I have decided to spend time casting as opposed to fishing. After a few sessions in the lawn I noticed that I have shredded up the first foot or 2 my fly line quite bad. Is this partly because I did not put a leader on?

Yes. tie a leader on to cast in the back yard,

Tie a leader on with a tiny piece of yarn for more realistic practice and remember to clean your line well after a couple of sessions on the lawn.
Also, when you nip the damaged section and re-attach your leader, remember to seal the end of the fly line with a dab of glue. This prevents wicking of water into the fly line *

*This tip from the Heritage Angler

Thanks guys!

Also use a needle knot or one that is slim and smooth enough not to hang up in the grass.
More than a few tips have been broken that way.
Trust me on that.lol

When I talked to Dan at Orvis in Downingtown - he told me absolutely NOT to practice in the yard because I would be back in buying line before I knew it....I guess you could get around this by getting yourself some cheap fly line so it doesn't matter much if you do mess it up?

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Sooo it would be better to do it say, on concrete. hot top, lava? Been practice casting on grass lawns for over 30 years. Never ever have I seen a problem with line due to it.

I practice casting on water. Local lakes are great, since not only are they "local" but you can often find unobstructed backcast room and can lay the line out onto water, which is where it is supposed to be lain. Tie a fly on the end while you are at it and you may even catch a fish.

I find watching your line unfold and land on water is way more helpful than in grass-- on water you can see splashes and what-not that will help you adjust the timing and trajectory of your casts. Also, on water, you can practice lifting the line into your first back-cast, which is as important a skill to have as the cast itself. A good pick-up may mean there is no need to do any false or adjusting casts, which can be crucial in low-water, sunny conditions.

On water, you can practice accuracy by focusing on some flotsam in the water and trying to cast to it.

I've casted on grass for a long time, no issues. But yeah, I use a leader. You do not want to do it on concrete, that's harder on the line. Was the end of the line all fray'd up? You might be snapping it too quick, your pause between backcast and forward cast isn't long enough. With the leader, you'll hear a snap. That's the indication you were too quick on the forward stroke. With flies on, you snap flies off that way too.

Contrary to JackM's point, and this might be more dependent on skill level, but I prefer to give myself obstacles when practicing on lawns. The more practice can replicate reality, the better. And the reality is that I have obstacles on the stream. If I didn't, I probably wouldn't need to practice!

Also, the yarn trick to replicate the fly doesn't really work for me. It's too light, or grabs too much air, or something. It's just much more "floaty" than a real fly. I either go flyless, or else I cut the hook off of a fly at the bend.

Be careful when picking up the line, though, as Pete points out. Knots and the fly occasionally grab grass and weeds suddenly, it's easy to keep lifting. If it grabs the thicker portion of the leader, the rod can break before the line.

Dandelions are hell at grabbing stuff. But if there's just a few, they make nice targets.

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Same here.

Another consideration is the drive to get to a body of water where you can cast. The closest two or three to me are approved trout waters and they are three or four miles away. Except for the Lackawanna, which I could walk to, but is is another ATW in my town.

4-5 miles? When I was your age we walked 22 miles back and forth to make a phone call, uphill both ways. If 69 bucks to ruin a fly line is worth the cost, go for it. I bet you won't catch a single bluegill though.

JackM (aka Young WhipperSnapper),

I used to bike twice the distance to go swimming, but that was back in the 70's when I was a teenager and thought it would be fun.

Also pre-knee surgery. (blew the ligaments playing basket ball with kids half my age back in 1998)

I Keep an eye on the line and have the replacement standing by for when and if I need it.

Dave

I mean, I've been flying fishing for a whole two days - so I wouldn't think I know much of what I'm talking about. I mentioned the idea of practicing in the yard to Dan, and he said sure, you can do it - but you're going to shred your line. So I didn't do it, especially after spending a lot of money on this whole set up.

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Guess maybe I may have been a little sarcastic on the reply. Didn't realize you were a rookie and all. I'm amazed that a guy at a fly shop would tell you something like that. Well kind of. I think every open house, special come cast our new rods, fly rod casting course, demonstration, how to show. With the expectation of someplace in an arena, convention center, etc. Has always been set up on grass. But here again I very well may be wrong. It's been years since I've been to stuff like that. They very well may lay down a thousand sq ft of astro turff for all to cast on nowadays. Somebody mentioned that water is the best. Agreed but not always feasible by any means. Yep, tie a leader on and yarn, old fly that you can clip the hook of off and I would think your lawn would be fine. Now saw grass out in a field.... That might cause some grief with your line in time.