There was a post a while back about line tangle. SSulley replied that after the final haul, instead of just letting the line go, he makes an "O" with the thumb & index finder. This acts as an extra stripping guide & helps remove small tangles. I tried this the other night & it worked very well. If you get a big tangle it ends up in your (left) hand, where you can clear it easily. This is better than having the snag up in your guides where you have to tip the rod & pull the line back before you can clear the tangle. SSulley, thanks for a smart & simple Tip!
SSully has a great tip with the use of your idle fingers. Wished we'd learn that when we were teenagers.
It is very important to keep the knots away from guides. To modify this one step further, now take that free hand and make an up and down motion with it. This will frail the line into the air removing most knots before they even reach your fingers. Now take your rod hand and press the butt of your rod against your wrist, with the reel handle point down. This will keep line from wrapping around the butt and handle while your trophy fish is trying to elude you. See if these other tips will help you.
Great stuff. I have used the "O" technique particularly when showing a new caster how to shoot line.
Another I might add to the list is the use of pressure of the butt of the rod against the forearm to add power to the backcast. As the backcast starts, I brace the rod butt against my forearm which increases the leverage against the line in the air at the beginning of the load. It also ensures that I do not break my wrist too early. Don't keep the butt touching the forearm thru the entire stroke - there is a bit of "english" at the end of every cast that rolls the energy out of the rod blank and into the loop. It's a crisp snap of the wrist that stops almost as suddenly as it begins - from 12 o'clock to 2 o'clock as they say, at which time the arm would be out of position if the wrist did not flick that small angular vector.
The bracing occurs at the beginning of the cast stroke only.
Folks,
Now we are talking flyfishing or fishing with a fly?
Line control is very important when sight fishing, you must be able to get the fly in front of the fish and try to feed the fish.
Accuracy is what counts. You don't want to be standing on the bow of a flats boat when your guied says fish at 2:00 at hundred and fifty yards out, and starts poling the boat like a mad man to try to get you a decent shot at a tarpon or bonefish. You sail your cast over the fish and line the school, if you have a decent guide you can get away with this once or twice, after that oh boy it will be a long day for the both of you.
We in the Northeast have a lot of very bad habbits when it comes to flyfishing. One is throwing a lot of line into the ocean with out knowing were it is going. A guide whould rather see you make a good 60 footer on the button and he will get you in range for your best shot.
There is a saying in golf, You drive for show but you putt for dough.
Folks,
Now we are talking flyfishing or fishing with a fly?
Line control is very important when sight fishing, you must be able to get the fly in front of the fish and try to feed the fish.
Accuracy is what counts. You don't want to be standing on the bow of a flats boat when your guied says fish at 2:00 at hundred and fifty yards out, and starts poling the boat like a mad man to try to get you a decent shot at a tarpon or bonefish. You sail your cast over the fish and line the school, if you have a decent guide you can get away with this once or twice, after that oh boy it will be a long day for the both of you.
We in the Northeast have a lot of very bad habbits when it comes to flyfishing. One is throwing a lot of line into the ocean with out knowing were it is going. A guide whould rather see you make a good 60 footer on the button and he will get you in range for your best shot.
There is a saying in golf, You drive for show but you putt for dough.
This season during the trials & tribulatoins of my knotting 325QD & clear intermediate 444 I picked up the habit of lightly holding the line between the index finger & thumb of my hauling hand. This allowed me to feel any of the small nasty knots that would be a problem - and stop the line before they jammed in the guides & helped clean out the larger knots on their way out.
On a related topic, I returned my #9 444 clear intermediate (it snapped when I was LIGHTLY stretching it [the line that is] prior to fishing with Bigcat one night & also returned my QD 325 after it delaminated & due to my disgust with the continual knotting. Cortland replaced both, called & left a message that they both were defective. I have yet to catch up with the technician at Cortland & find out why but will post when I do.
ANYWAY... I have fished the QD several times since it was replaced & I LOVE IT!! It feels like it has a different finish & has not knotted up on me like my other one did.
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