Casting without the reel!!!!

I have to say that the words gag in my throat as I write, but Ron is right!!!

Went out for some casting practice this evening and remembered Ron saying that if you take the reel of the rod, you'll cast better. Well, I did that and my casting improved immensely. Tighter loops with no tail at all and the line zipped out.

Didn't think it would work, but it surely does. Try it for yourself when you're next practicing, inbetween the comments from passers-by!!!!

Nothing new there; **** Walker said the same thing thirty years ago. It's even more relevant today as everyone seems to think you must use these dreadful large arbor reels which weigh far too much - I have yet to see one that takes a #7 line under 6 1/2 ounces - and even then you'll be paying a small fortune. Get a cheaper one and it will be at least 8 or 9 ounces. Stick that on a carbon rod weighing 3 ounces and it is no suprise the rod's casting action is destroyed.

Ignorance of this fact is fine if you take the view that is is only the individual who suffers as a result; unfortunately demand for large arbor reels is such that the manufacturers have to make what people want. You just try and get a decent lightweight traditional style fly reel these days - in other words a step up from the Rimfly/Orvis Clearwater models - not that there's anything wrong with them.

Orvis are the only one to my knowledge who offer sensible rim control reels weighing under 5 ounces (which is still a bit too heavy) with their Battenkill and CFO ranges. Hardy only make one now - the Lightweight - and that only in small sizes; fine on the streams, but useless for small stillwater work - which I am prepared to bet is the biggest market sector these days. I am fortunate to have one of the Marquis reels - in my opinion probably the best general fly reel ever made; it holds a DT7 floater and fifty yards of backing, yet weighs under 4 1/2 ounces. Perfection.

I suppose someone will point out that a large arbor holds much more backing, so when that fish is heading for the horizon you have enough in reserve, etc etc... Well, that's rubbish. For small stillwater fishing fifty yards backing plus a flyline is ample. In all my years' lake fishing I have only once had a fish get all my flyine out, and then only because I had twenty odd yards out when I hooked it. If you fish reservoirs you can use a shooting head and flat nylon backing; a normal reels will hold two hundred yards of 20lb nylon, plus a twelve yard #8 shooting head.

What about speed of retrieve you say? What about it, say I. Even a five inch centrepin wouldn't allow you to wind in fast enough to keep up with a trout, so why bother trying. Strip the line in by hand if you have to.

Of course, if you really want to be able to wind in as fast as a speeding rainbow, you could buy a big pit fixed spool and put your flyline on that. It'll really bugger your casting up, but if you're using an oversized large arbor reel already you're presumably not bothered about that, are you?

Ideally, what you want is a large arbour reel that weighs next to nothing. I am using a Shakespeare Pflueger Trion which is a mid arbour reel and it is very light compared with a few others.

But worse still Fred, do you remember the days when all the rod builders insisted on putting on a reel seat that stuck the reel right at the end of the rod?

And this silly habit took years to shake off. Any rod I bought 12 or so years ago I had to spend time fitting a new reel seat the right way round, that is uplocking.

**** Walker nagged the tackle trade for years about this, yet they took no notice. It is only in recent years that rod bulders have come to their senses and now we have reel seats put on the right way round.

In coarse angling there are still lots of rods with the reel seat put on the wrong way round. In a coarse or spinning rod you want the reel seat down-locking so that you are not gripping a load of screw thread. Yet you still see many rods, especially carp and barbel rods with the reel seat up-locking.

Silly silly people!

Fred, thanks for such a detailed response, it's much appreciated. Lots of food for thought there.

Ron - Hardy's have been putting their reel seats on the right way round since the first perfection palakona rods over a hundred years ago. Some other manufacturers took rather longer to realise this.

The best large capacity fly reel I have seen is the sadly defunct Bob Church Lineshooter; made of graphite reinforced composite, it would hold a full line and more than enough backing. It was not the sweetest reel to use but if you really needed the capacity it did the job.

Fred,

It should not be beyond any reel manufacturer today to produce a 4 inch reel with a decent sized arbour that would weigh less than say 4 oz. A lot could be done with graphite reinforced plastics similar to the old Dragonfly reels.

I used to have a Bob Church Lineshooter, but I drove over it and smashed it many years ago. It wasn't very sophisticated but it did a job.

You are right about Hardy's of course Fred. They designed and made some of the most exquisite split cane rods in their day.

However Orvis of Manchester Vermont were the first company to utilise 6 strip hexagonal cane. But for some strange reason, Orvis used to put their reel seats the wrong way round. They don't do that today of course.

I used to love the old Hardy catalogues, and the way they used to describe their tackle.

And the photographs which depicted:

"Lt. Col. JCSC Whytherington-Smythe fishes the dray flay on the Test at Horsebridge using a Hardy "Palakona" Gold Medal fly rod."

What lovely memories those old Hardy catalogues conjured.

I would love to do what the upper crust did then.

Whatever happened to old Whythers? He was in my regiment, you know...damm fine chap. Always carried a full hip flask with him. Never short of a bob or two either...damm fine chap, what?

Oh I say, absolutely Richard old bean.

They were true Pukka Wallahs in those days what?

And do you remembah Indiah? Poona-the old Officer's mess what? Actually we had a dozen turbanned Seiki-Wallahs to do our every bidding.

And what about Carruthers? Now living in Africa - Kenya you know. Married a gorilla, female of course, nothing queer about Carruthers!

What? Old Carruthers from the 21st foot and mouth? Married, eh? Good God, would never have thought the chap would have stooped that low.

He was always the first of the chaps to the bar...none of this common stopping and tying his boot laces so everybody else would pile past and get a round in.

Well, must dash...the sahib is on the way and he'll be wanting his gaiters pressed and his moustache waxed.

Boy...I say...you boy!! Damm them all...

Dastardly spiffing what? What a wheeze!

Next time we meet let's go out and kill something what?

Chaps - can I recommend you listen to The Bonzo Dog Do Dah Band's fine recording of 'Hunting Tigers Out In Indiah' on your charabanc gramaphone whilst travelling to the choicest water hole?

Hardy's even used to sell an angler's pipe! Those were the days... now they only seem interested in producing fly rods and reels for the travel market. They don't even sell nets anymore.