Hi All,
Sorry guys , just catching up with this thread , and not trying to resurrect it .
To Jim Doyle and a lesser extent Big Troot I get the impression that we are talking a wee bit apples and oranges here.
I think , and correct me if I am wrong , but you guys are speaking mainly about stillwater bank or boat fishing , not river fishing . Sure , putting out a line on a loch , even in a gale , is a fairly straightforward affair. Not trying to be dimunitive here. This does not equate to what we are doing .
The "casting club" is I hope not just an end to itself ,the I,m better than you , beachcasting type scenario, described by Jim.
In context , being able to perform a variety of
different fly casts in , say, a river situation can only help but improve ourselves as fly anglers.
Nowt to do with beachcasting prowess or otherwise. I can cast over 150 yards with my beachcaster ,(which is an old one !) . Yes, I would like to cast further , but I do not have the knowledge and technique to do so , YET !
It's not just about distance though , so comparing beachcasting to fly casting is indeed, apples and oranges.
Peter raises an excellent point also. Having an understanding of our casting, even in a boat sitaution , understanding wide and narrow loops, roll casting off either shoulder , change of direction casts , casting under differing wind directions, and casting utilising different competition techniques are all useful things for a fly fisher to have in his armoury, I.m sure you would agree.
It's not geekyness. It's about being better at fly FISHING.
Never really understood why folk don't equate good casting with good fishing and the reverse.
Paul.