casting techniques

[ryguyfi]

Ok, so I've been fly fishing for 3 years now. I've studied a bit of entimology, tie my own flies, share fly fishing with friends and have taught 2 new guys to fly fish. One thing I know I have overlooked in the past 3 years is casting. I've seen videos of different casting techniques and some look pretty cool. I'm looking more for the functionality of a cast though.

I know many people take pride in their casting and it is an artform that they use to better equip their fishing. Right now I have a limited arsinal of casting.... my basic cast is about a 45 degree angle - not side arm, not overhead. I feel most comfortable with that cast so that's what I use. I rarely use a roll cast, I double hall when I need some extra lenth, especially in lakes, can curl my line occasionally when I flip a side arm cast on purpose, and cast backwards to substitute a lefty cast when needed, but that's about it.

My questions for you master casters out there. What different styles of casts do you use? Where and why do you use them (situations, stream layout, etc)?
And can you explain how to successfully perform this cast, or post a video of someone doing it.


As always, thanks in advance!


Ryan

 

[jayL]

I don't know the names of many casts, and I don't really attempt to learn any specific ones.

The one thing I've found is that you will figure almost all of these casts out on your own when fishing. They are usually obvious.

You probably should practice roll casting. It's the most commonly used cast for me whenever I nymph, and that's by a significant margin. I'll also let the line go straight downstream at the end of my drift and use it to load the rod for an upstream flip.

Otherwise, I like to stop and think about each situation and come up with a good way to get the right presentation. I think that sometimes our sport gets too bogged down with the semantics about methods and tactics. Slow your casts down and open the loops to get a little slack in the line, or overshoot the target and pull back to get the same result. There are thousands of ways to approach casting, and I think the best way is to approach any situation with a little ingenuity and an open mind.

Besides, when you think of your own stuff on the fly, it's a lot easier to "execute". I've never had to teach myself a cast that I invented for a situation... I invented it!

 

[JackM]

The only cast I learned by reading about it is the "reach cast," which is nothing much more than a variation of any standard forward cast (other than the roll cast) where you consciously move the rod and rod tip far out to the side as the forward cast approaches full extention. Typically the "reach" is upstream, so that drag can be delayed somewhat and also to better achieve a "fly first" presentation to the fish.

http://www.midcurrent.com/video/clips/wulff_dynamics_14.aspx
http://www.sexyloops.com/carlos/reachcast.shtml

I really wish I could execute a roll cast better.

 

[GreenWeenie]

Some basic single handed spey casts. This is not shooting for distance but rather simple little casts that allow you to make 15-20 foot casts directly across the stream in tight quarters when backcasting is not an option and low overhanging branches make traditional roll casting difficult.

 

[StudentofTheStream]

One that I use quite often in brushy and windy situations is the 'water haul.' A google search of 'water haul cast' will get you in the ball park of what I'm talking about but most of what I saw was for a long distance cast.

When a roll cast is not a viable option due to said problems, I utilize the water below me to my advantage. By casting below me and using the force of the water I can shoot my flies low and flat without worry of excess wind effect or over hanging obstacles.

So cast below into the current, slowly raise the rod tip a 6-12 inches until your flies are raised to the surface and pop them forward with a quick forward motion. A quick mend directly afterwords helps get the flies to the bottom and the drift starts again. Works great, give it a try.

 

[wetnet]

Sorry to interupt the flow, but I never roll casted when I nymph. (I can pathetically do it) I also got killed on the Delaware. It's so much bigger than what I usually fish. I wouldn't think a roll cast would send a nymph deep enough, catch me up how it works. I'm just a newbie and trying to figure out what works with what fly to use verses depth of water.

 

[wetnet]

Sorry again, but I use a bow cast or attempt to use one, if tight cover is an issue and it's close. If it's a further reach how do you get the nymph down deep enough after the cast or set anytime during the release, while the line rolls out. A roll cast looks cool but how do you figure out what to do when it ends. I have trouble with the slack etc. Good topic!

 

[jrcll]

i`ve always had a hardtime practing the roll cast in my yard , i believe you need the line on the water to preload the rod , and the cast is done in one motion, like the late mel krieger said...pretend your chopping wood...you can also do it across your body if the wind isn`t in your favor

 

[ryguyfi]

I'm sure you get a lot of strange looks practicing your roll casting down in the 'quip! lol. They're all packing heat, and you're flinging a sz 22 trico lol.

 

[Bruno]

You need the friction of the water for an effictive roll cast.

One I would mention is what I call a wiggle cast. When you lay the line out on the water you wiggle the rod tip a bit putting a series of little S's in the line to get a good drift. I use this when fishing to a rising trout that is down stream.

 

[goodfortune]

Jrcll, your post brought to mind a question I've been meaning to ask:

I read somewhere that you can use a clipboard to practice roll casts on grass. Apparently, the clipboard simulates the surface tension of water. However, I don't know how the clipboard is used, or what happens to the clipboard during the cast.

Can anyone describe exactly how the clipboard would be used? Also, what happens to the clipboard during, and after a practice cast?

