[Hamish Young]

Wow, I am astonished and dismayed that you've chosen to answer that way. Is that the best you can do   Here was me hoping you might have a fair and reasoned argument to lend to the debate - what a mistake to make

If you concentrate really hard and actually read my post you'd see my observation was that the events I mentioned are listed as official games of the Commonwealth that a country could choose to have at the games. So my view is that if they are eligible games I can see no reason why competition fly casting could not be considered an equally technical and challenging discipline worthy of inclusion.
I am sure that there is an art to both cheese rolling and wellie throwing (I've had a go at one and enjoyed it) but I honestly don't consider them as internationally recognised competitive sports. If it turns out that my lack of knowledge and views offend the honourable society of wellington chuckers or an artisan cheese roller I apologise now and put my hands up to the fact that I know little of their sports. I am sorry about that.
That said I suspect my laymans knowledge of those events is greater than the sum total knowledge you have about competitive fly casting.

With all of that now hopefully really crystal clear, would you like to answer the question I asked of you If you need to make it simple for you and refresh your memory you stated as part of a post:

As for these so called casting competitions, well enough said the better .

I then posted this

Go on then, I'll bite..... would you care to elaborate on your views on these 'so called casting competitions' I would be very interested to see what you have to say on that 

So, please tell me as I am really interested to know, why are you so dismissive of 'so called casting competitions' ??? What's wrong with them ??? Did you have a traumatic experience with a double taper line once

Please do try to not resort to cheesy wellie throwing as an answer.
If you have reasoned arguments then I'd like to read them. If not.... well...... I'd not be all that surprised to be honest

H 

[gunner100]

I have never considered fly fishing to be a sport - as already mentioned by a previous poster , to me it is a pastime. To separate out a part of it - casting - as a possible Olympic/Commonwealth sport  is like having penalties in football/kicking after a try  Rugby/the longest drive in golf/the longest putt etc . it is only a part, a small part, of all the skills you have to acquire to become proficient in the sport or pastime you are participating in. What about how fast you can reload your rifle in a shooting comp?

Casting as an Olympic/Commonwealth sport - No.

Lyall

[Hamish Young]

I respect your view Lyall but I'm obliged to point out we already have world championships for all sorts of casting, so the distinction between competition casting and fishing is already there. We have fly tying competitions, biggest fish awards and so on without end It's nothing new, I touched on this in an earlier post and I maintain competition fly casting has it's place alongside any other competitive event requiring skill in its own right.

Now I cannot deny I am biased as I enjoy a spot of competitive casting (I have picked up many a trick which has been applied to my regular fishing) but I have also found that competition casting tends to attract enthusiasts and create a camaraderie amongst competitors that we've lost elsewhere and that appeals to me.

So when it comes round to making a sensible yes vote, I hope it's in support of making competitive fly casting a Commonwealth event 

H

[gunner100]

Hamish,

Let's be clear about what I am saying - casting is only a part of fishing.  You mention above flytying, biggest fish awards and so on without end. None of that makes fishing a sport , not even casting. Oh, and you are not really suggesting that fly tying should be an Olympic sport?

Orrabest,

Lyall

[Hamish Young]

I expected better from you than that Lyall - a cheap shot that I thought beneath you. If it was an attempt at humour you were very wide of the mark there.
I didn't suggest Fly Tying should be an Olympic sport in my post; we have been discussing the Commonwealth games and I didn't suggest they should feature there either.
What I did do in that post was make the point that various aspects of the hobby/sport/pastime (delete as appropriate to your choice) we all enjoy already have a competitive element; if that wasn't clear before I hope it is now. I don't see why fly casting could not be considered as a Commonwealth sport; but we've gone over this and I don't see the need to again.
I see fly casting events as a competitive sport, I do respect that you see it differently.

Is fishing a sport, a pastime, a hobby I don't care to pigeon hole it as I have already stated - it means different things to each of us.

