Casting - Use Video

Use your cell phone to improve your casting.

One of the best tools for learning to fly cast better is to use video. Watching yourself cast is a great way to identify casting faults that you may not realize you are making.

These days it is incredibly easy to both take and review the video of someone casting. Most “smart phone” style cell phone have excellent video cameras. So, you may have your own personal casting instructor sitting in your pocket.

Cell phones have the advantage over traditional video cameras because they have a built in screen. You can video a cast and then watch it right there in the field. This immediate feedback is a great learning tool.

Connecting a cell phone to tripod is easy and relatively cheap to do. The local Best Buy recently had a half dozen or so, options of brackets for cell phones on their shelves. The one I got was less than $20 and can be mounted to a tripod to hold a phone in either landscape of portrait orientation. I’m sure that you can find cheaper options online.

You can video from the side to view your loops, stroke, rotation, stops, etc. You can also place the camera in front of you to check your tracking.

The photos show the type of bracket that I am talking about and the other is an example screen shot from a recent casting video.

Great tool I use when I teach folks, and use the slow motion so I can break it all down. Phone video is truly a great and underutilized way to learn a lot about someone's casting! I was fooling with a 360-degree camera made by Nikon (for showing videos), but the software connecting to it was awful. Once 360 is easy and viable, it will be huge for casting instruction.

Great info. You have confirmed another tool I have used recently.
I have been working with someone lately and having trouble showing, explaining the "pull back" at the very end of the stroke.
All analogies, visuals and exercises I have used in the past don't seem to click with this person.
Any suggestions would be appreciated.

FlyFx, "pull back" means different things to different people. How are you using the term?

For me, I only teach pull back when I want the fly and leader to make a hard kick and over rotate for something like a Tuck cast or a curve cast.

I'm referring to the, little snap, flick or shock at the end of the cast stroke right after the stop. An analogy would be like snapping a towel or rope.
This is for a person who can't seem to stop. I realize a good cast will have a stop at the opportune moment to develop a correct loop structure, but this person doesn't seem capable, more a deceleration than a stop.
It seems so basic to me coming from a salt & windy area. I have used this to tighten loops to cut the wind for decades.
The 2 casts mentioned are basically overpowered cast, I use the tuck cast to get a weighted fly down faster, whether by pinching line or expending available line and let the reel stop it.
This 1 min video shows what i'm speaking of, Toward the end you will see his hand retract after the stop to counteract the rod tip

[video:youtube]https://youtu.be/v9LaVI_80ZA

this one is the man who taught this to me
example is at 5:50 mark
[/video]
another example

OK, you're using the Sexyloops definition of "pull back". The simple answer is that I don't teach this skill.

To me, this is an advanced technique and only a more advanced student would have the casting control necessary to use this skill and to understand the impact to the loop of using it and not using it. Personally, I think many of the benefits of this technique can be achieved by tweaking the caster's double haul technique.

I don't voluntarily discuss this skill in a lesson. I would gladly discuss it with any student that asks, but I've never been asked about it and I've never even seen another instructor discuss it. The closest I get to taking about pull back is a variation that helps to create an over powered loop for "Tuck" and "Curve" style casts. The version in Paul's video is a niche casting skill and I just don't see many students that would benefit from it. I try to keep everything as simple as possible. Your mileage may vary.

If you are interested in this technique, you might post a question on Sexyloops.com. That site is run by Paul Arden from your third video. It is one of the best places I know of to get into a deep philosophical discussion of advanced fly casting skills and it can be good resource for instructors. It can also get really deep and complicated, really quick.

Where are you located? Some of the questions you're asking would be way easier to answer in person.

i'm about 3 hrs south of you, no offense but I will not drive across the metro mess to ask a question though I would like to meet you.

The person I'm trying to help I met by chance lakeside, claims 5 yrs casting, yet usually throws a 6 ft loop, they can't seem to "stop"
If I see him again I will try to help with visual and verbal instruction, if he still can't get it, refer him to some videos.

I'm not interested in learning the technique, I have used it many years and taught it to several people and clients over the years. They all picked it up almost immediately.

Thanks for the response.

I agree, 3 hrs is too far to easily meet.

Something I have used for what you described is to ask the student to experiment with the "extremes". Ask them to intentionally open their loops. Over rotate the rod and make the biggest loops that they possibly can. Ask them to describe what are they doing to make these large loops?

Next, ask them to intentionally under rotate the rod. Try to just move the rod back and forth without ANY rotation at the forward cast stop or at the backcast stop. For someone that is having trouble with weak stops or with over rotation, this attempt to cast without any rotation often produces the best loops they've ever made and sometimes, it can be an "ah ha" moment when they start to understand the importance of a good stop.

The right amount of rotation is usually somewhere between these extremes. But, this drill gives them something that they can practice on their own. They can explore and find out what happens if I try this or that? And can help them understand what works best.

Macauley Lord, of the LL Bean fly fishing school, told me that he has good success when a student is over rotating the rod by asking them to intentionally under rotate rod. Asking them to intentionally make what they think is a wrong cast, works for some students to help them better understand how little rotation is actually needed.

Good luck!

I agree
He has the over rotation dialed in, I'm trying to work him toward minimal rotation and learn to stop.
In reality I feel that I should stress to this person the Kreh arm on a shelf and Wulff T drill and hope it clicks. These two basic exercises alone should turn the light on.
I think Rajeff"s boxer punch style may cause system overload for him.
If he can practice these two exercises until they are habit, over and over, the fog may lift.

Definitely helps improving casting!