"Greg Pavlov" schrieb im Newsbeitrag
...
On 02 May 2004 02:52:51 GMT, ojunk (George Adams)
wrote:

Was fishing the Farmington River in CT this afternoon, and a guy showed
up with
a rig just like Mike Connor described a while ago.

I'm pretty sure that that was a float rod and reel.
If you watch closely you'll see that the reel spools
so freely that the drifting float will take line out
from it. The float rig were developed by Canadian
steelheaders. It may be the most effective way to
catch steelhead in moving water.

It may well have been a float rod, ( actually, a rod is just a rod, what you
use it for determines the designation at the time. So called "Match" rods
are used for lots of things, and most UK anglers will know what is meant by
the term. Few Americans do. Whatever the rod used, it is unlikely that he
was casting sixty feet with a standard centrepin reel. Although this is
possible, in over forty years of general fishing, I have only ever met three
other people who could do it. A very special technique is required for long
casting with a centrepin reel, and as they are no longer very popular for
general fishing, hardly anybody can do it.

One may well fish at such distances though, and even much greater range.
This technique is referred to here as "long trotting". This is still
popular for coarse fishing on some rivers, and especially for grayling in
winter. The reel spool is very finely balanced, and extremely free running,
( top class reels, are even "run in" on the bench, and special lubricants
are used), has a large line capacity, ( although normally relatively fine
line is used), and it is possible to fish large stretches of river. Some of
the top class reels will also cost you a lot of money. The reel is "batted"
( hit with the ball of the hand to start it turning), and once a little line
is out, the slight line drag ( in running water of course), is enough to
keep the spool turning easily.

A good long trotting reel will spin in the hand for over ten minutes when
lightly batted.

This is also the basis of the special technique required for distance
casting with such a reel. A split second before the casting weight ( float,
lead, spinner, etc) is released, the reel spool is either batted with the
free hand, or accelerated with the thumb of the casting hand. The weight
merely carries the line out, and does not cause the reel drum to revolve.
Very considerable practice is required for this technique. Mistimimg, or
applying too much power will result in a "birds nest" of gigantic
proportions!

What I recently described was an " Alvey" side-cast reel. The reel may be
twisted 90° on its foot axis, and used like a fixed spool reel for casting.
It is returned to the normal position for retrieveing etc. Unfortunately,
there is often confusion about various reels, as there is no universal
nomenclature.

TL
MC