I am very close to securing a gigantic facility for 3 hours of indoor casting time on any given weekday evening. The top candidate is in Waltham very near 128 and also rte 2.
I need to know if there is interest enough to commit to a $10 entry fee, of which the first $300 is to cover access to the facility.
More info... any weeknight would do, so let's say Wednesday the 17th. The place is an indoor roller skating rink, so there are lights, more area than we can possibly cast across, tables and seats (tying?), and even music
I had a chat with the manager and although I had to explain a few times, he doesn't see a problem with it.
They stay open until 11pm so I would think 7pm to 10pm would be reasonable for most folks.
Think of it as an opportunity to warm up the casting arm before the Marlboro fly show!
I need 28 more... (unless we bump the price to $20 / head, which makes it 14 more)
Count me in. What are the best patterns for the gym floor trout? I prefer dries so any specific help there would be greatly appreciated. I'm thinking a spaulding slam dunk or a nike nightmare.
Juro -- how high are the cielings? I have a vision, forged from my youth, of indoor roller rinks with very low cielings, ar at least with lots of lights and stuff hung less than 12' from the floor. We would need at least 15' to cast overhand (Hawkeye might need more....)
In for sure. I've been itching to cast. I'll go $15 or $20 if turnout is small. I should think the same pattern that occasionally snags roller bladers at the canal would be quite effective.
Ok Al, was that a slam on my flailing style casting technique?
Actually now that I think about it it is quite logical. In my casting stroke my hand is probably at about 5 1/2' the rod is 9' giving 6" of clearance for the line. All that and I haven't even started leaping to gain that few extra inches of line in the air. I'd say 20' would be a comfortable minimum.
Can't wait to see what everybody's casting strokes are gonna look like when they put the "Chicken Dance" music on http://216.71.206.188/images/flytalk/Happy.gif" border="0" align="middle">
All of my memories of this place involve kid's birthday parties (mine or their friends), and massive overstimulation- aaaarrrrrgggggghhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!
And after casting, we can all go next door and bowl.... <img src="http://216.71.206.188/images/flytalk/Happy.gif
Back in the hunt... I call up Wal Lex to ask about their rink. Mgr #1 - "sounds like a neat idea". Call back later... desk person #1 "try next door, this is the bowling alley". Drop by after work... desk person #2 - "Go see mgr #2 in the employee only door of the rink"...
I walk in. The ceiling is perhaps 30 feet high, the front is covered with table after table and the wooden floor sprawls for what seems to be the entire area of the Marlboro fly show building with beckoning open space. I say "hello?" but my feet ramble over to the middle of the roller floor, dreaming of a palacial casting experience in short sleeves with dozens of vises churning out flies at each table, a little jazz over the speakers and the snack bar open for biz (included in the charge).
A husky dark figure, looking like the circus keeper in Pinocchio, comes out from the shadows and asks "can I help you?". I ask "how many feet is this, 300?". He asks "why, what do you want to do?". I reply "like I told the other guy on the phone, we want to flycast indoors and need a large open floorspace."
He was actually offended that someone would suggest something other than roller skating in his rink. He acted as if personally offended, hurt, by the imposition. I was puzzled at the discontinuity of the responses I got from the previous manager I talked to. Apparently, mr. bowling took liberty with mr. roller skating's jurisdiction and the latter seemed to think of the rink as more than just a lot of oak flooring - but as a temple of mirror-balled rubber-wheeled frivolity, not to be defaced by the sacriledge of such antics as a group of fly casters.
I asked a couple more times... what harm would it do, we were paying the fee... he became almost emotional so I left.
The good news is... I can now say "Holy #### is a roller rink great for this kinda thing!"
There's a roller rink in Worcester, on Park Ave, next to Sakura Toyko restaurant (Webster Square).
Also, in Acton, there's a place some guys here at work play indoor soccer in during lunch - so I imagine it's pretty big. I'm going by there later, try to pick up the name.
Is this still in planning stages? I could sure use the training/practice and would be willing to help organize it if necessary.
The place in Acton is "Acton Indoor Sports".
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