By Rene J. Hesse
It seems that, after a series of good false casts, my delivery cast will be a disaster; usually, it is, on a hurried cast or a long cast. When I make one of the casting errors, it causes a tailing loop. The fly line tangles, or lands on top of itself. What is happening is that the line is being unloaded above the oncoming line. That’s because the rod tip went in a concave path. We want the loop to come off the end of the rod and form a loop over the tip of the rod. Here are the causes and corrections for the tailing loop.
There are a few things that cause the rod tip to dip and come back up in a concave path:
• An erratic or abrupt application of power.
• Too short of a casting stroke for the amount of line out of the rod tip.
• Creeping, which is coming forward with the rotation of the rod before the line has extended in back.
• Trajectory – A high back cast and then a high trajectory forward cast.
Corrections:
• Erratic Power – Make a smooth constant rate of power through the cast. Apply the proper amount of power at the proper time. When we put that last “WHAM” on a cast, it is going to drop the rod tip and cause the tailing loop. Keep that smooth power application you are using on the false casts when you do the delivery cast.
• Short Stroke – Think in terms of ‘short cast/short stroke and long cast/long stroke’. As the false casting extends line, make sure the casting stroke length AND casting arc increase.
• Creeping – This is one of the hardest to catch. When you stop in the back cast to let the line extend, if you rotate your wrist and the rod tip starts toward the target, it will shorten the casting arc and cause a tailing loop. Instead, when you stop in the back cast, drift your rod tip back toward the unfolding line. Be careful not to rotate down towards the ground with the rod tip, but go up and back. That will increase the arc and stop the creeping.
• Trajectory – Aim your cast a few feet over the target. Too often the forward cast is aimed 10-15 feet over the target on the false cast or delivery cast. There should be a 180 degree line between the trajectories of the back to the target. We want a straight line on all paths away from the target and back to it. Don’t let a V form between the back and front cast.
Those are the main reasons I tend to ruin my cast. By watching my back cast unfold, I can often correct a few of the errors. I am being aware there may be an issue if I rush or have the wrong trajectory. There are other things that can cause the rod tip to dip and go in a concave path. There are situations that we can use the tailing loop as part of a cast, too. Being limited in words here, I can’t do it justice, so for greater detail, go to Fly Fishers International for more info.