 yards with a couple of false casts.

Remember distance casting of this kind is mainly done in ideal conditions with no trees or dirty great big dam wall behind you and a nice short tapered leader.

Try chucking those distances with a 20 foot leader for example.

However Hywell Morgan is a master caster and well worth watching. The ability to cast 60 rods at a time is simply a demonstration of his timing and technique.
 
E

ED (The ORIGINAL and REAL one)

Guest
Jeff
He was amazing..he was casting around corners ...
 
njb51

njb51

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i've seen people doing this casting of multiple rods and i have to say, i wasn't at all impressed at all. All he did, was pick the rods up, swing them back, then forward again. Not really casting is it?
 
GrahamM

GrahamM

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He was casting 40yds with a #4 line, and 50yds with a #8. His best cast is over 60yds. The amazing thing was that he was doing it whilst holding a conversation with a few people and not really concentrating on what he was doing. And this with a side wind.

Dave asked him what the most common fault was and his immediate answer was:

"Trying too hard."

"And the best way to correct that is to think that if you're going to need two false casts, let the cast go on the second one. It's the last cast, the third, that usually ruins it with anglers putting too much effort into it."
 
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Ron 'The Hat' Clay

Guest
It's important in cast a fly to keep your false casting down to the bare minimum. Too much false casting ruins your rythm and makes you tired. It also scares fish. Three false casts should be the maximum when aiming for distance.

Casting around corners is not that difficult. You perform it with a sideways action. Stop the cast early and the line will go the the right. Stop the cast a little later and the line will go to the left.

I you have ever played golf by the way you will know what happens when you try too hard.
 
W

Wolfman Woody

Guest
I'm sure it's the same guy that's been with John Wilson on TV, but I'm pretty sure it's the same as the guy I saw at the angling show years ago. If not he's a double.

Doubt if I can manage 20feet at times, but I agree with that advice Graham. The less hard you try, the easier it gets. Timing, to let the line out on the back cast, is what I was told.
 
W

Wolfman Woody

Guest
Incidentally, third picture down with Dave Chilton and Chris Sandford. Has Dave been put up to distract Chris' attention whilst Scouse Ed slips a small memento into his left trouser pocket?

Old habits die hard eh?
 
R

Ron 'The Hat' Clay

Guest
One tip I was given over 50 years ago Jeff is to think about the back cast more than the forward cast.

The reason for this is that a forward cast comes more naturally and a back cast is harder to execute, often requiring muscles which are not often used.

Get the back cast right and the foward cast follows with much less trouble.
 
C

Chris Pearson

Guest
Graham,
I once saw a guy at The Chatsworth Angling Fair demonstrate fly fishing with a rod about 6" long it was un-believeable to watch.
 
E

ED (The ORIGINAL and REAL one)

Guest
Lefty Kray can cast 40 yards with NO rod
 
E

ED (The ORIGINAL and REAL one)

Guest
Woody --
It was a vintage fly reel ......
 
W

Wolfman Woody

Guest
Chris will be very upset with you.

I just hope Dave wasn't implicated in any way.
 
R

Ron 'The Hat' Clay

Guest
I've heard of Ronny and Reggie Kray Ed but never Lefty Kray.

:eek:)
 
GrahamM

GrahamM

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I don't know what Lefty Kreh and Hywel Morgan have got when it comes to fly casting, but it's something I haven't found yet.
 
S

Shrek

Guest
I keep thinking this when I watch proficient casters when I'm fishing.

I think they've cracked the "mind over matter" thing and actually let the rod do all the work, without helping except for applying the all important stop, and have their timing spot on too. They always seem so relaxed, as you've pointed out, which is another key.

When think about where I want the fly to land, rather than how I want it to get there, I cast better. I also cast better if I don't want to put out the whole line, but just shoot say 10 yards.

This is something I'll be practicing over the winter months.
 
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Ron 'The Hat' Clay

Guest
Bob Church described fly casters as "Artists" or "Artisans". Lot's of us can take comfort from the fact that some of the finest fly fishers are only casting "artisans".

Arthur Cove decribed his own casting style as pathetic, yet he is one of the finest still water fly fishers of all time. Neither Bob Church, **** Walker, **** Shrive, Cyril Inwood or Tom Ivens have/had casting styles that you would call "pretty", but they caught lots of fish.

Casting well is one thing, but knowing where to cast to and how to fish the fly is far more important.

Gordon Fraser, another great fly fisher used to say about flies for instance: "It's not what you fish it's the way that you fish it".
 
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