Easterncaster | Thursday, 16 April 2015
... really not a question.
For five springs now The Antietam Fly Anglers, an IFFF club out of Hagerstown Maryland, has put on a fly casting rendezvous. This past March was my fourth time taking the drive down to the historic Potomac River basin to help and hang out with like minded casting geeks especially with chief instigator and dear pal Bob Stouffer.
I threw my hat into the ring by teaching two sessions. The first was a lunch break demonstration. I was one of several alotted a mere four minutes to address a given topic. Mine, "Improving Casting, Improve Fishing?" I answered 'Yes' (Bob knew I would) by showing an accuracy drill. My elevator pitch was rather clever, at least I thought so, based on Contextual Interference + Varied Practice , where instead of standing in one spot and casting to targets at varying distances, the caster walks to different targets - an oft over looked way of bettering one's accuracy whether casting for casting's sake or casting to fish.
My second session was on distance casting - involved group participation and took longer than four minutes
. Specifically, it is a drill that I use when practicing distance, by switching back and forth between casting two very different but in some way similar rods. In this case at Antietam, an Epic 686 and Sexyloops Competition 5, each with an identical reel rigged with identical line: Scientific Angler's VPT-6, a fabulous line(!) and a great match with the rods. So, one at a time, each participant cast the outfits, starting with the Epic and then moving over to the rigged and ready HT.
Simply put, it's a drill on contrast, comparison and adjustment - on what's easy(ier) and what's not. What enables and what doesn't.
I stumbled into it (there are several variations) a couple of years ago while practicing my Single-hand Fly Distance (an ACA game). One day out of frustration with this beast of an outfit I gave up, had enough, put it away and took out my Angler's Fly Distance outfit - a much more user friendly rod and head. Just one cast in I knew that something cool was happening. The outfit appeared so light and maneuverable, and I seemed to have gotten quicker. Even my tracking and trajectory had improved. The run-off from wielding the Single-hand beast moment ago was eye openingly positive. I became giddy.
Anyway, there's more to the drill, and certainly more to describe about the marvelous event and it's wonderful organizers but I need to get this posted so I can sleep. Lessons tomorrow, as well quite a few through the weekend. All good productive ways to use my time while the water warms up and the fish start looking up!
Hey, photo credit(s) to Derek Eberly a fellow loop addicted, rod aficiando out of Pennsylvania - thanks D!