Distance is one thing we all hunger for when we start fly casting. It can be very frustrating when we try so hard and the worst our cast seem to become!
Helping Robert and wife improve their fly casting
Robert having just started fly fishing months ago have started catching some fish namely pacu in Saujana D’Rimba and EAK. He’s officially hooked.
Like all beginners, he’s eager to get a bit more distance with his casts.
Identifying the problems
Stopping the rod tip too low
Stopping the rod tip too low, both on the forward and back casts but especially so on the back cast.
You may be able to spot the low rod tip in the photo.
Stopping the rod too low usually results in an inefficient cast caused by big wide loops.
Solution: A tighter loop has more energy to send the line further forward and backwards rather than upwards and downwards with big wide loops.
How do you know if you are stopping the rod tip too low?
Answer: Look at your casts, stand slightly sideways and turn your head to look at your back casts and see if you are sending your fly line up, away or downwards.
Too much power applied at start of each casting stroke
Too much power applied at start of each casting stroke, especially so on the delivery (final) cast.
A sudden application of power causes the rod tip to buckle up and down which results in a wavy line with a lot of slack.
Solution: A straighter line that holds tension is preferred and this can be achieved with dialling down the power applied when we start a cast (accelerate the casting stroke to a stop).
Think ‘smoother’ and ‘less power’ at the start of every cast.
Obviously all that takes practice. If you are facing problem getting it right or is unsure of what you may be doing wrong, get qualified help. A trained and experienced set of eyes will be able to quickly spot the problem and offer corrections.
Happy fishing!
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