Simon describes rod "creep" starting at this point in the video,
This Orvis video also demonstrates creep.
The opposite of Creep is Drift and this is what fly casters who want to improve their casting distance should work on.
Technical advice on drifting with the flyrod after the stop. The most effective way to improve your flycasting.
www.sexyloops.com
Rod creep can result in tailing loops. So if you cast tailing, especailly when making long casts, the reason may be that you are creeping your rod on the forward cast.
A tailing loop is caused by the sudden and uneven application of power/acceleration during the casting stroke. This pulse of sudden acceleration causes the rod chord to shorten, and this rod shortening caused the rod tip to dip which results in the tailing loop. The earlier the rod dip, the later in the cast the tailing loop will form.
Although creep does not HAVE to cause a tailing loop, it can be the cause because it decreases the potential length of the rod rod stroke and this causes the caster to accelerate the rod stroke to increase line speed so the length of the cast is preserved. It is this compensatory need for a greater rate of acceleration that causes caster to form a the tailing loop.
This has been called a "creep and jab" causing a tailing loop. I was introduced to this term in an article by Jim McLennan in Fly Fisherman Magazine. The "jab" is the early acceleration really due to creeping after the stop on the back cast. This shortens the stroke length for the following forward cast and that result in the tailing loo
Jim McLennan writes, "Here’s how it works: After the backcast, there is supposed to be a pause while the line straightens out behind the caster. During this pause the rod hand should not move forward. However, many casters begin to slowly creep the rod hand ahead while waiting for the backcast to straighten. When the line becomes straight, there isn’t enough space left between the start and stop positions to make a proper forward cast."
Therefore, whether a tailing loop will result depends on the amount of the creep and the length of the cast. So while a certain amount of creep may not cause a tailing loop in a short cast, it will for a long cast.
I believe creep is more prone to occur when the caster is attempting a long cast. Here's an additional reason this is so. With a longer cast there is a greater delay between the the back cast and forward cast; and therefore, there is more opportunity for the caster to begin to creep in anticipation of the longer forward rod stroke that is needed for a longer cast.
If the caster is not used to making longer casts, I believe they have less "feel" for the timing between the back cast and the forward cast. As a result this inexperience can result in the creep that causes a jab that causes the tailing loop.
