Mika Lappalainen | Friday, 4 September 2026
I wake up on Friday morning, it would be time to write FP. I haven't got message from Paul, How it is going? That's how he reminds about FP. It is slow morning, I have to pick up guest from airport after 11 am. It is heavy rain and forecast is that it will rain whole weekend, tough fishing coming.
I lay in bed and I feel how small creatures are working in my muscles, like mining people or in server center. Rebuilding connections and muscles, overwriting muscle memory. I can even hear they chatting.... It will take time, yet work has begun.
Two weeks ago I had distance casting session with Paul. I got list what needs to get change or improvements. First week I only had few practise and really short ones. This week I have done session every day about 40-60 minutes after "work" before going home. Weather has been good, I even lawned part of field for practise area.
I got this silly idea last week. Distance cast feels and looks like throwing javelin. When I was a kid we did a lot javelin, we make our own from alder, birch, pine, willow tree and aspen. We have saying in Finland, lentää kuin leppäheihäs, fly like alder spear. Alder was best if I remeber right, or aspen. Light weighted and straight.
In 1984 Arto Härkönen won suprinsigly Olympic gold, and every boy around my neighborhood was him after that. Girls were Tiina Lillak who won wc in 1983 and olympic silver 1984. We imitated technique and practised throw after throw. New javelin to find and make, do it best possible, balance it, make marks for handle. For 10 year old boy it was more like art, spent hours in forest to find perfect blank. Sound any similar to other hobby?
So I though these similarities, I didn't ask anything from Paul, just kept on my own thoughts. There was still small memory in muscles about javelin, so I thought I will try if it be any good for my casting. I notice that it slows my rod hand as I concentrate on body and hand movement. Probably doesn't make sense to you yet for me it did. Over 40 years old wires had to be freshed up.
And then I ended up on SL Board, and I found discussion about Javelin and distance casting. So I was not only one seeing similarities. I did some research, dangerous sentence as it normally means something else nowadays. Body Dynamic on cast/throwing seems to be quite similar on both ones. Biggest differences are coming after you chest turns on target and your hand starts its journey. Different angles, your hand can't be like a whip fast etc. And lot of similarities, even cradle grip more or less.
If someone would ask to which other sport fly casting would compare... darts for accuracy and javelin on distance... I would use those comparisons. I might be dead wrong yet, those helps me. And this javelin idea help my distance anyway.
On session with Paul my comfortable carry was 22m/72 ft, My longest cast was 31m/ 102 ft. Now my comfortable carry has set in 24-25m/78-82ft. And yesterday my longest cast was 35m/115ft, second one was 34,5 m/113 ft and few little bit over 33m/108 ft.
So for me it does make sense to throw javelin in my mind and listening these small creatures wiring muscles again. Well when casting I do listen some good rock/heavy music, you do need to give give good music for workers. :D
Weather for coming weekend looks shit, heavy rain and wind, it will be difficult fishing, hopefully I find little time for these creatures to continue their work.
Have a nice weekend and go fishing
Mika from north