The Figure 8 Cast

Jonathan Cook wrote:
Larry L wrote:


The two I use most often are the Big Splat Cast and the Tangled Mess Cast


The real question is, are you skillful enough to combine them?

I'm so good I can make a wind knot without any wind...

The Big Splat Cast can be very effective with terrestrials. The Tangled
Mess Cast has no good use that occurs to me at the moment.

How often have I executed a Tangled Mess Cast and then spent minutes
trying to unsnarl the cluster ****, only to realize that it would have
more efficient to cut it apart and re-rig, and I don't know whether I'll
ever get it undone anyway, but I've invested so much time in it that I
can't quit?

--
Cut "to the chase" for my email address.

"rw" wrote




. The Tangled
Mess Cast has no good use that occurs to me at the moment.



It's a FAR better fish conservation technique than mere catch and release

"rw" wrote


The Big Splat Cast can be very effective with terrestrials.


Actually ...... driving the line into the water in a terrible, ugly,
megaSplat way ( not just splatting a hopper ) has one good real world use.
Imagine a very weedy spring creek with narrow ( often a foot or less ) slots
through the emergent weeds in which fish sit and sip. Your goal is to pile
LOTS of tippet slack in that slot but most 'pile cast' variations are hard
to do with any accuracy and accuracy is essential here.

Drive, and with force and gusto, all of the line and some of the leader (
will depend on leader construction ) into the weeds on your side of the slot
.... the rest of the leader will start out tagging along behind this
overpowered mess but then end up passing it slightly and piling up in the
slot as it falls to the water .... the splat from the line won't usually
scare the fish like it would elsewhere because the weedbed absorbs and hides
it from him

The first time I was told about this was by a teenage behind the counter kid
in a shop near Hot Creek ... I though I was being had and could nearly feel
my leg being stretched as it was pulled .... but, nest day after looking
around to be sure no body was there to start laughing at me, I tried it. ...
heah, it works, ...but it's REAL ugly ... I'm pretty sure they didn't use
this on in 'the movie" ( someday I gotta to see it, or read the book )

---------------------------------
"Larry L" wrote

The two I use most often are the Big Splat Cast and the Tangled Mess Cast
.... I don't have the writing skill to clearly explain the intricate
movements of each, but thankfully, the cast names themselves do a good job
of conveying the results.
Indian Joe adds--you forgot the low limb and rhododendron grab cast
which are strong parts of my repertoire. Both are often used when I miss
setting the hook .

rw wrote:
The Tangled Mess Cast has no good use that occurs to me at the moment.

I find that as darkness settles in and I'm close to being a bit too far
from the jeep for a safe and reasonably speedy streamside bushwack
back, the Tangled Mess Cast is effective at saving my marriage.

"Dawn Moe" wrote in message
news:w91eh.2336$g_3.567@trndny02...

"Larry L" wrote in message
...

"Tom Nakashima" wrote


I'm always game to try new cast with a single handed rod. If anyone
would like to share casting techniques, please do so.

fwiw,



The two I use most often are the Big Splat Cast and the Tangled Mess Cast
.... I don't have the writing skill to clearly explain the intricate
movements of each, but thankfully, the cast names themselves do a good
job of conveying the results.


I use those casts quite often myself

Jeremy Moe


The key to the tangled mess, is "STOP" immediately after casting the first
tangle.
It's usually on the forward cast, as soon as the line tangles, I stop, reel
in the line with the tangle about three
feet away from the tip of the rod and patiently untangle. Usually it's only
one loop.
The worst case is if you tangle then continue to keep casting it compounds
the tangled into a real mess.

On windy days, two things to prevent tangles (wind knots).
Cast side arm, keeping the cast low if you can. When practicing I throw
loops a foot off the ground
and found the wind to be less of a bother.
Second is to speed up the cast, by arm strength, and/or back and forward
haul.
fwiw,
-tom

"rw" wrote in message
ink.net...
How often have I executed a Tangled Mess Cast and then spent minutes
trying to unsnarl the cluster ****, only to realize that it would have
more efficient to cut it apart and re-rig, and I don't know whether I'll
ever get it undone anyway, but I've invested so much time in it that I
can't quit?

