Chuck, If you cast straight overhead, then the belly (barb) will be in the vertical up position, like you do. But side-casting allows the loop to lay out to the side, and by the time the loop straightenes out, it is below the main line. The cause for wind knots is getting the 'point of the barb' (the fly and end of the leader) through the loop before it heads forward, effectually tying an overhand knot in the leader.
Just like hand-retreiving or reel retreiving, casting must be adjusted to the conditions we're fishing in. If the wind is from the right, I cast over my left shoulder or with my left hand to avoid wind-knots. If distance is the key, then I side-arm cast. If I have to punch a fly into the wind, I use Borger's 'hatchet-chop' style cast. I still have yet to master the saltwater shooting leader system- JerryG has to give me more lessons on that. Casting can be as utilitarian as dropping a fly behind a bolder on a trout stream, or it can be raised to an art form like FFF master-casters can do it. DonO ----- Original Message ----- From: "Chuck Alexander" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Monday, June 27, 2005 8:13 AM Subject: Re: [VFB] My Tom Nixon book arrived!! > This also brings out a question I have... When I cast my flyrod..I'll try to > explain it since I didn't know if we are allowed to put in attachments to > emails here.. When I stop at the 1 o'clock postion, before the line loads > and starts to cast back forward.. If you took a snap shot of the line at > that point, it would look like a long shanked fish hook with the gape and > barb pointing UP.. But in one of those books I checked out at my local > library, in that same snap shot (in the drawing in the book), the line looks > like a long shank hook with the gape and the barb pointing towards the > ground, right before the line loads, straightens out, and comes forward with > the cast..(In other words, in the book, the line loads from an under then > over position, but I load mine from an over then under position) Make > sense??? Am I casting wrong???? Thanks in advance to anybody who may be able > to answer this.., Chuck
