To Infinity, And Beyond

No, nothing wrong, I’m still here. I’m just suffering from my usual winter blues and general lack of enthusiasm that occur’s every winter when I get out of the casting loop. Not long now though, the BFCC have their first meeting of the year at the Spring Show at Newark in a months time and I will get myself re-enthused for the coming year.

 An interesting comment on a forum has me thinking. It was suggested by a well-known person that the way to learn about fly casting is to go for distance as the first objective and go for subtlety second. Because the person is well-respected he didn’t get the usual crap about not needing to cast far thrown back at him (which I suspect I would have had if I had written it, but then I’m neither well know, or respected).

 He has a very valid point, namely, you will learn more about fly casting in your  months of effort to achieve a benchmark 100′ than you ever would if you were happy to phaf around at a more modest distance (which I did, for many years). Once you can consistently cast 100′  with a five or six weight  you are entitled to call yourself a good caster, and you will be. You will certainly be better than the vast majority. Now that rise fifty feet away is easy and that fish moving about eighty feet away is just about to find out he is not as safe as he thinks he is!  There is nothing quite like the buzz of a fish taking your fly at distance.

 I know it’s a bit late for New Year resolutions but make one this year. Give yourself twelve months of pure distance casting and next year you won’t even have to think about it. You will be stalking the bank putting your fly anywhere from here to there and not worrying about it.

 Just one word of warning though, it can become addictive.