Aerial Mending

Implementing aerial mends is easier than you may think. It all begins with learning and practicing Circumduction Casting.

What is circumduction? Circumduction is the rotational movement that incorporates circle-like motions into our casting stroke.

Circumduction, the movement, refers to a fixed-point (usually a human joint) as it rotates from its’ axis to “trace” a circular shape. Circumduction can occur from the shoulder, wrist, and fingers, and when combined with the cast, allows for a “bend” or “curve” to form in the casting line. This non-linear trajectory of the casting line may be used by the angler to adjust the accuracy of the fly and/or the positioning of the fly line before it lands on the water. This airborne adjustment or correction is referred to as an aerial mend.

So now that we’ve established that aerial mends are intentional curves that we create in the casting line, and are the result of circumduction techniques, the next question becomes; when should we use an aerial mend?

In Tenkara fishing, an aerial mend is intended to achieve a certain ‘fly meets water’ outcome and place the casting line (and fly) in harmony or in opposition with the flow of the water. Aligning the casting line with the current allows the angler to make better dead drift presentations with less force or drag being imposed on the fly and line. Whereas casting into an opposing current gives the angler the ability to use that same drag to reach certain depths in the water column faster. Harmonic alignment demonstrates concurrent drift with the seam or micro-current, as opposed to non-harmonic alignment where the fly line and fly are pulled below the surface of the water to reach a certain desired depth.

Now that we’ve defined circumduction and understand what its’ intended to accomplish, it’s time to see how circumduction casting works!

ARE YOU READY TO ELEVATE YOUR CASTING GAME? To get started, the first thing you’ll need to do is to get a plate. I use a metal camping plate (the speckled kind), but any plate or bowl will work. The next thing you’ll need to do is to rig your preferred line. It is important to remember that one of the skills of being an advanced tenkara caster is the ability to cast longer level lines. For this reason I recommend using a level line that’s 1.2 - 1.5x longer than your chosen rod length with a 1ft. - 2ft. (for practice) tippet section. I usually save my “spent” flies as “practice flies.” Using a fly that we would actually fish-with is important. The weight of the fly in relation to your line choice will have a significant outcome on your casts. Eliminating a fly on the end of your line (for practice) will not produce the same result on the water when you’re fishing.

Once you’re ready to start practicing you’ll need to find a good open space. This could be a local park, your backyard, or a sports field. Place the plate at a distance away from you that is commensurate with the casting line length. For a 360cm rod (or 12ft. rod) this should be about 14 to 18ft. away. NOW it’s time to start making some circumduction casts!

Line tension is fundamental to circumduction casting. To incorporate line tension we’ll start by making “figure eights.” We want to maintain continuous motion out in front of us. Practice various shapes of eights. HAVE FUN! Let yourself be free! Move and rotate the rod tip to form various size figure eights. Once you’ve got a feel for making figure eights, I want you to bring the rod tip above you until you’re NOW circling the rod, line, and fly overhead. We’re no longer making figure eights, but NOW circling the rod in the 12 o’clock position above us.

Once you’re ready to make a cast I want you to focus on stopping the rod out in front of you. Do not lower the rod when you make your cast, but maintain a forward, somewhat upward path with the rod tip. You should notice the line cast forward with an interpretive “L” or “J” shape. THIS IS WHAT YOU WANT! Depending on whether you’re right-handed or left-handed will depend on which direction the “curve” will be directed. If you do not see a curve in the line try again! Make sure you’re stopping the rod out in front of you with a slightly upward facing rod tip! The circling motion, timed with the forward release (of the rotating wrist) will create the bend in the line. You should not have to force anything. If you’re struggling, practice using a softer grip pressure to help. It’s natural to want to force the curvature of the line with a firmer grip, but once you realize that the rod will do all the work, you’ll understand the “less is more” effort that is needed.

Tip: Think of driving a car around a roundabout. Once the car reaches the spot where it can continue straight and accelerate; there’s a stop sign! The rod tip and wrist must “hit the breaks” in order to make the forward cast.

Did you do it? Did you see the curve in the line? Congratulations! You’ve made your first circumduction cast!

Now that you’ve made an aerial mend cast using circumduction techniques, I want you to pretend that your’ target, the plate, is NOW a boulder in the middle of a river. Instead of trying to hit your target for the sake of accuracy, our NEW GAME will be to cast aerial mends around the boulder. Pretend there’s a current of water flowing around the plate on each side and we must cast aerial mends around the boulder with the fly landing on either side aligning with “the current.”

The objective is to practice a fly first cast with the line and tippet curving (to align) with the flow of the “water.” Envision how the line might react to the water should you be casting into a real current. Would the line drag? How would the fly react?

Because this is an exercise, and no actual water is there to witness the affect, you may skip landing the fly on the grass (to avoid hook-snags). Repeat aerial casting around the plate and work on watching the line energy as it “cascades” down from the stopped rod position. Practice stopping the rod in several positions watching the effects of the line. Stopping the rod in different positions is called finding the “key position” and discovering the key position is when near-perfect line energy is released into the line from the rod tip. You’ll notice when you find the “key position” how differently the line casts forward and you’ll feel as though you’ve made the perfect aerial mend cast.

5 Tips When Casting Aerial Mends Using Circumduction Techniques:

Keep your hand out in front of you favoring your' casting side. The rod's grip should be positioned at around the middle of your chest.
Make your forward casting stroke during the wrist rotation as the rod and grip are rotating toward the target.
Instead of casting downward at the target, as the traditional “12 and 2” cast would have you do, you’re going to instead “push” the rod forward with a bit of upward movement. The rod will naturally lower during the cast, so don’t worry about where the rod ends up. A tuck cast is a good cast to mimic this forward rod-stop “feel.”
If you’re having trouble envisioning the outcome of your casting line, simply make a cast and let the line fall all the way to the ground. Lay your rod down straight, aimed at your target. How did the line react to your cast? Did it bend off left or right? Work on creating bends in the line, returning to this two-dimensional vantage point.
Each time you cast an aerial mend the result will be different. There is NO perfect outcome! Work on achieving some version of your desired effect. Understanding how line control can be manipulated by various release and stop-points in the casting stroke is what the goal of circumduction casting is all about.