MORE ABOUT YOUR CASTING

April 5, 2010

Last week I must have hit a tender spot when I wrote a column titled “About your casting”. There were several nice comments on the Bulletin Board about it as well as many more suggestions for improving your casting. I’m going to include them in this column so they don’t get lost along with more ideas and comments from me.

One suggestion was to practice casting flaws. “Try to get only the leader to tail. Then go to the other end of the spectrum and get the loop to tail as soon as it passes the rod tip. I find this extremely instructive. It’s kind of fun too.” When the late Castwell and our friend Jim Sisson and I were teaching formal classes, teaching what caused a tailing loop and then how to fix it were part of that class. Once you know how to make it happen fixing it is really quite easy.

Another suggestion: “Some things I have found helpful: Have the caster stop focusing on distance, and concentrate on proper form. Have the caster learn to cast while seated in a chair, on one knee, and sitting flat on the ground. Once the caster has learned to cast 60 feet or more effectively in all positions, I have them repeat the process with their non-dominant hand. I have found learning to cast with ones non-dominant hand make casting flaws more evident to the angler.” Wonderful suggestions of course. The value falls in kicking up the level of ability to meet any specific fishing situation. Trust me, nothing is more embarrassing for the caster (or maddingly frustrating for the guide) then to put a client on great fishing and the client not to be able to put a cast where he is told. Even if you never expect to be fishing in a boat while floating downstream learn how to do it. You will feel better about yourself and your ability to get the job done.

I want to relate one sad tale from a few years ago. One of our sponsors, a bonefish lodge in the Bahamas, gave a guided weekend trip to a lucky FAOL winner.  The lodge owners’ only requirement was that the winning person be able to cast - and do a proper double haul. When we posted that month’s drawing we asked that only people who could cast and do the double haul enter. Yah right. I hate to say someone from FAOL would lie, but at least the winner did. On top of that I called him on the phone and specifically asked how his casting and double haul where. He told me “fine” and he didn’t need any help. (We had offered to give him a crash course free if he needed it.)

He went on the trip, couldn’t cast his way out of a paper bag and we lost that sponsor when it came time to renew. He felt he had been cheated by us because we sent him someone who couldn’t cast. We did learn something, we never asked any other places to donate that sort of a prize.

More on practicing, “Besides practicing the different types of casts to maintain muscle memory, practicing for accurate casts is also helpful. Try putting some paper plates out at 15, 20, 25, 30, 35 and 40 feet, staggered from side to side, then drop your fly on the plate. Take it from those who have been destroyed by Denny's accuracy contest at the Idaho Fish‑In, it's harder than you think. Once you can hit the plates, try tea cups.”

The paper plate suggestion really is a good one. This follows up on the idea of practicing “something” not just aimlessly casting to see how far you can cast. If you have the ability to hang some hula hoops from tree branches you can try to cast the fly through the hoop. It’s accuracy and line control exercise. Frankly, any of these things which really are fun will help your casting. Remember it is supposed to be fun! But keep in mind challenges can be fun too.

I had mentioned a few of the different casts one can use in their fishing without explaining the differences between them. One of our readers corrected that, “The main difference between the slack line cast and puddle is that the puddle cast allows your fly to remain at the target for a bit longer where the slack line allows for a longer drift but takes the fly away from the target quicker. The puddle is great for a slow static feeder or gulper on fast water near the bank.”

The phrase line control has to do with being able to produce which ever cast will get the job done.

We’ve all been in situations where a fish is on the other side of the stream with various currents between it and us. If you know there is a cast which will put an adequate amount of slack line between you and the fish so the fly will land and float over the fish while the rest of the line is occupied in the current wouldn’t you use that cast? Or a side-arm cast to punch under over-hanging branches, or to counter-act wind?

“Like the LadyFisher says, “Not just seeing how far I can cast but practicing all types of casts is the idea. Reach Mend, Puddle, Zig Zag [Wiggle] and Curves. That makes for good fun.” And doesn’t it prepare you to fish in difficult situations and lies? Help you to become a better fly fisher?

And finally from those comments, “I am also a firm believer that "The Top Ten Percent" (remember the ones who catch all the fish?) get that way because Casting is Second Nature to them and, they can concentrate 100% on fishing.”

Next time we will talk about advanced casting.  Really.

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