Casting accuracy and distance - am I doing OK for a newbie?

[hockeyref]

I'm in Greensburg, and will end up hitting the local spots in SW PA... Ligioneer, Yough, Dunbar, etc....What need form you folks is some feedback, advice , etc. if I'm doing ok, need to get more accurate, need to get more distance while maintaining this level of accuracy.

Went out into the field yesterday too practice a bit with a yarn ball. Since the grass was still mostly dormant there were little tufts that stuck up about 3 inches and made perfect targets. I was able to land my yarn ball withing about 6 inches of the chosen 'target" about 65% of the time out to about 45 feet. Most of the remaining 35% landed within a foot. I figure that I'm not doing too bad since I started casting a fly rod less than a year ago.

 

[jayL]

That's pretty good. Most of your casts are going to be less than 45 feet, most of the time. Of course, we can always improve, but given those figures, I'd doubt your casting is ever going to be the reason you're not catching fish.

As long as you don't ref like those clowns do in the NHL, I'd say you are doing fine.

 

[ryguyfi]

Once you get your basic cast down try a few variations. Cast backwards, side arm, double haul for distance, etc. I have a pretty good accuracy for casting side arm and flipping a fly around a corner now after some practice. The more you can do the better fisherman you'll become.

 

[hockeyref]

I work on what I call "redirection".... I'll get the line airborne into the back cast and redirect up to about 140 degrees or so without any or maybe one false cast (not a roll cast as I get the whole line up and behind me at least once)....I also work on trying to cast with the rod at random angles from vertical to horizontal with and without "redirection". Dunno if it will work in real life, but the idea is to deal with casting with stuff close around me. I stood a few feet front the back deck and the kids swing set... not to mention the trees and bushes to give me stuff to snag on..... losing tippets and leaders with fuzz balls while practicing are cheaper than snagging that last bug in a tree when the trout are wanting to hammer it!

Have played around trying a double haul.... doubt I did it right and it probably was comical. Same with trying to shoot line... played with it some but not very well. I'm figuring that if i can get 45 - 50 feet out with one or two false casts and land it withing a foot or so I'm doing ok for now

I still have those times when I get lazy and the line acts like it hit a wall and piles up about 5 feet from the target

BTW - I have a 9' 6wt ST Croix Reign with a Battenkill III and Orvis Gen3 Wonderline Trout WFF6. I was looking at a 7'5" 4wt Reddington tonight with an eye towards smaller streams at some point...

 

[Fishidiot]

Ref,
You're definintely doing well. And the rod you've got will serve you well on the big waters like the Yough. While casting a smaller rod will take some practice and involve a different feel, your casts will be much shorter. For small streams, practice casting around some obstacles and, as Ry said, with a sidearm motion. Overall, you're certainly on-target both literally and figuratively. As for the double haul, I think it's fun to learn but almost never necessary for trout fishing. If you plan to cast bass bigs on big rivers like the lower Yough or Allegheny, then a double haul will help.

 

[afishinado]

hockeyref wrote:
....I was able to land my yarn ball withing about 6 inches of the chosen 'target" about 65% of the time out to about 45 feet. Most of the remaining 35% landed within a foot. I figure that I'm not doing too bad since I started casting a fly rod less than a year ago.

Yer ready to fish! Good luck.

 

[MKern]

Lawn casting is good practice. however, it's not practical or realistic.

It's good for getting the motions down, but there's different tention placed on the line while casting on water (and even different speeds and currents of water).

I rarely get a chance to have a complete backcast while fishing.

Improvising is key to success while fishing.

 

[pcray1231]

Thats great as far as distance and accuracy. Try obstacles. Do it with a tree behind you, or between two bushes.

While thats pretty good, rarely when on the stream do you get to do it the same way. Plus, distance and accuracy are only parts of the equation, you'll find the drag free drift, mending, etc. more difficult. You need to go fishing to work on a lot of that, casting in the yard only does so much. Going fishing isn't such a bad thing, though.

 

[helios]

I used to use a hulu hoop in the yard when I started learning how to cast. Most of the places you will tend to fish will be roll cast situations too. the more time on the water is the best cure. Hopefully I will see you on the stream and help you out.

 

[goodfortune]

Hi there; it sounds like we are at about the same level of development; you may even be a bit ahead of me . At the begining of my outings, it usually takes me a while for my casting "settle down" so I can make accurate casts (more or less) consistently.

In addition to what others have said, practice casting your fly under low under-hanging branches. This skill will come in handy in the next 2 to 3 months when fish begin to feed on terrestrials in earnest. :-D

 

[hockeyref]

Gotta learn to walk before you run.... I figure that's what lawn casting is for.... taking my first steps in a controlled environment. You have to get the feel for picking up the line and loading the rod don't ya? (and yes, I agree that it does feel different on water). Unless I miss my guess, the flycast is all about feel and technique.... you have to feel the line through yer rod and then know the technique to put it where you want it.

