Fly fishing is a little different to bait fishing or spinning.
Perhaps the most important single item to consider is the rod itself. In fly fishing, it is the rod that does the work for you.
For people taking up fly fishing who have fished the other types of fishing variations before, casting can be a problem. This is because they are tempted to try and put their effort into the power of the cast, which in fly fishing does not necessarily equate to distance casting.
Casting a fly line is all about technique. With no weights fitted to the line as in other forms of rod fishing, it is all about using the fky fishing rod in the correct manner to get the line to travel through the air.
The most important part of the cast is what is called the “back cast”, where the line is cast backwards over your shoulder. This “loads” the rod. The great temptation is to cast the line back, and then immediately throw the line forward on the forward cast. This is incorrect.
When back casting, the rod should be swept back only as far as the vertical, at which point the line should be stopped by your spare hand and a pause should be allowed whilst the line pulls the rod back. When you feel the rod “load”, that is the time for the forward cast, moving the rod forward at increasing speed and releasing the line.
It is therefore the action of the rod, rather than the power of the cast that is key to a successful cast.
The problem is, if you let the rod travel more than the vertical on the back cast, the rod does not load, and therefore does not spring forward to cast the line effectively. Indeed sometimes all that happens is that the line lands in a tangled heap around you.
If you watch people casting a fly line, you will notice that they appear to cast several times without the line hitting the water. This is called “false casting”.
This way more line is cast out. The optimal number of back casts is said by some to be three. More than three and you will miss the “sweet spot” in the line, where the weighted part of the line is pulling out more unweighted line and impetus and energy in the cast is lost.
Above all casting should be done with the body relaxed, and a smooth casting action applied.
Zac has been a keen fly fisherman for a long time, and enjoys passing on tips and techniques. When starting the sport Zac recommends buying fly fishing combos. The fantasticthing about fly fishing combos is that you get all the main elements, rod, line and reel at a discounted price.
categories: Fly fishing,fly fishing rod,fly fishing line,sport,hobbies
