If you go back to “Lessons with Lefty” he’ll show you how to pick a line off the water.
I believe trout are effected. Warm water species perhaps not as much but I believe it does put them “on watch” and ready to feed or flee. Silk doesn’t make near the commotion as plastic lines of the same weight.
Somebody stick his head in a moving stream or creek and have his buddy start casting.
Some have suggested waiting for the fly line to drift away from the trout before picking it up, but if Lefty is correct, it shouldn’t matter how far away the fly line is from the trout because sound travels. Also, I don’t think he used the word ripping. Will gently lifting a fly line off the water cause noise? If so, is it a must that we don’t pick up until only our leader is on the water?
Randy
Whatever sound lifting or ripping the line off the water makes has to compete with any other sound in the system. If there is no competing sound, gently lifting the line will be the only noise the fishies will hear. If there is a natural roar in the system, it will mask the sound of ripping the line off the water.
John
Movement = vibration = sound. There is always some movement even in standing water there are bubbles rising, turtles, crawfish, fish moving around. The sound may be siight but I have to believe there is sound. It goes back to the old question, “If a man says something in the distance and no woman hears him. Is he still wrong?”
Great points (especially the one about women). I fish a lot of small streams most of my casts are roll casts. I don’t see how I can make those casts just having my leader on the water. I need some line on the water to load the fly rod.
Randy
Rather than a warm, cool or cold water fish thing I have found it’s across the board for experienced fish, especially. I’ve seen huge bass, slowly sink out of sight when some unexpected noise, or movement occurs and the same with some huge Northern’s during the dog days of late August… Bigger, wily fish, or fish that have been hunted from above (Ospreys Eagles) react quickly to any undue sound or movement from above especialy. Many saltwater species will take flight at a splashing fly line, or a noisy pickup even when it’s off to the side and out of thier sight window. Best to keep things as quiet as possible with as little quick movements as possible.
To me the question is “Why would you rip the line off the water?”
I’ve spent a lot of time underwater in oceans, lakes, and rivers. The underwater world is surprisingly noisy. Fish can hear/sense sounds underwater much better than me. The sound of ripping a line off the water may not be LOUDER than the natural background noises, but it is certainly out of place which could make fish react in some unfavorable way. It’s out of place, unnatural, and easily detected— think of a car alarm going off at night way off in the distance… it’s not louder than the ambient noise of your environment but it instantly heightens your alert level because it shouldn’t be there. Some unnatural sounds seem to be in our favor such as popping bugs, spinner blades, clicking beads, etc and some like banging an anchor on the hull or potentially a sloppy pick-up of a fly line work against us. It’s pretty much impossible to PROVE due to the other billion-and-a-half variables in every fishing situation, but observations seem to indicate it’s not wise to do.
From the article it seems to me that Lefty equates lifting the line with ripping the line. That’s what’s so surprising, to me. Besides, if Lefty is right we should never catch trout in slow pools as every time our fly line lands it will put down fish.
Randy
Lefty IS absolutely correct.
Improper lifting or ripping the line from the water creates a LOT of noise underwater.
I too, have spent some time diving and the advise to submerge one’s head underwater and listening to a line being ripped is GOOD. Depending on conditions sound can be good (Dorado?) or sound can be detrimental (troutoids). It is for sure, that learning to be “soundless” would be QUITE advantageous as one could go from soundless to sound if desired, but NOT having the skill, would leave one no option but to be noisey.
One of my pet peeves is “slurping” anglers.
Spey casting anyone? VERY FEW spey casters have learned not to slurp.
…lee s.
The question was not improperly lifting the line. It was not noisily, rapidly, rashly, or any other adjective. Placing an a adjective such as “improperly” creates a tautology. One could say lifting the line “silently” and say that Lefty is wrong.
The question is how the Lefty’s recommendation to take in all the line up to the leader is to be interpreted. Is it all the time as the the statement seems to suggest? If so, Lefty is wrong in my opinion. I believe it is not necessary to strip in all the line up to the leader before recasting in every cast to avoid spooking the fish. I don’t know of anyone that does that in every case.
I think Lefty would be surprised if we interpreted his statement to be in every case. Although Lefty does not use a conditional “if” or “when” to limit his statement, I think it is a presupposition or assumption that the angler must make when interpreting the meaning of his statement. To do otherwise to me is so obviously wrong that one has to make this logical presupposition to understand what Lefty means.
One thing is for certain. I need to lay off of the baked beans a day or tow before wading for trout!
I haven’t read the MAFF article that started this thread, so I may be totally off base with this. But I would tend to agree that the best backcasts start with pickup under enough tension that the leader is about all that is still in contact with the water. I have Joan Wullfs flycasting book and video, and have read both Jaworowski’s “The Cast” and Kreh’s “Longer Flycasting” and they teach the same thing. So I think if you are starting the backcast the way Kreh, Wullf, and Jaworowski all recommend you are only lifting the leader.
Forgot to add that my point is that making a good backcast avoids the problem of ripping line or making much noise, that is a win-win for the angler. I believe that picking up before coming under tension when dry fly fishing, making that popping sound as the sunken leader pops the fly under water, does spook fish.
I was taught the “C” cast pick up as a method to elevate the line so only the leader is on the water when the backcast begins, but it still picks line up or elevates it off of the water. I don’t see how you can pick “only” the leader off of the water unless you begin the cast with only the leader on the water.
Silver,
You just said it yourself…“only the leader is on the water when the backcast begins.” Especially if, as I was taught, “the cast” is the speed up and stop portion of the stroke. The “pickup” portion of the stroke is already done when the power to stop portion takes place.
Some of us can only “pick up” say 19’ of line, so 22’ of line out would cause unnessary noise (and according to the openning post Lefty does say noise.) I must retrieve line to the 19’ mark or else…? 
…lee s.
Lee,
But the original quote was to “retrieve the line so only the leader is lifted of the water.” With the C cast pickup, you do not retrieve the line.
I think that is point of contention. Do you really need to ALWAYS “retrieve the line”. It think not and that is why I believe that Left is directing this comment only at certain situations.
Back to my other point: If Lefty is correct, the roll cast should be obsolete on smooth water. We can’t make an effective roll cast if only the leader is on the water.
Randy
That is correct. Not only that, but a roll cast sprays water in the direction that the fly will land. I think smooth water does not in itself make a roll cast a poor choice. It also needs to be shallow, clear and hold spooky trout. That is why I think Lefty’s statement is conditional. Otherwise it makes no sense to me.