My point isn’t to spend time casting into a can. The point is to develop that same level of skill (consistently cast to a spot the diameter of a line spool with a soft landing) The path you take to get there is only limited by your own imagination.
Mastery would also include learning about water currents, best choice of fly, and fish behavior too where there are also many paths to gaining an understanding.
Lately I’ve been pondering about what makes a fish hit a fly or rather wondering about the answer to the ratio of motivations for hitting the fly? Hunger vs Instinctive reaction.
If you go running alone through the jungle in North India there’s a good chance a well fed Tiger will instinctively rise, chase down, catch and eat you. Predators chase things that move fast, (a fact that the theme of former safari guide Peter Allison’'s book, “Whatever You Do, Don’t Run”. Walking slow with confidence & not showing fear may save your life. Running surely will lose it).
Fish will often react the same during periods of not eating. For example during spawning they may not eat for days yet they will still often instinctively react and take a lure/fly if presented so it triggers that instinctive reaction.
This is probably the primary function for many of the sasoi presentation techniques such as: yokohiki, gyakuhiki (cross stream pull, up stream pull). vs Pause & drift or pause & feed or just normal rhythmic pulsing that probably has more to do with getting a hungry fish to notice your fly, and give it the opportunity to catch if it looks like food.
What is the ratio of reasons for a fish to take a fly when presented with various sasoi/manipulated techniques? Clearly some twitching movements only help a hungry fish see your fly. But which sasoi techniques are best for triggering an instinctive chase & eat response from a fish that is not hungry? What it the best way to develop the skills to trigger the instinctive “take” response? Is a certain type of fly better at triggering an instinctive response?