Where I"m practicing I have the low hanging branches, wood piles, tree lines... in short, all the stuff you've all mentioned...except the water. I have just gotten my "feel" to the point that I'm comfortable adding this stuff into the mix. I figure that - casting wise - I just finished preschool and once I get out on the water more I'll be in kindergarten.... When I get out there and need to deal with figuring out where to try to put the fly, what kind of fly, the presentation, currents, mending line, watching for strikes, will my knot hold up, etc. the last thing I want to have to think about is "back to 2 o'clock and stop... forward to 10 o'clock and stop.... now point the rod tip..."

 

[pcray1231]

I hate the 10 to 2 thing. I'm not sure I really go past 12, maybe 12:30. 2 is too far, IMO.

Yeah, feel is the best way to get started. When you get to faster action rods, that feel is considerably less, and you just have to learn the timing of the rod. Thats why its best to start with a medium or slow action rod, you can feel that rod load and its intuitive.

 

[hockeyref]

When I first started to learn about fly fishing last year a guy I worked with said, "10 to 2..... well sorta.... don't get hung up on that". Told me that the saying was designed to get the newbie into the idea of a firm crisp stop at each end of the cast and gave them a specific stop location to think about to begin developing form.

Truthfully, I have no idea where I stop.... just that I do and it cannot be mushy or bad things happen to my line. I know that if I get too "aggressive" coming forward then I'm gonna snap off whatever is on the end of the line.... I need to think smoooth acceleration not explosive power. Another thing is that I seem to prefer just a little side arm vs upright - dunno if it's right or wrong. I have been practicing everything from horizontal to vertical.

The St Croix in my second rod..... I started out last spring with an Eagle Claw "Black Eagle" 8'6" 6/7wt I got at Wally World... I can notice that it's slower\whipier than the St Croix. I watched the line as I whipped it around and got the feel for when the rod was loaded.... initially there was no resemblance to a cast, I had tailing loops, wind knots, snap off the yarn ball, tangle the mess around the rod....you name it I did it, but it helped to teach me the feel... I sorta got the hang of casting that rod and caught a smallie and some panfish on that rod but I can say that I don't really care for the feel of it now. I could pick it up and use it if I had to but it doesn't "speak to me"....

I can see where the taste in rod action will evolve and how you can end up with a whole closet full of rods.

 

[pcray1231]

The stops are important. I'm pretty agressive with both back casts and forward casts. The "snap" happens if you come forward to early, not necessarily too hard. Hard back, stop!, wait, wait, hard forward, stop!, wait, drop.

As far as sidearm vs. overhead, I prefer slightly sidearm too. Even so, often, you are forced into areas your not comfortable with. On the stream, you need to be able to cast basically the whole semicircle. Especially smaller streams or streams where you have to be close to shore. There are bigger streams where you can wade out and open up how you want.

had tailing loops, wind knots, snap off the yarn ball, tangle the mess around the rod

Don't listen too much to me, I still do all these things on occasion.

 

[hockeyref]

pcray1231 wrote:
The stops are important. I'm pretty aggressive with both back casts and forward casts. The "snap" happens if you come forward to early, not necessarily too hard. Hard back, stop!, wait, wait, hard forward, stop!, wait, drop.

Yep... this is what I mean by too aggressive..... not waiting and coming forward hard and fast. Crack - there goes a $2 fly or half hour of work tieing one.... Maybe aggressive was the wrong word 'cuz you do have to get after it a bit to load the rod and cast the line.

Thanks for the feedback guys, I appreciate it. Good to know I'm wandering down the correct path.

 

[gfen]

Two things I learned from someone very accomplished: The forward cast power stop can be done by what was described as "pushing the rod's power button." If you have a grip with your thumb on top of the grip, along the rod's axis, you simply push your thumb down. If you do that on a rod held in the hand, it'll snap the tip forward.

For the back cast, its another simple motion, you squeeze the grip. If you try that on a rod standing still, you'll see the tip snaps back.

I don't know if I always do this anymore, but I know when I start to lose sight of things and flail, I'll resort to the tap and squeeze.

 

[helios]

I also don't believe in the 10 to 2 deal... Being a casting instructor for the past 6 years, one thing I know is that every one has their own style and casting stroke. It does sound like your casting isn't the problem. I feel that you just need to be confident in what your flies that you fish. Hockeyref, practice makes perfect and time on the water will produce fish. Ask people on the stream and be a sponge for information on the internet. It will work out. Be patient..