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 gary3594 |
how to cast a parabolic |
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Posts: 53 06/29/2009 08:19 |
Going to use several rods which I acquired, haven't used before and I think they are parabolic (Summers 856 and PHY Para 15). Will use a 5 or 6WF line.
Is there any difference in the casting/timing that I should be aware of? |
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mer |
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Posts: 3118 06/29/2009 08:52 |
Yes, but it all depends on how sensitive you are. Think slow, longer strokes. A Wulff TT5/6 often works out well on Para 15 and clones, RIO Windcutter WF6 is
another interesting choice. If the rods have both a wet and dry tip, the dry tip is generically "dry fly", nominally a 5, the wet is a distance tip
or a 6. A DT5 may not be a bad choice on the dry tip. Try stripping off about 30 feet of line out of the top, clamp it under a finger so you don't shoot
any, stretch it out in front, do a back cast and let it fall to the ground a few times. Doing this seems to have helped me figure out the timing on similar
rods.
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crcaddis |
#2 | |||
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Posts: 323 06/29/2009 11:26 |
The timing is a bit different and I find that its hard to get em to load in close without a double haul, so I'd say that a double haul is essential....On a
longer casts, I add a bit of drift and shoot some line after the stop on the backcast to load the butt even more. Cheers.
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bulldog1935 |
#3 | |||
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Posts: 7299 06/29/2009 12:26 Bulldog1935 |
smooth short arm movements and haul.
quick long arm movements will unload the rod.
the rods are never obsolete - the marketing is.
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quashnet |
Painting the ceiling | #4 | ||
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Posts: 2647 06/29/2009 13:03 Moderatus Muscae |
When in doubt, slow down - although I have the best success when I think of the cast as not being so much slow as deliberate. My wife and I were recently painting a bedroom in our house. I was working on the walls, while she stood on a
stepladder and painted the ceiling with a roller. If my wife had made quick motions with the roller, she would have splattered paint all over the room. So she
made smooth, deliberate strokes, the roller coming forward slowly over her right shoulder and then speeding up at the end of her stroke to finish with a
feathered application of paint that could be blended into the next stroke. I said to my wife, who is an indifferent fly caster, "If in the future you try
casting one of my parabolic rods, I will remind you of this moment when you painted the ceiling."
Let the backcast extend, even shoot a little line on the backcast, and then wait and feel for it. Start to come forward slowly until you're in touch with the extended fly line (your use of the line hand is very important). Then bring the rod forward with smooth, deliberate acceleration. The lower half of the rod supplies its power and then, as Paul H. Young explained in his catalogs, "...as the tip straightens, a seemingly second power impulse applies, which straightens a long line or shoots an abundance of line, as desired." 
Here I am "painting the ceiling" with one of Paul H. Young's personal, experimental parabolic rods built in 1948.
Quashnet's Paul H. Young Rod Database has photos and descriptions of 465 PHY Co. rods, plus catalogs, accessories,
etc. Thank you to all who continue to send me PHY rod photos and info.
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tiptop |
#5 | |||
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Posts: 581 06/29/2009 13:37 |
Gary -- Good advice all, assuming your rods are truly parabolic. I have cast para-clones by some very good makers that might better be described as
semi-parabolic or not parabolic at all. So you just need to experiment around with your casting stroke to see what works for that particular rod. I don't
know this from experience, but even genuine PHY rods varied in their tapers to some degree.
Last Edited By: tiptop 06/29/2009 13:40.
Edited 1 time.
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gary3594 |
#6 | |||
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Posts: 54 06/29/2009 16:31 |
Thanks for all of your responses. From the advice above, I am understanding that the parabolics need to load. I usually double haul anyway but will go with a
heavier line (the 6WF). Will practice this weekend before I go and pay for a guided trip.
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Battenkiller |
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Posts: 36 06/29/2009 22:15 |
crcaddis wrote:This is good advice for long casts with any rod action IMHO. |
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Cane Head |
#8 | |||
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Posts: 2238 06/30/2009 00:01 |
The parabolics I have casted all had a "kick" on the back/forward cast that you could actually feel. I learned to wait for the kick and then start
the forward cast. It felt as if the tip just kicked over and the line just seemed to take off.
