Hi!

I have thought about how the fly is travelling in the air when casting. Why doesn't the fly catch the underline or the rod? Is it because we angle the rod slightly to the side so the overline, leader and fly is travelling to the right side of the underline and therefore further away from the rod? I often see in videos that the fly is travelling under the rod tip. So in order for it not to hit the rod, it must pass to the side.

If you didn't angle the rod some to the side, then you would hit the rod often with the fly right? The more you angle to the side, the more away from you and the rod the fly will get?

Am I right in my thoughts? That in order for it not to tangle, the fly is travelling to the side of the underline?

No.but I'll leave it to our casting instructor folk to tell you why not.but your fly on the forward cast should be above your rod tip.

Jim

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The Fishermans Friend is the Flirty Fly,Fickle Food for Fleeting Fish.

Sorry but you are not right in your thoughs,
The reason that the upper part of the loop (fly leg) does not crash into the underline or lower part of the loop (rod leg) is because we lower the rod tip slightly during the last part of the cast, just before we stop the rod allowing the upper part of the line (fly leg) to pass over the rod tip and the lower part of the loop (fly leg).
I will try to describe what happens during the forward cast as simply as possible.

So, starting with the rod stopped as if at the end of a back cast and pointing straight up rather than out to the side with the line straight in the air behind the caster. The rod is brought forward with the rod handle staying at the same angle long enough for the line to start moving in the right direction, then once the line has stated to move forward pulled along by the rod tip the caster while still bring the rod forward rotates the rod forward in a similar way to the way the big hand on a clock rotates. This lowers the rod tip below the path of the line. At this point the caster stops the rod allowing the line to pass over the rods tip and a loop is formed something like a 'U' on its side.
It also important that the rod should start slow and then accelerate evenly or progressively to a crisp stop through out this movement.

If you watch the videos on this page it will help with my explanation.


I cant really comment on the videos you mentioned as I have not seen them so don't know what casts where being performed.

You description of keeping the two parts of the loop next to each other rather than one above the other is quite a common way to get round poor technique.

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Frank Williams APGAI

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This can happen when you are casting a longer length of line or if you stop on the back cast to far back.

The long line one happens when you stop on the back cast the line falls as it unrolls, the longer the line then the further it will fall, then when you go into the forward cast the line comes from under the rod, This is not a tailing loop, this is the effects of gravity on a long line.

The next one, which is stopping to late on the back cast, what happens is instead of stopping the rod just past vertical, you stop it further back, this sends the fly line down and when you deliver the forward cast then it comes from under the rod.

To cure these, stop the rod earlier and think of the back cast being an upcast, this will help counter gravity and give you more time to make the forward cast

I hope this helps

Chris

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Alright kids - this is reality - backcast a slight curve - forward cast straightlined - like an attenuated capital letter D .

First used extensively by the Brilliant Belgian Caster Albert Godard in the 30's - who first figured out that if you actually did cast actually dead straight both ways - you inevitably hit the rod .

Then there's the deliberate lift and drop of the casting hand at either end of the sequence - but that's for folks who have derived their opinions from hard extensive practise and the keen watching of serious casters .

Less theorising and more practise is what we all actually need .

Steve ( in 54th year of whipping at it ) P

Steve, you are talking about a specific cast, the Belgian cast or oval cast.
which has a specific use. Which I am not going to get into hear as I am trying to keep it as simple as possible to help the OP out.

Personally when performing the overhead cast both my back and front loop go over the rod tip, how often do I hit the rod tip? I can't remember the last time I did either when fishing or when practicing.

As for your often added lament that we should all practice more and theories less, firstly theory is part of practice there is no point blindly practicing with out thinking about what you are doing and how changes you make will effect the cast you are practicing. secondly how do you know how much time I or any one else is actually practicing?

__________________
Frank Williams APGAI

See Classified for;

Flouro Drop Style Indicators ¦ French/Czech nymphing leaders ¦ Hi-Vis tippet for indicators ¦
Kamoufil leader material ¦
Stroft ABR & GTM

Sponsored Kilimanjaro climb

this could be fun, as steve says, on the initial lift, if you lift and stop the rod at exactly vertical there is a specific length of line that you cannot clear over the tip of the rod in a straight line, because the tradjectory is too low, it has to pass to the side or curve upward on its way.

obviously there are ways of dealing with it but until learned it is a bit confusing.

sorry to be thick, but who lifts a rod up and stops it exactly vertical.
Have i been wrong all this time?

where the tip stops determines the upward angle of the line, short lines have a steeper angle, longer lines it has to flatten out as it were,
we tend to stop somewhere slightly back from vertical, i was making an example, to lift a long line over the rod tip you have to tilt some to get it over.

Thank goodness for that. I thought I had been doing it really,really, wrong for years( rather than a bit wrong).
As for Long line I have never had to deal with that problem... from the OP's description of his knowledge, I wonder if he has as well.
I cant ever remember hitting the rod with the lift or the back cast.
It always on the trailing loop ( yes I know... but when i get exited it still creeps in sometimes).That causes me grief.

Sounds to me like you could do with clearing your head out of every thing you think you know about casting JHA 84. And start right back at the begining with an open mind and a good instruction.