Alright, how the heck do you cast those bugger with the little dumbell eyes. They are sort of heavy, heck my spinning rig might work. I had a hard time getting those guys out there, they would graze my head or hit the line and fall way short. My guess is a 6 wt in not quite the right rod weight? I can cast most everything else with minimal problems, but those heavier flys were tough. It was a windy day, surprise surprise down here in Tejas, but I was stuggling, luckily no pierced ears today. Perhaps I need a 9 wt rod for safety reason . Yeah,… that’s it, safety reasons, my luck the wife wouls suggest a helmet.
“Go Barbless!”… Start with that. Next, you have my word on this, you WILL hook yourself. Sooner rather than later too. Get a bigger rod. You didn’t say what size flies, but a 9 sounds like a good choice. An 8 maybe, but a 9 punches the wind better. Last, be careful, wear glasses that are good enough to take a clouser at about the speed of sound.
OOOOOPS…Forgot; when you clip your rod with the fly, don’t be sending it back as defective. You broke it.
[This message has been edited by J Castwell (edited 15 June 2006).]
BryanM
I have one important piece of advice about casting clousers. Put some padding in you hat. If I get hit because of a little gust of wind or something in my cast goes astray
I get hit in the back of the head. Those clousers will eat you alive if you let them.
I cast a 2/0 clouser I use a 9 wt. Barbless is an option, I have yet to hook myself with a hook while casting but like JC said it will happen one of these days.
I wear glasses that protect my eyes and gloves. If you catch anything on a clouser that is 2/0 be prepared for it to be big… Listen to me I was prepared when I caught the world record at one of the secret pirate meetings. He fought like a tiger on steriods. But I landed him and showed him to my fellow pirates. I still get kidded about letting the world record loose.
He was exactly 1/2 inch shorter than my clouser.
The record I have is the smallest fish ever caught in the mouth by a 2/0 clouser.
You never know what will hit next… The next few cast were quite but in about 2 minutes I had a huge snook break my braided leader. YOU NEVER KNOW
Harold
don’t hesitate to alter your cast. you don’t need to throw that pretty tight loop if the fly is gonna bean you in the back of the head; open it up a little to keep a good distance between the fly and your coconut.
some good points already made
go up to an 8 or 9 IMO
open up the loop - this will save your head, as well as other valuable body parts - hopefully the rod tip too
it might be just me, but I always wear glasses when casting - even if its teeny dries to freshwater fish - a nasty gust of wind or other interference could put a fly in my eye at any time - better safe than not safe
Thanks for the suggestions. Sounds like maybe a bit higher weight rod would help, until then I will keep my head low. I may also try a few clousers sans lead eyes, as long as the wind is cooperating. Thanks again folks.
Slow down your timing a bit. Don’t start casting the opposite direction until you can feel the weight of the clouser besides the fly line loading your rod, that is the flyline, leader, and fly are straight line out in front or back of you.
Besides the glasses I suggest a full brim hat with a pretty ridged brim, not those fold up jobs. Move than once I have seen that clouser coming at my face and blocked an eyeshot with the brim
Who has time for stress when there are fish to catch.
Nick
Bryan,
Do you tie your own? If so, use smaller eyes. You can even use bead-chain instead of lead “dumb-bell” eyes to make them lighter.
Steve
“If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went”-Will Rogers
Hi Biot Midge,
I have not tied any yet, though my fathers day present is a started saltwater tying kit, shh, I am not supposed to know that. I will to tie some with smaller eyes.
Hey Micropteris, The stiff brim hat sounds like a good idea as well. I will have a look around.
Thanks again for all responses.
Bryan,
Adding a little weight to the fly that you are trying to cast is usually a very humbling experience to most anglers until you get the hang of it. Even those of us who have gotten use to it end up with a Clouser bruise somewhere on our body from time to time. That’s where the pirate noise, AAARRRRGGGGGHHHH, comes from from—a good shot between the shoulder blades with a large Clouser. Fortunately, the hook doesn’t seem to dig in very often.
You’ve gotten very good advice so far from everyone. I would define move to a larger rod for a start or use a lighter Clouser with beadchain eyes instead of lead ones. Try openning your loop more by swinging the rod in a larger arch. Use less force particularly on your backcast and don’t try to throw the Clouser 80 feet when you are first learning—generally referred to as the “chuck and duck.” Slow down your timing and wait until you feel not only the rod loading but the Clouser give that little extra pull on the backcast. The good news is that once you get the hang of it, you can really chuck a Clouser a long way. Start slowly maybe casting 20-30 feet and hang in there. 8T 
You had better learn to be a happy camper. You only get one try at this campground and it’s a real short camping season.
[This message has been edited by Eight Thumbs (edited 16 June 2006).]
Here in Ok we cast flies with barbell eyes 95 % of the time. I do not enjoy casting flies with eyes heavier than 1/50 oz, and usually we fish flies that are 1/60 oz down to bead chain. I do cast a 6wt fairly often in the summer time with out any problem. Make sure you use appropriate leaders with 30 lb butt sections. We do not generally go lighter than than 12 lb tippet unless we are fishing small bead chain flies. We generall use 9’ plus leaders ,but if you are struggling start with a 7.5’ leader.
Slow down you cast and open up your loops. as in all fly casting use as little energy
as possible to make the cast.
[This message has been edited by okflyfisher (edited 16 June 2006).]
I’ve casted Clousers on a 6 weight rod without a problem. I tie mine with the 1/50th eyes and on hooks up to #2. The best advice is what you’ve already been given, make sure your leader will turn them over and slow your casting stroke down and open your loops a bit. All my experience is in fresh water so the coast breeze might make a difference but I fished Cedar Creek east of Dallas last weekend using a 6 weight TFO Teeny throwing #4 Clousers for sand bass and hybrids and didn’t have any issues in a wind that was strong enough to make holding the boat difficult and I’m no great caster by a long shot.
[This message has been edited by TxBuddha (edited 17 June 2006).]
I think that timing is an issue with the Clousers. You feel the normal tug when your line is fully extended, then a little later you feel the bump of the clouser hitting the end of its travel. Wait for that second bumnp before starting your forward cast. Once you get the delay between the two bumps down you can start your forward cast a split second before the second bump and get a nice cast.
In the salt I have seen people cast back, let the fly hit the water and then forward cast. It is sloppy but gives a good load trying to pull the fly off the water. Don’t wait too long with this technique as the Clouser can sink and be a bear to pull up. I only recommend this as a learning technique and a quick way to start casting those bombs.
jed
jed
Many Thanks for the responses. I have a lot of info to try and apply next time I can get on the water.
Everyone has pretty much said it all.
This is my advice:
please
please
please
push down the barbs on your hooks. And wear really good glasses. A couple of months ago I hooked myself in the eye (yes the eyeball) with a #8 bugger, and it was not a plesant experience.
I know that everyone has said it already, but it’s really true.
Ok, whereabouts are you in Texas? I just moved to Houston.
cheers,
-ray
Howdie Okie_Noodler,
I am down in the Bay Area/Clear Lake. Nassau Bay to be more specific. What about you? We should go fly flinging sometime.
Drop your rod angle, and cast with an elliptical arc. The forward stroke is upward. This way there is no “bump” or “tug” b/c the line is travelling in circle, albeit a flat one.
BryanM: I’m up in spring. Of course, the closest salt-water is down by you. My wife is probably going to be having a baby this week, so it might be a month or two before we can go out. I’ll keep you posted.
-ray
Roger that Okie_Noodler. You should definetly stick close to home with a new baby on the way. Congratulations by the way and best wishes. The fish will be here waiting for you.