Fly Casting - Part 3

Problem: Back cast not staying in the air and touching the ground behind.

Fault: The tip of the rod is pointing too low, making the back cast go straight down and hit the ground. Or pausing too long.

Correction: Keep your wrist firm and stop the rod while it is around the 2 o'clock position. If you are still hitting the ground behind try sopping at the 1 o'clock position. Shorten the pause if it is too long.

Problem: Touching the ground (or water) in front.

Fault: The tip of the rod is pointing too low at the front. Or pausing too long

Correction: Keep your wrist firm and stop the rod while it is about in the 11 o'clock position. Or shorten the pause.

Problem: Distorted loops

Fault: Putting too much force or rushing the cast

Correction: Slow down when casting and try not to use so much force. Give the line time to become completely straight after you pull the line backward before you start projecting the line forward.

Other Ways To Learn Casting

It doesn't hurt to have your casting critiqued by someone who is more of an expert than you are. You will probably learn some pointers and much quicker.

Learn the roll cast. The roll cast is necessary when there is something behind you that would prevent you from doing a back cast. Such as trees or a dirt bank. The roll cast is also another excellent way for beginners to feel the rod action.

You can also start practicing by casting vertically, left to right of your body (side to side, instead of back to front.) as it is easy to see the line and loops of the casts. Just make sure you wear safety glasses and a hat, as the fly is travelling past your head. Angle the cast slightly away from your body. You then might practice 45 degrees to the body then forward and backward casting.

As well as vertical casting, you can learn to do it side to side, horizontally off the ground in front of you.  This is also a good way to watch the loops. 

Other Casting Tips

 
You may not need to cast more than 50 feet when fishing, however, becoming proficient at long-distance cast will improve your overall casting.  Once you have mastered the shorter distance then keep adding more distances to your cast.  Master a distance before progressing to a higher distance. 

Be mindful when fishing, that you don’t cast too often. It is hard for the trout to take the fly when it is in the air all the time. Time spent with your fly in the water increases your chances of catching a fish. Casting for casting sake isn’t productive fishing. There is more chance it will scare the fish, rather than impress it! 

Once you have got some solid practice behind you, the ultimate test in casting is fly fishing at night time. This can really hone your skills, or be a disaster. Feeling the fly rod’s actions, rather then seeing it will help you improve. Just be ready for a few tangles and probably a lot of cursing! 

Ugly Casting?

There are lot’s of different casting techniques recommended by the gurus. If someone says you can add five yards extra to your casting distance, or pinpoint accuracy, by doing it a certain way, then take note. However, if that person recommends casting techniques that just look pretty, but have no real fishing value, take it with a grain of salt. 

Some say do it this way, or that way. I don’t think there is just one correct way to cast. A five foot four, female is going to cast differently from a 300 lb, six foot four male. If you can cast covering accuracy, speed, distance and can land the fly delicately if need be, then who cares how your technique looks.

Other important aspects of casting is economy. That is, can you cast for several hours without getting too fatigued?  The other things to consider are to make sure you are not setting yourself up for injury long term, by putting the wrist, elbow, shoulder or back into an awkward position.  

While a beautiful cast looks great, does it really matter if your technique looks ugly? Basically you go fly fishing to enjoy yourself and catch a fish. It doesn’t really matter to the salmon or bonefish that your casting is ugly!