Casting clubs

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Mike N
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Casting clubs

Post by Mike N »

We’ve had a few threads on the history of the sport of casting, but it is still a relatively unknown subject even among collectors. From fly casting to plug casting for distance and accuracy to games such as Skish, the sport drew competitors and large crowds across America as recently as the the 1960s and is still active today. ORCA honors the sport of casting with a competition at its annual meeting. Our own Matt Wickham and several other club members have incredible casting memorabilia collections.

The National Association of Scientific Angling Clubs (NASAC) was formed in 1907 by such fishing greats as author Dr. James Henshall and fish-farming pioneer Seth Green. The NASAC published its first newsletter in May, 1921. See photo.



Around 1939, the NASAC changed its name to the National Association of Angling and Casting Clubs (NAACC). The third of Cliff Netherton’s volumes is titled “History of the Sport of Casting, The N.A.A.C.C. Years, (1939-1960).” The NAACC later became the American Casting Association (ACA).

NASAC (1907-1939)




NAACC (1939-1960)





ACA (1960-present)


Here is a link to the American Casting Association’s website. They recently (May) had a casting event in Cranberry PA, just north of Pittsburgh.
http://www.americancastingassoc.org/index.html
Mike N.
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RandyAnderson
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Re: Casting clubs

Post by RandyAnderson »

Thank you for posting that information, I find it is hard to find an abundance of casting club information other than the Netherton books. I recently purchased some casting memorabilia and it had a box of hookless flies in the lot, after seeing the picture in your post I now know what they are. You and Colby keep sharing you knowledge. The effortless sharing by many of our members is what makes ORCA great.
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Mike N
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Re: Casting clubs

Post by Mike N »

Thanks, Randy.

This book was published in 1946. What I find most interesting is the instruction that the reel be turned basically sideways with the wrist to cast in accuracy events. Since a baseball is generally released from the hand the same way with the thumb horizontal and down (not pointed up), I guess it makes sense.

Mike N.
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RandyAnderson
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Re: Casting clubs

Post by RandyAnderson »

That is the same information and form published in a Wm. H. Talbot Reel Co. brochure published in early 1900. Date based on the reel model pictured in the illustration. The information was attributed to Fred N. Peet "World's tournament winner"

Interesting that your information was taken from a book authored by Earl Osten, once a resident of my hometown, Bartlesville, Ok.
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Mike N
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Re: Casting clubs

Post by Mike N »

RandyAnderson wrote: Sun Aug 28, 2022 10:08 am***I recently purchased some casting memorabilia and it had a box of hookless flies in the lot, after seeing the picture in your post I now know what they are.***

According to Osten, a competitor would “employ only the shank*” to tie the casting flies, which makes sense especially since the hook would get caught up in the grass while retrieving if a casting pond was not used.
[*The shank is the straight portion of the hook, from eye of the hook to where the bend starts.]

Randy, maybe you can check those flies- the approved NAACC distance trout flies were size 10 with a “white body and hackle and red wings” tied in wet-fly style. The official distance salmon fly was size 00
with a “yellow body and hackle and white wings, tied in approved wet-fly style.”



Last edited by Mike N on Sun Aug 28, 2022 12:09 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Mike N.
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Midway Tommy D
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Re: Casting clubs

Post by Midway Tommy D »

Too bad there wasn't as much casting history interest while Bill Burke was still alive. He was a treasure trove of competitive casting information and knowledge. I will always remember how generous he was with his time in helping me locate an ABU tournament casting spool. What a nice individual! RIP, Bill.
Love those Open Face Spinning Reels! (Especially ABU & ABU/Zebco)

Tom DeLong, NE
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kyreels
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Re: Casting clubs

Post by kyreels »

There will be five ACA tournament casters at the National. Among Bill''s contemporaries, members BL Farley and David Roberts freely offer tournament info, as well as George McCabe, Jay Klenk and others. The casting sport is still diminishing in the USA, but is growing internationally. Here is some history on the clubs which I have previously posted:

1860 - 1873 – NYSC – New York Sportsmen’s Club
1874-1892 – NYAPFG - New York Association for the Protection of Fish and Game
1882-1889 – NRRA – National Rod and Reel Association
1891-1906 – ACAFC – Associated Clubs of American Fly Casters
1891-present – CFCC – Chicago Fly Casting Club (now Chicago Angling and Casting Club)
1894- present – Golden Gate Angling and Cast Club
1906-1938 – NASAC – National Association of Scientific Angling Clubs
1913-1922 – NACA – National Amateur Casting Association – merged with NASAC in 1923
1906-1938 – OASAC – Ohio Association of Scientific Angling Clubs
1939-1961 – NAACC – National Association of Angling and Casting Clubs
1961 – present – ACA – American Casting Association
1955-2002 – ICF – International Casting Federation
1952 – Present - CIPS - International Confederation of Sport Fishing
2003-present – ICSF – International Casting Sport Federation

The ICSF represents countries including the USA, UK, Austria, Czech Republic, Germany, Japan, Norway, Poland, Sweden, and Switzerland. Other international casting organizations exist in Italy, New Zealand and Russia.

We will have a special discussion at the National on unrestricted casting reels. The Olsen book was one of the first to describe how to make one from the standard frames of the time.
Matt Wickham
Collector of Casting Weights, KY Reels and KY Tackle
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