LE VIEUX MOUCHEUR 

Casting

 

 

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FLY-FISHING FOR PIKE  by Paul Le Gall, translated by Claude BELLOIR

 

8 - FISHING ACTION :  About casting

Casting a light line on a tiny rod is quite a different proposition from casting a heavy line and bulky lures on a powerful single-handed rod.  

It is imperative that one should readapt one's casting technique unless serious troubles occur, the least of which being a quickly incapacitating wrist fatigue. Among the worst would be the lure unexpectedly flying in the face of the angler and hurting him badly.

Double haul, rod extending from locked wrist and forearm, high back cast, arm out of the way almost extending from the shoulder, axis of rotation at the elbow or even the shoulder, forward cast made with an ample and hard push of the arm and shoulder: that's a quick summary of the conditions required to make powerful casts for hours without undue tiredness. 

The cast is almost always high and upright, a little sideways for safety reasons. The backhand cast is little practised, and never far out when it is as it lacks power. The roll cast, seldom necessary, can be practised with 'Guido Vinck' lures, but performs poorly with poppers, and is hardly possible with “Moustache” streamers unless it's very short to prepare the following lift off and make it easier.

Rather than a horizontal cast, a short upright stroke must be preferred to ricochet the lure under branches for instance. It is a fact that a delicate landing of the lure isn't absolutely necessary to be successful. Often the rather noisy splash of the lure will trigger a lightning reflex strike. 

This technique of power casting also imposes, on top of the elementary and usual precautions, special safety rules. To my mind, the following recommendations should always be observed: 

1- No more than two persons in the same boat  
2- Only one caster in action, even on a moderately windy day  
3- No casting crosswind, as the lure gets blown downwind and may hit the angler  
4- Non-angler sitting safely close to the caster  
5- Never try to 'recover' a bad cast. Let it go  

The danger represented by a high-speed lure weighing several grammes (Moustache weighs 6 g) is not just theoretical. I remember the strike against the rod after a bad cast on a gusty day once. Nothing was broken but a snake ring caught by the lure was missing. It had been well and truly wrenched out of its wrappings though they were still in place, almost intact with the thread sealer and finish! Imagine the injury to a cheek or ear !!!

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