The Steeple Cast

[Mervyn J]

i seen this casting method in Hugh Falkus book Sea Trout Fishing he covers this in 3 pages and i was just wandering if there were any book's out there that go in to more detail on this type of cast it would be very handy for fishing the river i do be Cu's it's very overgrown in places and it would be handy for night fishing at times.

[rrw35]

Have a look at www.sexyloops.com if its anywhere, its on there.

[The Handsome Stick]

Does anyone know what the advantage of a steeple cast would be over a roll cast?

[sage]

Hi.

I think it is suposed to put more line into your D loop, but upwards instead of directly behind you, i still prefer a jump roll ;D

[sandfly2]

It is not like a roll cast at all , more like a normal cast but thrown upwards rather than backwards . The problem is on the forward cast the line hits the water quite hard so presentation is not the best .

Davy .

[John Gray]

I find that the steeple cast can be performed with much the same result as a normal cast. The backcast is simply aimed higher (as near directly overhead as possible), as is the forward cast, and the delay between back and forward cast is minimised, so that the whole operation seems slightly hurried. I find that a steeple cast can reach farther than a roll cast and causes less surface disturbance. It, of course, requires a bit more room behind and above than the roll cast, which would be preferred in very tightly confined spaces.

[The Handsome Stick]

flyfisherman.com/skills/jbsteeple/

[John Gray]

I would suggest that the animation in the above link does not sufficiently emphasise the essential feature of the steeple cast..... which is that it is best done with a more or less straight arm, with very little movement at the elbow joint. The cast begins, as in a normal cast, with the drawing of line away from the butt ring with the left hand (if right handed), with the rod point in line with the fly line. At the same time the elbow of the right arm moves outwards and upwards, with arm only slightly bent at the elbow, and the wrist of the right hand swivels in an anti-clockwise movement, so that the reel turns outwards and the butt of the rod rests on the underside of the right wrist. In this first part of the cast, the right arm, with the wrist still pointing slightly downwards and the back of the hand upwards, is raised, gently accelerating to a point where the elbow and wrist of the right hand are about level with the chin. At this point the acceleration increases, as in a normal cast, into the final flick, with the right hand moving vertically upwards while the wrist is straightened with a vigorous flick, trying to, as I think Falkus said, hook the stars directly overhead, all the while the left hand moving so as to maintain maximum line tension throughout the cast. After the briefest of delays to allow the line to straighten above, and so that it should not be allowed to drop behind, the forward cast is made, almost entirely by wrist movement, supported by only a slight movement of hips and shoulder, with the rod point aimed forward in a horizontal plane..... something like that anyway....

[The Handsome Stick]

johngray said:

I would suggest that the animation in the above link does not sufficiently emphasise the essential feature of the steeple cast..... which is that it is best done with a more or less straight arm, with very little movement at the elbow joint. The cast begins, as in a normal cast, with the drawing of line away from the butt ring with the left hand (if right handed), with the rod point in line with the fly line. At the same time the elbow of the right arm moves outwards and upwards, with arm only slightly bent at the elbow, and the wrist of the right hand swivels in an anti-clockwise movement, so that the reel turns outwards and the butt of the rod rests on the underside of the right wrist. In this first part of the cast, the right arm, with the wrist still pointing slightly downwards and the back of the hand upwards, is raised, gently accelerating to a point where the elbow and wrist of the right hand are about level with the chin. At this point the acceleration increases, as in a normal cast, into the final flick, with the right hand moving vertically upwards while the wrist is straightened with a vigorous flick, trying to, as I think Falkus said, hook the stars directly overhead, all the while the left hand moving so as to maintain maximum line tension throughout the cast. After the briefest of delays to allow the line to straighten above, and so that it should not be allowed to drop behind, the forward cast is made, almost entirely by wrist movement, supported by only a slight movement of hips and shoulder, with the rod point aimed forward in a horizontal plane..... something like that anyway....

Thanks John for the effort,
Not an easy thing to describe.
I think I'm with you.

[tom]

Hi,

Ed Jarawoski reckons you can turn the rod so the reel and rings face upwards when making the backcast, returning to the normal position on the forward cast. He's Lefty's mate so he must be right! I myself often find that the forward cast of the steeple creates either an exagerated tailing loop or cannot get much distance or both. Short line stuff this one I think.

Tom

[birdsnest]

Definately short line stuff Tom. I find when I do it the line hits the water like a cow falling in.................so I tend to roll cast these days. birdsnest