waterfloating

One problem I have fishing from a personal watercraft is that some of the
energy intended to go into the cast is transferred instead to the craft (
make a casting motion right now and feel how your butt swivels and tries to
rotate your chair to understand what I'm saying ) making my "longest" casts
shorter than on dry land ( wading )


Am I just doing everything 100% wrong ? Is there some tricky way to
minimize this?

On Dec 29, 7:05 pm, "Larry L" wrote:
One problem I have fishing from a personal watercraft is that some of the
energy intended to go into the cast is transferred instead to the craft (
make a casting motion right now and feel how your butt swivels and tries to
rotate your chair to understand what I'm saying ) making my "longest" casts
shorter than on dry land ( wading )

Am I just doing everything 100% wrong ? Is there some tricky way to
minimize this?

You can minimise it, indeed more or less eliminate it, by modifying
your casting technique, just using your arm and shoulder, and not
moving your body. Try it, as you suggested above. Sit in a swivel
chair, and avoid moving your body. Or only allow your body to swivel
at the hips It is the swivelling of your body which causes the craft
to move. Also, as the force required to move your body merely moves
the platform if you allow it to, it does your casting no good anyway.
Quite the reverse! Practising in a swivel chair will improve your
casting from a tube or pontoon boat considerably.

TL
MC

This will also improve your tracking, ( getting the rod tip to travel
in a straight line) and distance. Swivelling your whole body down to
your legs is usually bad practice anyway, but especially so on a
movable platform. It is basically just wasted en energy, and results
in poor casting as well.

TL
MC

You probably also have the ingrained habit of turning to watch your
back cast. This is best avoided when casting from such a platform. The
trick here, is to close your eyes, and "feel" the back cast. If you can
´t see it, then you wont be tempted to turn and look at it.

TL
MC

This is a major problem for many casters on land as well. They are
convinced they need to see their back cast in order to be able to
execute it properly. This is not the case! But you will only realise
it if you close your eyes ( on the back cast!). Concentrate entirely
on the feel. Try this at various distances. In a fairly short while,
( although this varies considerably from person to person), you will
know how it must feel for certain line lengths, and only need to
glance over your shoulder to see obstructions etc BEFORE you cast, not
WHILE you are casting. This will improve your casting immediately.
It is also the only way I know to wean people off watching their backs
casts, which causes them to twist their bodies, and ruin their
tracking. You can lean your body backwards, but DONT TWIST IT.

TL
MC

Sorry about the repeated replies to my own posts, but as I think about
this, and how I have taught people in the past, I keep thinking of
further points, which are germane to the basic problem.

TL
MC

"Mike" wrote

Sorry about the repeated replies to my own posts, but as I think about
this, and how I have taught people in the past, I keep thinking of
further points, which are germane to the basic problem.



I understand that, Mike, and I appreciate your efforts to help

I think your suggestion to try practice casting in a swivel chair sounds
excellent. If I were to sit in my WaterMaster in dead calm water until
all ripples had died down, kept my feet up out of the water so unconscious
kicking wasn't a cause, and cast .... before long the tube would be pointed
in a different direction and ripples would surround it ... clearly showing
that lots of my energy was being transmitted to the boat. Any small part
of that energy that can be used instead of wasted would make for better
casts, I'm sure.

A related problem, that I 'see' as I sit here, Winter dreamfishing, is that
in 'change direction' situations I naturally not only try to cast in a new
direction but try and swivel the boat with my fins at the same time, which
greatly complicates things like 'loading' the backcast as the boat moves
backwards and rotates.

I don't expect to find myself 'cured' by ROFFian replies, your's or other's,
but you do give me things to ponder. One thing I've learned pretty well
from my business where 'winning' was key to income is that BIG things are
seldom what makes the winners, rather it is a long series of LITTLE things,
each applied to the whole ... thank you for some little things to work on.

Watch some of these;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFGZYy7h0FY

The best do not twist their bodies

Tl
MC

Some tricks and common faults here;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YcTt1...eature=related

TL
MC

Also watch Rajeff here;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GgPOa...eature=related

he only turns his head, he doesn´t twist his body. This of course is
under tournament conditions. Also note his almost explosive
acceleration, flick and stop, on the final delivery.

There is a lot more of interest on you tube,. but be careful, some of
it is wrong!

TL
MC