The Last Five Percent

by Jason Borger

            In any sport, there are those athletes who can develop and utilize the "last five percent" of their abilities. Five percent may not seem like much, but it is the difference between almost being able to cast a full fly line and getting into the backing every time. While you may never compete in a casting competition, that last five-percent can make for some startling improvements on the water.

Having an absolutely rock-solid set of foundation casting skills is a prerequisite to exploring what lies beyond. Firmly seated foundations will develop a sense of control of both motion and energy. From that departure point, there are many avenues to travel on the journey into the five-percent realm. If you can enhance acceleration in a controlled manner—including rotation/tracking issues—you will be ahead of the game. Precise hauling, from both timing and force standpoints, is another place to acquire slices of the five percent. Get the haul timing right and you may be amazed at how nicely your loops and casting energies pull together. Having the ability to accurately Drift, Point and Layback will absolutely make a difference in opening up that five-percent club. Shooting line with maximum efficiency and Triple Shooting will allow for extra distance with a minimum of false casting. Learn to use your body as a tool for energy input when necessary, and make those hundreds of dollars you paid for that rod give you back every dime. Use the wind if you can or fight it with intelligence if you cannot. Finally, keep the mind-set straight. No matter where you fish, your training is what will determine your success. Train improperly or not at all and you will have problems in any new environment. Train smart, and you will be ready for whatever comes your way.

In the book, Greased Line Fishing for Salmon, the late "Jock Scott" describes A.H.E. Wood as using a wide array of the last-five-percent skills to achieve startling casting prowess. According to Scott: "[With] the loose line in his [Wood's] left hand, ready to shoot, he would fully extend his right arm, point the rod at the fly, and then pull it back with great power, swinging his body back in unison until his right arm was over his shoulder. While the line was extending behind he dropped his left hand, thus taking up any slack line which had bellied between the rod rings, and then made a tremendous forward drive. The right arm was swept forward in an absolutely horizontal plane, the wrist turning slightly upwards in order to maintain the vertical position of the rod as long as possible, to add to the power of this forward drive—and also its length—he brought his body forward, allowing it to swing with his arm, and, at the proper moment, released the slack line with his left hand. The result was one of the most astonishing exhibitions of shooting a line that I have ever seen. I feel sure, that few, if any, fisherman have equaled Mr. Wood in this part of the fly-caster's technique."

Talk about using the last five percent! Scott also said that he had never seen Wood's "equal in watermanship." The last five percent. It may not seem like much, but at the end of the day, it can mean all the difference.

As mentioned above, one of the last-five-percent skills is “Layback.” This technique is relatively simple to execute, but can pay sizeable dividends. Layback is a controlled moving of the rod back and towards the horizontal after the backcast has been made (during the pause between back and forward casts). It is a relative of Drifting. Layback can also be applied to angled and elliptical/oval casts. The technique has multiple purposes. The first is to provide room to accelerate the rod tip and line farther (and faster) on the forward stroke. The second is to set up for a deep load of the rod butt. The third is to allow a better angle between the rod guides and the line, thus making for better Back Shooting. The fourth is to put the rod into a position whereby a more horizontal forward cast can be made (Figure 2). Al Kyte and Gary Moran discuss the distance-proven efficacy of this technique in their Going for Distance study (Fly Fisherman, May 1993).

I call my father, Gary, the "Layback King," because layback is just part of what he automatically does when distance casting. In fact, both my father and I often use small amounts of Layback in many of our short casts. I consider Layback to be a vital distance technique, and it is one the skills that can help a high country angler reach the last five percent.

                  

(Layback moves the rod farther back and towards horizontal during the pause between back and forward casts. Right: Rod flexure shown frame-by-frame during a forward cast made by the author after the use of Layback. One frame equals one-thirtieth of a second. Note the broad Casting Arc, deep rod flexure and the near-straight line path of the rod tip as it is accelerated.)

 

About The Author

Jason Borger is a sought-after expert and author in the field of fly fishing. He was hired as the “shadow caster” in Robert Redford's film, A River Runs Through It. His newest book is entitled, Jason Borger’s Nature of Fly Casting-a modular approach. Visit his Website at www.jasonborger.com.