[Huckleberry]

Hello all:

I could really use some help here. I was out fishing last night and on quite a few of the forward casts the line or leader hit itself or ran into itself. How do you explain this casting mistake and what am I doing wrong so that I can avoid it in the future? I was attempting underhand casts or single Spey casts.

TIA

Tom.

 

[fredaevans]

May be a bit off here (far better casters will respond) but

by the description I'd say two possibilities, ... if not both.

1: You may be casting right over your anchor (leader);
2: Your foreward cast (path of rod) is stright 'up and down' rather than a bit off to the side.

Both of these will cause what you've described.
fae

 

[juro]

Good advice Fred.

Another possibility is that you may be trying to direct the cast to target without first directing the d-loop and anchor in the opposite line from the final cast, thus causing a horizontal cross-over.

In other words, the direction of the energy going back in the d-loop is not 180 degrees from the target.

Try pointing the rod out toward the middle of the river 30-40 degrees as you do your lift, then form a d-loop opposite the target to the rear before firing the cast. Swivel your hips if necessary, and make sure the anchor just touches down in the general direction of the target as you fire. This may require more attention to a fully shaped d-loop, the shape of an airplane nose cone, with the bottom of the fuselage just kissing the water at a shallow angle.

 

[nevada caster]

tailing loop?

I often have often have the problem of the fly or tippet coming in and crossing the line. It only happens when I am practising a left handed foreward spey or switch cast. It's like throwing a tailing loop with a single hander. I can minimize the problem by putting more butt hand and less top hand into the cast. fortunately, I don't do it with my other casts.

Any other suggestions?