Cane |
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Larry Swearingen |
#9 | |||
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Posts: 409 06/30/2009 08:24 |
Just turn your head around and watch your back cast lay out a few times
to get your timing down. Of course the "timing" varies with length of cast. Larry |
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Doublegun |
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Posts: 39 06/30/2009 09:01 |
Is it really that complicated? Geez, cast it letting the rod to the work. Most of you have far more experience with cane rods than do I but there is no
reason to over think it. The beautiful thing about parabolic rods is they'll do the work. Fifteen minutes on the lawn and you should have it down.
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bulldog1935 |
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Posts: 7304 06/30/2009 12:16 Bulldog1935 |
It is worth it - they have great control in close and with haul, they load up like a bow to blast out line.
It's not complicated at all. Use short smooth arm movements and haul. I have a custom-rolled Japanese parabolic glass saltwater rod that is a rocket ship for shooting line.  
If you think about it, a Sage RPLX is parabolic graphite rod - stiffer tips. slightly softer butt.
the rods are never obsolete - the marketing is.
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Battenkiller |
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Posts: 38 06/30/2009 12:55 |
It may feel like the rod is doing the work, but all work done on the system in casting is done by the caster.
Work = force x distance. If you apply the same amount of force over a longer distance you do more work. Period. That's why I agree about getting a good drift at the end of the back cast. It increases the distance the rod tip can travel. It also allows for a more even acceleration of the rod hand. The nice thing about para and regressive actions is that they allow the tip to move in a straight line for a longer time period than faster actions do. This is because they flex into the butt of the rod so the tip travels straight during the last portion of the cast. To get a fast action rod to do this requires greater acceleration of the rod hand or a rapid haul just before the rod recoils, usually both. IMO, the parabolic is more forgiving regarding the timing of power application, but you also have to stop the rod more abruptly to get good tip turnover if you want to cast a tight loop. For many, this is the harder skill to master. |
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corlay.fiberglassflyro... |
#13 | |||
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Posts: 46 06/30/2009 13:52 |
I fished a Berkley 'Curt Gowdy' PG40-7 7'0" 2/1 5wt.
(fiberglass not bamboo...) for the first time a few weeks ago. That "soft butt" of the parabolic taper was immediately recognizable. My first reaction was like: "oh Man. This thing's a frickin' noodle!" It took a minute fro me to understand what the proper stroke was, while still letting the rod flex, load, and shoot as it wanted to, rather than trying to over-power the cast with a lot of unnecessary "muscle". Once I got comfortable, I found it very pleasant to fish. The feel of that soft butt was still very apparent, but not bothersome at all. I wasn't casting more than 40' or so, so I didn't find that hauling was required.
"From my observations I think that most of us spend too much time worrying about our tackle and too little time
learning the intimate characteristics of the fish and streams we fish most."
- Ray Bergman
Trout, New York: Knopf 1938 |
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Doublegun |
#14 | |||
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Posts: 40 06/30/2009 15:56 |
Anyone out there have experience casting a Pickard 806? That rod is supposed to be the PY Para 15. I am interested in knowing what those of you with experience
think of that rod.
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bulldog1935 |
#15 | |||
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Posts: 7305 07/01/2009 10:45 Bulldog1935 |
Talk to TXTrout - Rob Sherill builds his version and I believe one is his go-to rod.
the rods are never obsolete - the marketing is.
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bbamboo |
#16 | |||
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Posts: 182 07/02/2009 14:12 |
That's really not an easy question to answer.
It all depends on your own casting technique, and if you are capable of changing or adapting. Depending you may have to change your whole casting style to cast a parabolic. Some may get it almost straight away, but with others it takes time. And some others never do get it Its not difficult to cast a parabolic short distances. But for long casts thinks change dramatically you have to increase your casting stroke length, the rod will only work when the Butt section is loaded And this is were a lot of anglers fail to load the rod efficiently. I very recently sold a Parabolic action rod to a guy who after almost 6 month told me the rod was a noodle and had no real power. And was the worst rod he had in his collection. I told him to brink the rod back so I could see it. On grass in front of the guy I cast the rod over 95 feet with a 4wt line. Not a world record but I made a point I hope. I only hope the angler now takes casting lessons. GARY
www.nichobamboorods.com
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