Glossary
The Sage Casting Analyzer provides a scientific interpretation of your fly cast. The following glossary is meant to help you understand exactly what the analyzer measures, and how best to interpret that data.
Symmetry
The Sage Casting Analyzer compares the peak speeds of your front and back casts. It's common to see higher peak speeds on front casts, while the back cast is often thrown with inadequate power. If you see symmetry readings below 80%, it's likely that your back cast suffers from poor stops and rod load. The best casters exhibit a remarkable symmetry between their front and back casts.
Cast Arc
Cast arc is relative-the longer the cast, the wider the rod arc should be. Rod arcs that are wider than they need to be often result in "big loops," while rod arcs that are too narrow often result in "tailing loops." To achieve an ideal rod arc, your cast must approximate the Sage Expert acceleration, stop and rebound. The rod arc chart also shows "creep" and "drift" (if they're present). Creep is a leading cause of tailing loops and shows up on the acceleration curve as slow, premature acceleration. The rod motion that causes creep will also result in a high smoothness ratio. Drift is the opposite of creep. Drift occurs when the rod "drifts" in the direction of the cast, effectively lengthening the following stroke, rather than shortening it.
Smoothness Ratio
Smoothness ratio is a measure of how power is applied to the rod throughout the casting stroke. To make an effective cast, it's important to accelerate the rod smoothly; the proper sequence of the casting stroke can be described as: initiate/drag, accelerate, and move to a positive stop. Proper rod acceleration results in a fairly straight line in the acceleration curve. However, it's common for casters to rotate the rod too slowly at first, with a fast and snappy finish that results in a high smoothness ratio and, consequently, tailing loops. Perfect acceleration would yields a smoothness number of 1, but any number less than 8 is considered excellent. If your smoothness ratio is high, concentrate on increasing initial rod rotation-don't rotate the rod until you're ready to accelerate smoothly and rapidly through to a firm stop. An abrupt or snappy finish will produce a high smoothness ratio, which results in an inefficient cast.
Peak Speed
Peak speed measures the maximum angular rotation of the rod in degrees per second. A relatively low peak speed is indicative of good casting technique and efficiency. Peak speed that's faster or slower than the Sage Expert baseline does not necessarily mean the cast is poor-good loops can be cast at different speeds. However, it's best not to cast faster than is necessary for the distance you're trying to launch a fly. Casting into the wind, for example, requires more peak speed. (Note: For comparison purposes, Sage Expert casts were made in calm conditions.)
Deceleration/Stop
How rod rotation decelerates-commonly called the "stop"-is critical to loop formation. The transition from acceleration to deceleration must be rapid, showing up on the Sage Casting Analyzer report in the form of a sharp point between acceleration and deceleration curves. A rounded peak indicates a "soft" stop and results in a less efficient, rounded loop. The degree of stop indicates how completely the rod stopped. A stop of 0 degrees per second (d/s) or lower indicates rod rotation was halted completely. A negative stop indicates the rod was not only stopped completely but also rotated slightly in the opposite direction. Assuming a good "smoothness" number, a complete stop will result in tight, pointed loops with a higher rod-load percentage. It's important to note that complete stops are not always desirable-a hard stop and big rebound often result in loop "shock waves." If you're after a smoother loop, decelerate the rod significantly, but not completely, which will result in a higher stop number.
Rod Load
Rod load is an indication of how much the rod bends during the cast. This number compares the peak speed before the stop to the smaller peak speed following the stop. The smaller peak indicates how the caster rotates the rod in response to the rebound of the fly rod. A rebound-or rod load-of 30% or more indicates good casting efficiency. It's possible to have good acceleration, peak speed, and stop, but if the rod load ratio percentage is low, it means the rod bends only slightly, and the resulting loop is probably too big. For the rod to bend and load properly, it must have resistance from the line. If the line is slack from a poor previous loop, the rod won't bend much and there will be relatively little rod load (proof that one good cast leads to another). If rod-load percentage is less than 30%, analyze the previous cast to determine why its loop is inadequate.
Sage Expert Baseline
After examining the casting technique of hundreds of experts, we discovered that despite widely varied styles, their profiles were remarkably similar. The Sage Expert is simply a cast profile that reflects the amalgamation of a variety of casting pros. For comparison purposes, these profiles are what we consider to be "perfect" fishing casts, with average speed and functionally perfect loops. The Sage Expert casts were made using a Sage 590XP Series rod, a Sage 2550 reel and specific length of Safe Performance Taper fly line (with no hauling). In order to compare your cast to the Sage Expert, make sure you have marked your line and are casting the same length to ensure the comparisons are valid.
Variables
If you cast using a slow-action rod you can expect that your rod arc will be slightly wider than the comparison casts. Hence your rod-load percentage will also be larger. Using a fast-action rod, your rod arc and rod-load percentage will be smaller. And, of course, lighter or heavier rods will also yield slightly different results.
