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TroutJunkie7389

New member
Joined
Jun 18, 2022
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Location
North NJ
Hey good morning everyone, I’m new to fly fishing, been spin fishing for a couple years. I’ve been lurking for a while and finally made an account. I live in NJ and my family is from Hollidaysburg. I fish PA a fair amount in the Pocono’s and I’ve made the trip to Potter County a couple times.

Anyway I’m trying to teach myself to fly fish, I have all the gear and have done tons of reading and watched YouTube videos but I have a hard time with casting. My question is, how much fly line should be out from the tip of the rod? Just fly line not including leader and tippet. I mostly fish medium and smaller streams and use nymphs. All the videos I’ve watched show how to cast, but never talk about how much fly line they have out from the tip of the rod.

Thanks, this forum is so great I have learned so much information these past couple months reading posts.

Andrew
 
Your gonna get a lot of answers on this one because of the many different rods, fly line, casts, situations and abilities out there. Strip out 12 or 15 feet before you start casting. Add more out until you find what works for you. I usually start with I’m guessing around 20 or 25’ if I can.
 
There are too many variables and fishing styles to answer this question with what you have provided. However, there are many ways to fish. I don't use the same tactics every time I'm out and often times it changes on a given trip. You'll learn as you go, but if you provide more info we can probably help more
 
It entirely depends on how and where you're fishing. For Euro-nymphing, the answer might be "none". If you're fishing for bonefish on the salt flats, the answer might be 70 feet. All distances in between are valid answers.

Let us know where you're fishing (small stream? lake? large river?), how you're fishing (nymph?, dry fly? streamer? wet fly?) and for what (trout? bass?, pike?) and we can narrow that down somewhat.
 
If you are just beginning and want to practice casting in the lawn. I would start with 15 to 20 feet of line and strip out more as you get better or more comfortable.
 
Yes, that's a complicated question.

For high stick, deep nymphing techniques, the answer is typically "not much". You're casting upstream and dead drifting it back down. The idea is that the fly follows the current down, as if not attached to a line, and doesn't get pulled across currents. Just enough weight to roll bottom without sticking on it. In these situations the run is often not much beyond the rod tip away from you. And the amount of line of the tip can vary from none, to barely enough to touch the water.

In Euro nymphing, it's longer leaders, similar technique, so none. Some don't even have fly line on their rig.
With indicator nymphing, you do much the same but you can fish farther away, so "more", anywhere from 5 to 30 feet or so.

With streamers and dries you're casting further. Often 20-60 feet of fly line, depending on river size, how close you can get to the target, etc.
 
If you are just beginning and want to practice casting in the lawn. I would start with 15 to 20 feet of line and strip out more as you get better or more comfortable.
Yes, I believe the OP's question was how much fly line to have out of the tip to learn / practice casting. The above recommendation of 15 to 20' to start is good advice.
 
thanks for the replies everyone. I’m actually trying to fish, not just practicing. The question was when nymph fishing smaller streams, how much line (fly line, leader and tippet) should be out from the rod tip down. I have been struggling trying to cast on these streams, I never know how much line should be out from the tip of the rod to get a good cast.

I’ve been reading the beginner forum and have gotten so much great information. This website is amazing. I have learned so much from reading I’ve been going back through all the posts getting as much information as I can.
It entirely depends on how and where you're fishing. For Euro-nymphing, the answer might be "none". If you're fishing for bonefish on the salt flats, the answer might be 70 feet. All distances in between are valid answers.

Let us know where you're fishing (small stream? lake? large river?), how you're fishing (nymph?, dry fly? streamer? wet fly?) and for what (trout? bass?, pike?) and we can narrow that down somewhat.

I normally fish smallish streams 10’-15’ or so. Sometimes a little bigger. I have been nymph fishing with an indicator. And I’m fishing for trout.
 
In that case, as little as possible, but enough to cover the width of the stream.
 
If you are nymphing, it's not a cast per se, more of a lob. There is no false casting. Keep and open loop and your fly line off the water as much as possible. Typically you are nymphing about 2 rod lengths away.

Dry fly fishing, the amount of line out depends on many factors. Without specifics it's tuff to determine. If you have a weight forward line, make sure you have most of the belly out of the tip. If not that could be a problem loading the rod.
 
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