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After some recent casting classes and watching folks attempt to make casts in challenging conditions, I was pondering suggestions for improvements. I also talked with one of our better-known fly fishing guides at the coast to compare notes based on his clients. There seems to be a common thread and the simplest advice seems to be "...put some muscle into it!" Without going into a long dialog about how to cast (which is all over the internet and youtube) here are some simple pointers for folks venturing into bigger water...
When you need to make a longer cast, using bigger flies and maybe in windy conditions, you need more power. Keep a stiff wrist and use the power of the forearm or the entire arm to make the cast using a much longer rod stroke....not to be confused with the length of the arc traveled by the rod tip. Rod stroke length is similar to throwing a baseball from the outfield to home plate....you make a powerful throw....starting with a powerful stretch of the arm behind you.
The backcast is the key to a good cast and must be made with power, so the line travels up in the air behind the angler, or straight back with enough energy so that it doesn't fall, or slap the ground or the water before starting the front cast. Weak and wimpy backcasts are a common problem. Anglers who want to improve their casting should concentrate on throwing more power into their backcast...often with the rod parallel to the water or at a 45 degree angle, casting or "unrolling" the fly line back and forth using the whole arm....rather than up and down with just the motion of the forearm.
In order to start a good backcast, the rod tip should be close to the water (not pointing up in the air) AND the line should be straight out in front of the angler with no slack in the line. If the line is not straight out, you loose the ability to immediately put power into the backcast because you are lifting or moving the rod back to first remove the slack. If there is slack in the line, often the angler reaches the end of his back stroke and the line is still lying in the water. Immediate defeat. So....develop a good roll cast and a roll cast pickup. The roll cast is a critical basic skill for any angler and it's easy to learn. The roll cast can be used to straighten the line out on the water in front of you, important for removing all the slack and getting the end of the line moving, in preparation for a backcast...
Turn your body at a 45 degree angle to the cast direction so you can easily observe what is happening to the backcast as it unrolls in the air behind you. Once you can see it, you can begin to correct it.
Fly fishermen often hear of other techniques, like the double haul, that are useful for longer casts in challenging conditions. First, however, you must develop good, basic casting skills that allow you to impart power into your roll casts and backcasts. Develop strength and power in these fundamentals, before working on advanced techniques.
When you need to make a longer cast, using bigger flies and maybe in windy conditions, you need more power. Keep a stiff wrist and use the power of the forearm or the entire arm to make the cast using a much longer rod stroke....not to be confused with the length of the arc traveled by the rod tip. Rod stroke length is similar to throwing a baseball from the outfield to home plate....you make a powerful throw....starting with a powerful stretch of the arm behind you.
The backcast is the key to a good cast and must be made with power, so the line travels up in the air behind the angler, or straight back with enough energy so that it doesn't fall, or slap the ground or the water before starting the front cast. Weak and wimpy backcasts are a common problem. Anglers who want to improve their casting should concentrate on throwing more power into their backcast...often with the rod parallel to the water or at a 45 degree angle, casting or "unrolling" the fly line back and forth using the whole arm....rather than up and down with just the motion of the forearm.
In order to start a good backcast, the rod tip should be close to the water (not pointing up in the air) AND the line should be straight out in front of the angler with no slack in the line. If the line is not straight out, you loose the ability to immediately put power into the backcast because you are lifting or moving the rod back to first remove the slack. If there is slack in the line, often the angler reaches the end of his back stroke and the line is still lying in the water. Immediate defeat. So....develop a good roll cast and a roll cast pickup. The roll cast is a critical basic skill for any angler and it's easy to learn. The roll cast can be used to straighten the line out on the water in front of you, important for removing all the slack and getting the end of the line moving, in preparation for a backcast...
Turn your body at a 45 degree angle to the cast direction so you can easily observe what is happening to the backcast as it unrolls in the air behind you. Once you can see it, you can begin to correct it.
Fly fishermen often hear of other techniques, like the double haul, that are useful for longer casts in challenging conditions. First, however, you must develop good, basic casting skills that allow you to impart power into your roll casts and backcasts. Develop strength and power in these fundamentals, before working on advanced techniques.
