Tips on Fly Casting
Drifting
by Walt Robinson
Drifting
by Walt Robinson
Drifting as part of your cast can either be a good or a bad thing. The good can be found when we are working on longer casts. Upon making a good stop to form the loop on the back cast allow your casting arm to drift back and up. This allows us to gain some extra leverage and distance in making our forward cast. The flip side of this is drifting forward after we have made our stop in the back cast. This is a PROBLEM. It is a nagging condition that often goes unnoticed. When you drift forward after making your back cast, you have shortened the distance to make the forward cast. One symptom of this condition may be a tailing loop. The caster is forced to make a faster and shorter motion to get the cast done instead of a smooth acceleration to a stop. It usually takes someone observing you to discover this. When I ask a student to watch for this drift, they tend not to do it. So in your normal back cast when you make your stop and form the loop, make sure you leave your arm in that position before making your forward stroke.
Got a casting question? E-mail me at wrobinson4@prodigy.net.
There won't be a casting session before the May meeting. Walt will hold a two hour casting clinic on Saturday, May 19th at Westlake Park from 10:00 AM. to 12:00 noon. Bring your rod and a floating line. Two club rods will be available for those without a rod. Call Walt on his cell for confirmation 408-931-2004. The address of the park is Bradley Drive off Spring Street.