Learning the Fly Fishing Cast
June 9, 2012 by Admin
Filed under Fly Fishing Basics
Learning the fly fishing cast is probably the most difficult technique that must be learned by newcomers to the art of fly fishing. Casting actually works because of the weight of the fishing line forces the rod to bend and when we stop the movement the energy stored in the rod casts the line for us.
So that is the physics but the art is more difficult and getting it right is even more so. Here are a few tips to try and remember.
Try and not bend your wrist while making the cast. The real reason for this is that it just gets tired. Your arm is much stronger than the wrist so use that.
Make sure you take up all the slack in the line before trying to cast. If the line is slack you wont move it when you start the back cast until the slack is gone. That is wasting a lot of movement and you wont be able to cast very far.
Try and keep the casting action smooth.
A smooth action is far more important that speed. On the forward cast you should start to accelerate before coming to an abrupt stop with a flick of the wrist. (That’s where you should move it). This abrupt stop is what needs a lot of practice and in the end determines the success of the cast.
Along with the smooth action comes trying to keep your entire body relaxed during the fly cast – not an easy thing to do when you see a great salmon and are going after it but you should always check that you aren’t tense.
Remembering these tips is just the start. There is no training method that is better that being on a river and spending a few hours casting the line. Remember that the line follows the rod tip and is projected forwards when you stop the forward cast. This fundamental rule is often overlooked resulting in lack of success and inaccurate fly fishing cast.
