MPR Season (with Fish!)
While there is still plenty of fishing to be had for some of the FF&W readership, others may be finding themselves staring at hard water and closed seasons. Well, it may not be fishing season for all of you, but it’s definitely MPR season! As many FF&W readers know, I am a fan of Echo’s Micro Practice Rod, and use I it for both practice and teaching (turns an average hotel ballroom into a casting field big enough for 10).
The only down-side to MPR practice is that is a seemingly fish-less endeavor (unless you have cats with a sense of humor). But Oregon Fish & Game Angler and Aquatic Education Program Coordinator, Shahab Farzanegan, has the answer. I met Shahab last year when I was doing a couple of the Fly Fishing Shows here on the West Coast. He had a kid’s education program going on, and part of the deal was a portable stream, complete with fish. Well, the stream and fish were made from vinyl, but they were better than nothing! The idea was to cast an MPR with a bit of velcro on the end of the line and “catch” fish from the river (the fish also having velcro on their heads). Some fish were easier than others to catch, but in the end, I managed a trophy (see below for the grip-n-grin hero shot).
Note the low, stealthy approach and the clever use of a Starbucks coffee cup as cover.
I hope that this program can gain some momentum (I suppose that means dollars have to flow its way first, likely a bit tough right now), since it is immensely appealing to both kids and adults. I’ll have to talk to Shahab about getting one installed in my foyer…
Me with a bright winter fish. Strangely, no fishing mags have wanted this for a cover shot.
![FF&W [art] - DF52 Grayling](http://fishfliesandwater.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/df52_16-grayling-sidebar.jpg)
Jason,
I have a technical question for you about MPR.
Is it possible to practice a double haul movement/cast with this set up? Say, till the whole yarn line will be cast and shot away?
I seem to be able to cast the whole yarn line with a single back and front cast, if I try. And as I reported before, I think I can make most of angled or curved casts including a Corkscrew or even with my off-hand. But I am not getting enough practice and feel for double haul.
It is still a nice tool so I like it. Tomorrow I will find out the improvement of my casting and how many tangles I will get at Rocky Ford Creek in Ephrata WA.
Satoshi—Yes, you can haul, but it’s not easy (or terribly effective) with the standard set-up. One can make a shooting head that allows excellent hauling (I don’t know if Tim is offering MPR heads yet, but it might be worth e-mailing him at Rajeff Sports to ask). I have a head set-up myself (using monofilament running line) and it can be cast a (relative) mile. Good luck at RF.