A few years ago now, after passing on it several times at the local fly shop, I finally purchase one of those $40-$50 practice caster rods with the string line and tip. I used it a ton and then kinda forgot about it until recently, and damn if it ain’t the best casting tool ever. I was having issues back then going too far forward and back with the rod tip. I used this tool to stand in front of a backyard window where there’s not much open space, and was able to watch my reflection in the window casting back and forth. I’d do this everyday until I finally trained my arm what it feels like to stop at 10 and 2. I’m locked in now. More recently, I felt as if my foward and back cast weren’t traveling in the same plane. 20 minutes in front of the window casting right at it showed me I was right. I was again able to self correct and train me arm for the proper feel.
Anyway, I thought I should throw out an endorsement for these tools as they really work. Plus they’re fun even inside on a rainy day.
Don’t get too hung up on the whole “10-2” thing…stroke speed and stroke length (haha) mean way too much to stuff it in to the confines of an analog clock.
what speed do you have to move the rod for a proper cast to fit between 10 and 2? Well the answer to that is different for me than it is for you. Unless we have the exact same arm length and muscle structure.
focus on forming good loops no matter where you start or stop on a clock face. Play with acceleration and stop points. Add wrist, subtract wrist. The shoulder is the largest and most controllable part of the equation. Most of us manage to forget it’s there and neglect to use it at all.
sorry got sidetracked, practice caster tools are fantastic and allow the user to experiment well before those last 40’ become important. Happy practicing!
Lefty said it best, and Ed J. expanded on it, you change the length of your arm motion when throwing a ball, with very short movement for short throws, and long movement for long throws. Same for a fly rod, if you are going to throw a casts from close in, to as far as you can, you’re not going to achieve that very effectively, if you are stuck on 10 and 2. More like 9 and 2:30 for me for long range, and if I do a short cast, it might be more like 1 and 12 for me. And different for you as well. Like Toofarsouth says, don’t get hung up on it. Casting isn’t a strict recipe, but rather principles and flexible technique to achieve different aims.
It is all about the technique, keeping the rod tip moving in a straight line, no matter how long the stroke. Also, the stroke is not just slamming it out there from the get go, but rather the hand and arm accelerate while speeding up to an abrupt stop. From the king of tailing loops, (LOL) it has been so difficult to try to develop the muscle memory to do this correctly every single cast I make. Finally I am getting there. And there is never one cast that will fit all scenarios either, there is wind, or obstructions, or something. BUT understanding from Ed Jaworoski the mechanics of the cast, I can now diagnose what I am doing wrong in real time and correct it. So the loops continue tightening up (as a rule, not always) but when I screw it up, I immediately know what I did wrong, and fix it immediately. It takes lots of practice! Enough practice to where the cast becomes just an automatic thing, without thinking about it. Just have to keep at it, and it helps to really enjoy casting to start with which I do fortunately. Now working on different types of casts, like casting across the body, such as when the wind commands doing that, maybe the guide and boat are in the wrong position to cast to that redfish that is on the wrong side of the boat so must deliver on the back cast for example. Have had much trouble trying to lengthen the stroke, getting much better at that and keeping the rod tip moving in a straight line at the same time. I still have not thrown a cast longer than 60’ but I just focus on getting the loops tight and clean, and distance is getting better slowly. More important at this stage is getting the form down automatic, and getting those loops always tight n clean! And work on accuracy too. Unfortunately, learning to cast well is a process of learning and the only way is much practice. With learning the mechanics of how the body works to optimize the casting process.
Not to get off topic, but as others have said. 10-2 isn’t applicable on every casting situation, it’s more like a good starting point. That being said. Good for you, for figuring out your mistakes and taking the time to correct them.
Have not tried one of these practice rods, but have no doubt that they can be helpful to learn the fundamentals. It is also good to learn from a wide range of rods - stiff/soft, fast/slow - with a wide range of lines - light/heavy, short/long head, floating/sinking, weight forward/double taper - for a wide range of distances. Try a 5wt line on a 12wt rod and vice versa. Try casting without a reel attached to the rod. Try a Pacific on a 5wt rod. A lot of fly casting is about feeling and seeing what the rod/reel/line combination needs to make the cast you want to make, and making adjustments during every stroke. It is easy to recognize differences with combinations on the extreme ends of the scale, which helps in developing our sensitivity to more subtle differences. The practice rod is one of those extreme examples.