Symmetry
The Sage Casting Analyzer compares the peak speeds of your front and back casts. It's common to see higher peak speeds on front casts, while the back cast is often thrown with inadequate power. If you see symmetry readings below 80%, it's likely that your back cast suffers from poor stops and rod load. The best casters exhibit a remarkable symmetry between their front and back casts.
Cast Arc
Cast arc is relative-the longer the cast, the wider the rod arc should be. Rod arcs that are wider than they need to be often result in "big loops," while rod arcs that are too narrow often result in "tailing loops." To achieve an ideal rod arc, your cast must approximate the Sage Expert acceleration, stop and rebound. The rod arc chart also shows "creep" and "drift" (if they're present). Creep is a leading cause of tailing loops and shows up on the acceleration curve as slow, premature acceleration. The rod motion that causes creep will also result in a high smoothness ratio. Drift is the opposite of creep. Drift occurs when the rod "drifts" in the direction of the cast, effectively lengthening the following stroke, rather than shortening it.
Smoothness Ratio
Smoothness ratio is a measure of how power is applied to the rod throughout the casting stroke. To make an effective cast, it's important to accelerate the rod smoothly; the proper sequence of the casting stroke can be described as: initiate/drag, accelerate, and move to a positive stop. Proper rod acceleration results in a fairly straight line in the acceleration curve. However, it's common for casters to rotate the rod too slowly at first, with a fast and snappy finish that results in a high smoothness ratio and, consequently, tailing loops. Perfect acceleration would yields a smoothness number of 1, but any number less than 8 is considered excellent. If your smoothness ratio is high, concentrate on increasing initial rod rotation-don't rotate the rod until you're ready to accelerate smoothly and rapidly through to a firm stop. An abrupt or snappy finish will produce a high smoothness ratio, which results in an inefficient cast.
Peak Speed
Peak speed measures the maximum angular rotation of the rod in degrees per second. A relatively low peak speed is indicative of good casting technique and efficiency. Peak speed that's faster or slower than the Sage Expert baseline does not necessarily mean the cast is poor-good loops can be cast at different speeds. However, it's best not to cast faster than is necessary for the distance you're trying to launch a fly. Casting into the wind, for example, requires more peak speed. (Note: For comparison purposes, Sage Expert casts were made in calm conditions.)
Deceleration/Stop
How rod rotation decelerates-commonly called the "stop"-is critical to loop formation. The transition from acceleration to deceleration must be rapid, showing up on the Sage Casting Analyzer report in the form of a sharp point between acceleration and deceleration curves. A rounded peak indicates a "soft" stop and results in a less efficient, rounded loop. The degree of stop indicates how completely the rod stopped. A stop of 0 degrees per second (d/s) or lower indicates rod rotation was halted completely. A negative stop indicates the rod was not only stopped completely but also rotated slightly in the opposite direction. Assuming a good "smoothness" number, a complete stop will result in tight, pointed loops with a higher rod-load percentage. It's important to note that complete stops are not always desirable-a hard stop and big rebound often result in loop "shock waves." If you're after a smoother loop, decelerate the rod significantly, but not completely, which will result in a higher stop number.
Rod Load
Rod load is an indication of how much the rod bends during the cast. This number compares the peak speed before the stop to the smaller peak speed following the stop. The smaller peak indicates how the caster rotates the rod in response to the rebound of the fly rod. A rebound-or rod load-of 30% or more indicates good casting efficiency. It's possible to have good acceleration, peak speed, and stop, but if the rod load ratio percentage is low, it means the rod bends only slightly, and the resulting loop is probably too big. For the rod to bend and load properly, it must have resistance from the line. If the line is slack from a poor previous loop, the rod won't bend much and there will be relatively little rod load (proof that one good cast leads to another). If rod-load percentage is less than 30%, analyze the previous cast to determine why its loop is inadequate.
Sage Expert Baseline
After examining the casting technique of hundreds of experts, we discovered that despite widely varied styles, their profiles were remarkably similar. The Sage Expert is simply a cast profile that reflects the amalgamation of a variety of casting pros. For comparison purposes, these profiles are what we consider to be "perfect" fishing casts, with average speed and functionally perfect loops. The Sage Expert casts were made using a Sage 590XP Series rod, a Sage 2550 reel and specific length of Safe Performance Taper fly line (with no hauling). In order to compare your cast to the Sage Expert, make sure you have marked your line and are casting the same length to ensure the comparisons are valid.
Variables
If you cast using a slow-action rod you can expect that your rod arc will be slightly wider than the comparison casts. Hence your rod-load percentage will also be larger. Using a fast-action rod, your rod arc and rod-load percentage will be smaller. And, of course, lighter or heavier rods will also yield slightly different results.
