Tailing Loops To Die For

[Wildfisher]

What?s the best way to make them happen?  Knowing how to make them helps you prevent them.

I was doing a bit of casting today and  found the most effective 3 ways  were:

At number 3 ? Insufficient  or no pause after the stop on the back cast

Coming in at 2 ? Too short a casting arc for the length of line you have out.

But number 1 - the outright winner for the most spectacular tailing loops was:

Applying power too early on the forward stroke.   :gay4  Tailing loops  to die for.

Any more?

[haresear]

Another couple to throw in...

Hauling too early in the stroke, or more accurately, stopping the haul too early.
If you start the haul very late in the cast, that will solve the problem.

Creep. It reduces the length of the casting stroke, so maybe Fred covered it in his number 2, but it is worth mentioning. Best cure for creep is to drift after the stop. Make the stop first, follow the loop with the rod tip and you are sorted.

I'm sure there must be others but those are all that  spring to mind at present.

Alex

[Wildfisher]

.................. drift after the stop. Make the stop first, follow the loop with the rod tip and you are sorted.

It took me a while to get to grips with that, but you're right,  it is a worthwhile thing to learn especially  when you have a bit of line out and you need a  wider arc.

I certainly don?t get the power application thing right all the time, but the flicking paint off a brush analogy helped me a lot to visualise  what was required.

[haresear]

I forgot about another cause of tailing loops :oops:. Good old Sexyloops came to the rescue.

Too much slack line in the cast. In an overhead cast this is commonly caused by starting the cast with the rod tip too high. Effectively, this shortens the casting stroke and also shocks the rod tip because we have not gradually flexed or loaded the rod like we would if we had started off with the tip at the surface.

I get around this problem by rolling the line out initially and then going straight into my overhead cast.

Alex 

[scotty9]

Fred i'm glad you wrote power too early in the stroke! It just occured to me that loads of people say too much power is the cause of tailing loops, it can be... but you can also cast ludicrously hard and not get tailing loops.

I find the easiest way is to just bump the forward cast. Make a backcast then just pop your hand forward a bit, the rod tip with thump down and back up making your tailing loop. Basically your number 2. And if you're actually trying to make tailing loops then just trace a concave path with your hand and the line will almost tangle itself into a ball in mid air :lol: Tried it...

Alex, tailing loop competition in the morning?  :lol:

Back in the months just before summer I had awful tailing loop problems, my casting was shite at the best. After the amount of tuition and practice i had with Andrew Toft, Alan and Alex i've almost got to the point where it's hard to make a tailing loop. Although the backcast has one that comes and goes  :x Alex came up with the solution mind you, my haul was ending too soon on the backcast.

[haresear]

I find the easiest way is to just bump the forward cast. Make a backcast then just pop your hand forward a bit, the rod tip with thump down and back up making your tailing loop. Basically your number 2. And if you're actually trying to make tailing loops then just trace a concave path with your hand and the line will almost tangle itself into a ball in mid air  Tried it...

That's part of all casting instructors' assessments. Create a tailing loop.
I just whack the power in early and stop the rod. Two for the price of one

I'm going piking to the canal after the CC, Scott. This time I will actually reach the canal. You are welcome to share the rod.

Alex 

[scotty9]

Hmmm i may come along to see some pike but the thought of casting a fish shaped, wet sponge with protruding hook again is slightly scary  :lol:

Might come along and target some less toothy species...

[Wildfisher]

just left alex and scott..off to practice tailing loops on the canal....

never let it be said I am not a a bad influence..................... :twisted:

[Malcolm]

I watched some unusual tailing loops today from good casters - I mentioned the fact to "Aweman" at the casting club today - these loops were the wrong way round in that the fly had kicked right over and was tailing from the underside. Care to guess what rod was being used Alan?

Malcolm

[scotty9]

I quite liked it Mark! Wasn't the best of days to try it mind you, due to the wind we had a big hump of grass behind us...

Still i'd be happy to use it.

Also had a play with a guideline lpxe today. Now tried the le cie and the lpxe, i like them very much!  

Nae fish to report from the canal, only frozen fingers. We did see a large number of small to slightly bigger than small fish moving. Impossible to catch mind you!