I confess though, what I am interested in is finally getting an answer from suki1312 as to what the 'so called casting competitions' are That's yet to happen and you know what I don't suppose it will.

H 

[Jeff Donovan]

Out of curiosity, would there be a different event for each of the different weights & tapers of lines, various rod lengths et al?  

[Hamish Young]

Out of curiosity, would there be a different event for each of the different weights & tapers of lines, various rod lengths et al?  

Have a look here, as good a place to start as any: http://www.wcflycasting.com/

[Barry Robertson]

Casting competitions in the Olympics would be worse than watching cricket!
I agree with Lyal, it's a part of fishing.

[Hamish Young]

Baz I do not necessarily want to see fly casting as an event in the Olympics either so I suppose it's just as well we're talking about the Commonwealth Games and not the Olympics then isn't it The clue is in the subject field folks.... it says "New sports for the Commonwealth Games".

Something this thread seems to have brought out in some forum members is an apparent dislike of competition casting, I'm sure we had a similar debate here some time ago about competition fly fishing which was equally interesting ???  We're all entitled to our views and as I have said repeatedly now in this thread the sport/pastime of fishing (and all it's component parts) means different things to different folk.

H

[Rob Brownfield]

Blimey, I go away for a week and all hell breaks out on what was meant to be a genuine question, not the start of a fight.

However, to address some comments, I cannot class fishing as a sport. The is because there are way too many variables to allow a "fair" chance for all. Since golf has already been mentioned, golf has a "leveling" system whereby players that are not so good are given a higher handicap and can thus compete "fairly" with better players. With fishing, you can be on a bit of water with no fish infront of you, so you have no chance of catching. Anglers cannot compete on an even field, so to ME, it cannot be a sport. I know it is to others, but to me, its not.

Before anyone starts stamping their feet, I should point out that as a "yoof" I represented my country at national level in fishing (match) as well as representing the British army internationally, so I have fished regulated competitions.

However, classing casting as not a sport does not add up. Its is not just part of fishing, it is THE part of fly fishing that makes all the difference. Fishing is not about casting, you can catch fish by dangling a worm off a stick..but casting is a separate entity that can be governed by rules, can be made even for everyone and can be classed as a sport....it already is by a large number of professional sportsman who travel the world casting for money.

[Peter McCallum]

Shooting.... is this about having live birds driven to you or flushed up as you walk, or is it about hitting clay targets fired up to represent the different flights of game birds? Trap shooting is a commonwealth (and olympic) sport which has developed out of a field sport which it was one part of. Target shooting is a development of stalking/hunting. So why not competitive casting?

 Playing devils advocate there is no way the anti brigade could have any problem with a casting competition, they sure as hell do with fishing competitions?

[Eddie Sinclair]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casting_(fishing)#Casting_as_a_sport

H,

assuming that the link works (I am not the best at computer skills, it is a good thing that it is not a sport) then according to Wikipedia fly casting is a sport. As far as I am concerned if you are out for a days fishing then the casting bit is as some people have already pointed out a part of fly fishing. However if you get a group of like minded people and make it competitive to see who can cast a fly line the furthest for any given line class/rod etc then by definition it becomes a competition and is usually defined as a sport.

I personally have never competed in casting events but I am not adverse to the idea. If it what you are into and you practice and become proficient all well and good and if the commonwealth committee decided to add it then I thing it would be interesting to see if any new techniques evolved that us mere mortals could use and practice to improve our casting and fishing.

Eddie.

[Mike Barrio]

A couple of replies have been removed from this thread ..... Please remember that topics should be discussed in a positive and friendly manner

[Simon]

Watching  great casters at game fairs is fun, but I can't ever see it being a commonwealth event!

[Graham Nicol]

Approaching this from a different angle casting should never be considered for the Olympics as it has sports included that likewise ought not be there. Ideally as it originated in Greece the Olympics ought to consist solely of those sports which were largely track and field events. World championships should be held for the remainder which obviously could include casting