One of the things that I find curious about casting is that despite the changes in rod tecnology and in the understanding of casting and physical conditioning is that cast length hasn't developed as quickly as you may expect.

Witness: Alexander Grant over a hundred years ago with a greenheart rod could spey cast over 190feet. A distance that has only in very recent years been bettered. He also overhead cast in excess of 220 feet - I believe that about 75 feet of line was "shot" with that cast.

Dick Miller in 1938 could cast 183 feet with a hollowed split cane rod.

That must mean that the tip speed they were generating was quite phenomenal - in Grant's case faster than anyone until about 2007(?) when Scott MacKenzie finally bettered it. If the tip speed was slower presumably they wouldn't have cast further.

Further they were doing it with rods that must be much slower than the ones we use now.

So I was wondering just how much slower in a slow actioned rod's terminal tip speed compared to a very fast actioned one. I know a fast actioed rod will accelerate faster - but over a shorter distance but is it faster by the time the line unloads?

Malcolm

They were using lead cored lines something that is not recognised in records today.

That would help a little, wouldn't like to be in the way if the running line ever snapped

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does seem strange that a standard family hatchback gives sports cars of just a few years ago a run for their money, yet all the high tec carbon and line taper technology doesnt show the same advancements on the podium, way nicer to use though.

Buzz,

I know that Grant certainly didn't use a lead cored line - He lifted the whole 192 feet of line off the water for his spey cast and laid it back down.

Even if Miller did use a lead impregnated line 183 ft is still an extraordinary distance for a guy wielding a split cane fly rod. Remember also they didn't have super slick coatings or anything like that. It makes me think we're missing a (very obvious) trick.

I'll stick with my slow action rods for now!

Malcolm

Malcolm, nip over to the dark side on sunday and ask peter anderson, he set some of those records.