Fly Casting

Casting in fly fishing is not really about the strength and power in your body, rather its about the strength and power in the fly rod.  The flexing of the rod under the weight of the fly line, which is referred to as the loading and unloading of the rod, is where most of the power and control of the cast comes from.  So start by taking a deep breath and relax.  Now I am right handed, so if you are a lefty, reverse these instructions.  Your left hand is going to control the fly line, so grab the line with that hand near the guide closest to you.  The left hand will pull the fly line that is already through the rod back towards you and down to create tension.  This action is called a haul.  If the fly line was already on the water, this action would immediately remove slack and create a taut line.  The right hand and arm will lift the fly rod up and back.  A clock face is most often used to help understand where the rod should go.  If 12 o’clock is a line straight up from your head, then your back cast should go to 1 o’clock.  The forward cast should stop at 10 o’clock.  Most casting problems start with the right wrist.  If it breaks on the back cast you will have some problems.  So, when you practice, pretend your right arm and fly rod are in a cast so they are snug and inseparable; you couldn’t bend your wrist if you wanted to.  If I ever break my casting arm, I’m going to have them put my rod in with my hand.  That should work out just fine with a 7-piece travel rod, and I bet it improves my casting (and perhaps my fly fishing).  Also, try to picture your elbow attached to your side, or you can do it the way your granddad learned, hold a book between your arm and your side while you cast.  Your upper arm from your shoulder to your elbow shouldn’t move much at all when you cast.  Your forearm from your elbow should do all the work.  All right, straight arm, straight wrist.

Let’s cast.  Quickly pull (haul) the fly line back with your left hand while you quickly and smoothly lift the rod to the 1 o’clock position.  Remember, DON’T let your wrist break and DO stop your back cast abruptly.  This will lift the working fly line you initially had in front of you and send it behind you.  Turn your head to look behind you and watch the back cast.  (Your fly fishing gear will make a difference in how the casting feels.   Some fly rods are stiffer than others and the loading will feel different.  This is why it is important to turn and watch your back casts so that you can see what makes the rod load and know when to bring your cast forward.)  You will notice the rod bending or loading.  Notice your rod position.  Also notice how the fly rod felt when it was fully loaded.  When you stopped your back cast at 1 o’clock, it should have stayed right there where you left it.  Make sure you are still gripping the line with your left hand to keep tension and when the line is straight and parallel to the ground and the rod is fully loaded bring the rod forward by bending at the elbow.  Stop at 10 o’clock.  The line will now unfurl in front.   As you work on this, you can loosen your grip of the line with your left hand on the front cast.  This will allow more of the line at your feet to shoot through the guides and increase your casting distance.  That is your basic fly cast in a nutshell.  I find it helpful for flyfishing beginners to start with the back cast as a separate action.  Start the cast, but instead of bringing the rod forward, let it stay put and the line will fall to the ground behind you.  Now haul with your left hand and do the front cast.  This will let you feel the weight and motion of the line as well as the loading of the rod.  You will also be able to work on keeping that wrist straight and casting with your forearm.  After you’re comfortable with the back and front casts, start putting them together. 

A false cast is when you don’t let the fly touch down on the forward cast and instead bring it back again.  This is used to help feed more line out and extend the distance of the cast, as well as drying the fly.  False casts scare trout, so practice, practice, practice.  Experienced fly fisherman will have one false cast if any.

Once you are on the water and you've practiced your casting, you can start working on your fishing techniques.  After all, the whole point is to catch some fish.

There are some great books and DVDs on casting that I highly recommend.  Check them out.  Also check out these videos.  This guy has a great handle on fly casting.  Have fun and go fly fishing.

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