 

[JustFish]

wetnet wrote:
Sorry again, but I use a bow cast or attempt to use one, if tight cover is an issue and it's close. If it's a further reach how do you get the nymph down deep enough after the cast or set anytime during the release, while the line rolls out. A roll cast looks cool but how do you figure out what to do when it ends. I have trouble with the slack etc. Good topic!

Wetnet, you have to leave your rod tip up high enough so the line can unravel. If you end up with the tip too low the line piles up. play around with where you stop your rod and remember that you have to get sufficient load in the rod to get it out there. Also, a roll cast has nothing to do with getting your fly down....that is what the split shot or weighted flies are for.

Casting is nothing but laws of mechanics and energy transfer.

good luck

 

[jayL]

Justfish got it right about the sinking of the flies.

For roll casting, I use two methods. I was taught to "bring down the hammer" when I learned it, and I often do that for shorter roll casts, such as ones I use when working a run or riffle. For longer roll casts, I'll take a bunch of line off the reel, flip the line out in front of me, pull back to load the rod, then throw a normal cast forward. The tip is as high as it would be for a normal cast the entire time. It won't go very far, and I end up looking like a clown from time to time, but if you time it right it works. It's basically a spey cast.

 

[Heritage-Angler]

I can't even imagine fly fishing without the roll cast. Here's some info you might find useful:

http://www.flyfisherman.com/skills/jbrollcast/index.html

http://www.sexyloops.com/flycasting/tbasicroll.shtml

The only thing I'd like to stress about the rollcast is that when you are first practising this cast, use a piece of yarn instead of a fly. :-o

 

[Padraic]

To use a clipboard as an aid to learn the roll cast, clip your "fly" in the clip. Then the end of the line is held in place allowing you to roll the slack in the line. Try it, it works. However, you won't get the "feel" of the water tension, so I'm not sure I agree that it's a good way to practice the roll cast. It is probably a good way to teach it or to learn it. Besides, I'd bet good money I could roll cast a clipboard. You might find it pretty frustrating once you get past the learning stage.

One "trick cast" you might want to learn is taught by Dan Shields of Fly Fishers Paradise. Sometime you might want to head up to his shop and ask him to demonstrate it. You start off with a basic cast the rod canted a little way away from your head as you described above.
"my basic cast is about a 45 degree angle - not side arm, not overhead."
Backcast as you normally would, come forward on the forward cast as normal. BUT as the rod gets past your head, **** it back over the other way so it's in front of your face. Finish the cast as normal.

What this does to the line is kinda neat. The line shoots out, but the leader doesn't turn over very well. So you get a slack line presentation with all the slack down on the leader. It awesome for downstream presentations, casting across currents, anytime you want a slack line.

If you cast close to the water surface, the line will shoot under hemlock branches quite a distance. If you cast high, you can through a reach into the cast and end up with a great presentation across currents. Its very versatile.

Dan tells the story of discovering the cast on stream on day. He was very excited about it and rushed to show to his mentor George Harvey. George says, "Oh, I've been casting that way for 20 years". Its real hard to doubt a guy like George, but somehow I do!

 

[jayL]

Pad,

Just to make sure I've got this right...

Your wrist is staying on the same plane throughout the cast, you are just pivoting the rod. If it's at a 45 degree angle for the first 3/4 of the stroke, it's at 135 degrees for the finish?

That's one my feeble mind hasn't ever been able to engineer.

 

[afishinado]

Learning to Roll cast is essential to FF. I'm a little surprised that some fish without using it. This cast should be and is a “day one” lesson for any beginners I teach, since it is essential in many situations. It's actually one of the easiest casts to learn since its only one stroke, and I often teach it first, before the overhead cast.

On small to medium sized streams, I usually use the roll cast more than an overhead cast because I inevitably find myself backed up against the bank trying to stay out of the fishes sight.

Also, I usually use a roll pickup at the beginning of my overhead cast, it's almost automatic with me. A light roll pickup smoothly pulls the line from the water and aerializes it at the end of the cast preventing the line from being ripped from the water and spooking fish.

In addition, a roll mend is essential in your repertoire to maintain a drag free drift with an indicator or a dry fly, especially on longer casts.



Here is a decent video by Joan Wulff on the basic roll cast:

http://www.midcurrent.com/video/clips/wulff_dynamics_05.aspx



Practice it on the water, it's really not that hard at all.

Oh, conventional wisdom states that a slow or medium slow rod is better for roll casting. I am a fast rod guy and I cast further with and with more control with a fast rod - so don't blame the rod. One thing though, the taper of some of the more radical specialty fly lines may hamper roll casting, especially those lines that have a steep taper and carry a lot of the weight towards the front. I like Triangle Taper line for trout fishing, but any long taper DT or WF should roll well. Good luck.

 

[JackM]

afishinado wrote:
It's actually one of the easiest casts to learn since its only one stroke....it's really not that hard at all.

Maybe, but what if you are a caveman? Good video.

 

[afishinado]

Jack wrote: ...."but what if you are a caveman?"


Actually I am..on my father's side.

 

[Acristickid]

I am not a masterful caster by any means but one cast that I employ frequently is the tuck cast. Aids getting the nymphs down quickly.

You can also use the reach cast for downstream drifts as well. Gonna try more down stream drifts this season on picky trout that wont tolerate drag at all.

Question:

Is the tuck cast the same as the upper downer cast?