Been their done that! In fact a couple weekends ago on the S.F of the Boise
while throwing a double nymph rig after the dry fly action stopped. As Tom
mentioned, noticing a tangle before casting it a couple times can be the
difference between cutting and un-tangling.

JT

"Tom Nakashima" wrote in message
...

"Dawn Moe" wrote in message
news:w91eh.2336$g_3.567@trndny02...

"Larry L" wrote in message
...

"Tom Nakashima" wrote


I'm always game to try new cast with a single handed rod. If anyone
would like to share casting techniques, please do so.

fwiw,



The two I use most often are the Big Splat Cast and the Tangled Mess
Cast .... I don't have the writing skill to clearly explain the
intricate movements of each, but thankfully, the cast names themselves
do a good job of conveying the results.


I use those casts quite often myself

Jeremy Moe


The key to the tangled mess, is "STOP" immediately after casting the first
tangle.
It's usually on the forward cast, as soon as the line tangles, I stop,
reel in the line with the tangle about three
feet away from the tip of the rod and patiently untangle. Usually it's
only one loop.
The worst case is if you tangle then continue to keep casting it compounds
the tangled into a real mess.

On windy days, two things to prevent tangles (wind knots).
Cast side arm, keeping the cast low if you can. When practicing I throw
loops a foot off the ground
and found the wind to be less of a bother.
Second is to speed up the cast, by arm strength, and/or back and forward
haul.
fwiw,
-tom


My Tangled Mess casts typically happen on my 1st cat after tying on a
different fly or rig. I end up wrapping the leader around itself or the rod
and don't notice until after I attempt to cast. I get too impatient and want
to get my fly back in the water in too much of a hurry. I just need to pay
more attention to where my line is when I am done retying.

Jeremy Moe

"Dawn Moe" wrote in message
news:OUfeh.2$IG6.1@trndny01...

My Tangled Mess casts typically happen on my 1st cat after tying on a
different fly or rig. I end up wrapping the leader around itself or the
rod and don't notice until after I attempt to cast. I get too impatient
and want to get my fly back in the water in too much of a hurry. I just
need to pay more attention to where my line is when I am done retying.

Jeremy Moe


I'm one of the worst casters when it comes to the "two-fly, dropper" which
is why I avoid
the two-fly rig, there wasn't one time that I haven't tangled, including
current tangle.
Now I take my chances with one fly on the line. Nothing ****es me off more
than losing
two flies in one cast. My friend once rigged up 5 wet flies and lost them
all in one shot, this was after bragging
how good the set-up was. That was $1.75 per fly x 5. I love teasing him
about it, asking when he's going to break that record.
fwiw,
-tom

Tom Nakashima wrote:

I'm one of the worst casters when it comes to the "two-fly, dropper" which
is why I avoid
the two-fly rig, there wasn't one time that I haven't tangled, including
current tangle.

Being a "bad caster" is the key to fishing weighted multiple-fly rigs.
Forget about tight loops. Forget about looking good. Throw big open
loops, using your whole arm and shoulder if necessary. Use the drag of
the water to load the rod. Keep false casting to a minimum.

Many of my tangles come from false strikes or (worse) from pull-outs of
real strikes. When I see the rig heading out of the water on a
trajectory over my head, I do whatever it takes to keep it from getting
hung up in the trees and brush. This usually involves a premature,
overpowered, and panicked forward cast. Then I get the tangle, if I'm lucky.

Once you're tangled, follow the lead. Nine times out of ten, a loop of
mono centered on the lead will be wrapped around something. Start
unwinding the tangle there.

--
Cut "to the chase" for my email address.