When should I hit it?

If there is one fundamental aspect of casting that will improve a person's enjoyment it is knowing "when to hit it". The term "hit it" refers to the burst of acceleration used during the casting stroke. All good casters are able to use different amounts of speed and acceleration in their casts depending on the rod action and power as well as the type and length of line being cast.

If all goes well, a good cast will bend the rod in such a way that the tip of the rod travels in a straight line. When this happens you have thrown the "perfect" cast, one where the loops are tight and there is no hint of any tailing or tangling. No one needs to be told when they have thrown a good cast because a great cast feels like nothing else. A great cast puts the optimal amount of bend in the rod and the cast will feel like it went farther with less effort. There will also be a heavy bounce like feeling from the rod immediately after the rod was stopped on the forward and back cast.

So when should you hit a cast? Well that depends on whether you live in the Northern or Southern hemisphere of the planet. Ahhhhhhhhh, well, that might not be totally correct. The first factor we'll be covering that determines the best time to hit a cast is Rod Design. We'll pick up the other factors in our next installment of Tim's Casting Tips.

There are a million different rod actions and rod power levels available to the fly fisher people of today. To avoid confusion for now I will only address rod power in this casting tip.

You might have heard expressions like soft, medium, stiff, etc… These words give you a rough idea as to the overall stiffness of a rod. For example an extra stiff #4 rod might be the exact same stiffness as a very soft #5 rod. Uhhhhhhhhhh does that make sense? If it does than you should run for public office. The whole issue of how the rod companies rate their rods is unfair and is abused. I should know-I've been in the rod manufacturing industry for over 10 years. If you understand the overall stiffness it will help you adjust your casting style to make a great cast with any rod.

The rule I use to cast softer rods, and look cool doing it, is to be smoother, less aggressive, and more gradual when applying the power during the cast. Pretend you are trying to throw a melon-sized blob of Jell-O without it falling apart in your hand. That is what it feels like when you are applying power to a soft (low power / wimpy) rod. You need to be mellllllllllllooooooo when "hitting" the cast. In fact when casting a soft rod the word hit should be substituted with a word like "ttttthhhhhhhwwwwaaaaaccccckkkkkkk". You can still use a lot of power and cast with high speed, however you need to blend your power into the cast smoothly.

The stiffer the rod the more aggressive, abrupt, and explosive you must be with the power application. To make the perfect cast you must wait until the very end of your stroke to apply the majority of the power. So hit it hard and hit it late when using stiff rods.

So which rod is better for you a stiff or a soft rod? How the heck should I know? I've never even seen you cast!

As a rule if you were born with muscles that feel best making longer slower motions than you might like a softer rod. You are a distance runner, a painter who makes long smooth brush strokes, or a Tai-Chi in the park kind of person. Maybe you like reading excerpts of Robert Frost in between casting strokes. You have what some people call long muscles. You don't feel comfortable having to come up with that explosive power application needed to bend a stiff rod. Don't worry we still love you. (Awwwwwww!)

If you were born with an abundance of fast twitch muscles you might like a stiffer rod. You are a sprinter, shot putter, a jumper, or a boxer with a great jab. Or maybe it's just all that caffeine. Your explosive burst of acceleration will be enough to bend a stiff rod and will result in good loops.

In my next tip I will cover the second factor to consider when choosing the best place to hit the cast.

Until then thanks for checking in and remember:

• One smart fellow he felt smart
• Two smart fellows they both felt smart
• Three smart fellows they all felt smart

Learn these three lines, tell them to your friend, then ask them to say them back as fast as they can.

Take care,

Tim Rajeff