There are a lot of things going on at Bonefish on the Brain’s Main Office these days. Not all of them are totally awesome. Sometimes you need an escape and I have a little one just down the road.
At the end of the street is a school and that school has a nice, big, grass field. Tonight I went down there with a 7 wt. and a bonefish line and I cast.
I tried to feel the flex in the rod. I watched my rod hand. I watched the back cast. I tried to pay attention to where my body was carrying tension and then I tried to relax that area. This isn’t supposed to be a feat of strength so noticing where you are tense is a good way, I think, to tell where you are doing something wrong.
Haul back… haul forward… haul back… haul forward…
The mechanics of it are my own Tai Chi.
Power…
Energy…
Calm…
Peace…
I tried to make the casting strokes with as little effort as possible.
—
I’ve never cast a full line. You hear people talk about doing it, but I’ve never been one of them. So, tonight, I tried.
I can’t do it.
It would appear I can hit about 88′ with some degree of consistency on a lightly windy day. The funny thing was that I could hit about that far regardless of trying to put extra pep in the casting stroke. My normal casting stroke pretty much delivered the same cast as the one I tried to really pound.
Sometimes applying extra effort does not yield results.
In fact… that is probably most of the time… and that probably applies to more than just casting.
So, there ya go. When the going gets tough, go to the elementary school and do some casting… just make sure the kids aren’t there.
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Tags: casting, fly fishing, power
I understand. Take a deep breath, relax, pay atention to the mechanics and let the rod and the line do their job. Timing, style, and not physical strength is everything, not only in casting but in life. Breathe, relax and enjoy the moment. Hope you and your family are well. FD
I’ve never tried that….casting as an escape without water around. I’ll remember this the next time I come to the end of a long day and need to find my rhythmic peace again.
You may not be able to a cast a full line, but I’ve been with you when you cast, watched you and yes…studied it a bit…and I can say it was graceful, peaceful and almost art-like. Wish I could explain my observations better than that, but I can’t. But it is easy to imagine you in a school yard working out life around you through your casting.
Thanks Rebecca… appreciate the kind words. I think I’ll be out on that field again tonight… probably Sunday night…, probably Tuesday… and for the foreseeable future, weather depending.
Keep casting, bro. There’s truth in the line’s flight.
Truth in good Blues music and a cold beer too. Just sayin’