Bucket Challenge

[Mark]

My kayak has not been wet since my 11 March trip to St. Mary’s Lake. It’s doubtful it will get wet in April.

During our lockdown I have:

Bought supplies I didn’t need online:

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Tied streamers (I also didn't need):

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Braved Safeway three times (a scary and frustrating task):

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Missed watching the Caps:

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Finished all my library books (and now I cannot return them until May):

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Practiced casting...and that's the real topic of this post.

This afternoon I set up a bucket in my yard as a casting target. I moved back 16 paces, a good 45 feet:

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I tried to put a wooly bugger into the bucket with my 5 weight fly rod. That was much harder than I thought.

Mostly, I overshot the bucket. Here I was on line but too long:

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Just missed:

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And finally, BINGO:

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Now I know why they use Hula Hoops as targets at fly fishing show casting pools.

I'd like to tell you that I zeroed in on the bucket after only a few casts. That didn't happen. It's harder than you might think. I put the fly in the bucket one time in roughly 30 minutes of casting. I like to think of myself as an accurate caster. I really enjoy hitting targets on the water. I do well enough to catch a lot of fish on structure. But I think what I learned is that I'm a "close enough" caster. Fortunately, in fishing, close enough is usually good enough.

So, if you've reached the peak of your boredom like me, give the bucket challenge a try. I didn't use my bait casters or spinning rods. But I don't think it would be any easier with conventional tackle.

Stay safe everyone,

[J.A. Veil]

That was a good idea for practicing casting. I actually thought about casting a jighead out in the front yard -- not for hitting a target, but rather to keep the hand-eye coordination active. I may save that for tomorrow.

I was sufficiently bored yesterday that I changed sports and hit some short 9-iron shots around the yard for half an hour.

Since kayaking (but not catch and release fishing) is permitted under the current policies, I may take a kayak out somewhere local to get some paddling exercise and water time. I would leave the fishing rods at home. It has been three weeks since my last kayak fishing trip.

[Big Mike]

If your going to have a bonehead accident, I guess during a quarantine and with the striper season closed is the time to do it. Fell about 2 1/2 weeks ago and hairline fractured my knee cap. Kayaking is currently out of the question although I am able to drag a chair to the community pond and keep up my casting/bite detection skills while sitting. Every day slightly better and hoping beyond hope I can launch May 1.

[Mark]

Mike -- Sorry to hear that. Sounds painful. This forced inactivity may quicken your healing. Good luck.

John -- Watch out for shanked shots. My errant casts landed a wooly bugger in a peony bush. No harm done. Yours may break a window!

[bignose]

Dropping a streamer / wooly bugger into a bucket 45 feet off is a bear. As the line turns over, you have to contend with the side and lip on the bucket.

Maybe with a dry fly: aim a foot above the bucket, and let it float down.

Built in excuse: It's been very windy, the last couple of days...........works for chipping with a nine iron, too, when it hits the window.

If I got out a fly rod and started casting in the open space in front of my house, my neighbors would call for the guys in white suits and butterfly nets to lock me in the rubber room.

[Mark]

Stu,

The wind was indeed a factor. I tried to shield myself from it by using my house for leeside protection. But gusts of wind still arose.

As for neighbors, I did get a few comments. We have lots of walkers where I live in normal times. But more now. People just want to get out. I answered one inquiring couple by telling them I had a goldfish in the bucket.

But accuracy practice is a good thing. I really enjoy dropping a popper near a stump or slinging a cast under an overhanging branch. I get almost as much satisfaction out of a good cast as hooking up. Almost...not the same joy that comes with a tight line for sure.

[clm]

45 feet!!!! Good Gracious...I'm lucky to get 20 or 30, and then I'm decorating a tree. Hoping to get out in the kayak this summer and really get some line in the air. The local places I haunt have limited back casting area. I feel pretty accomplished to get a fly into the water. I could go over to an open field...but when I think about that...I also think that if the weather is nice enough to do that...I should just go over to the pond and really reinforce my bad habits that limit my casting ability

[bignose]

Just to demonstrate the depths of depraved boredom we are experiencing, I decided to try Mark's challenge.

Rod: 8 1/2' Sage 6 weight. I wrapped this from a blank at least 20 years ago and before that I used it as an ultra light spinning rod.
Reel: Small Abel trout reel
Line: Scientific Anglers weight forward 6 weight, Sunrise orange. It too is at least 15-20 years old.
Leader: 6 foot tapered with two wind knots. It has been coiled on the reel for at least three years, the last time I used the rod and reel combo
Fly; size 8 bronze olive Krystal Flash Bugger with brass eyes.

Target: old cat litter box tray 16" x 20" I figure it isn't a bucket, but hey, this isn't exactly the Guiness Book of Records, either.
Distance: 16 paces
There was no wind to speak of.

I haven't attempted to use a fly rod since my shoulder surgery in 2017.
My initial casts were very ugly, tailing loops, whip cracking.
But I nailed it on the 10th cast.

I was not able to repeat this afterwards, and gave up after I broke off the fly 5 minutes after I hit the box.

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For 30+ years I fished nothing but fly rods, so there had to be some ancient muscle memory involved, or more likely, a blind squirrel finding an acorn.
And I probably won't be able to raise my arm later.....

[Mark]

Stu,

Thanks for trying. You did great.

I think casting a fly rod is like riding a bike. The ability comes back quickly.

But I hope you can indeed raise your arm later.

I find casting a fly rod to be less tiring and less stressful on my arm and shoulder than casting a spinning rod which does tire me during lengthy outings. With a fly rod my motion is easy and smooth. The cliché about letting the rod do the work is true. It takes me a little more effort to load a conventional rod. Maybe my technique is poor. However, I can cast my fly rod all day with no discomfort and be ready to go again the next day, just like a knuckleball pitcher, I suppose.

Again, congrats on hitting the litter box. Remember, for you it was a just a game. For a cat (owner) it's a necessity!

[moc]

All I have been doing is going into work everyday...they consider me essential personnel.
Doing my honey do list in record fashion (so I can go fishing with no objections when I start)
And cooking seafood dishes to keep my mind off the water.