Casting technique

[Wildfisher]

I am also self taught. Happy enough most of the time, but loop control lets me down a bit when casting into a wind.  Trouble is,  if you don't know what is wrong how do you  fix it?  I too got some pointers from Paul and Magnus, so now I know.  All I have to do now is find the time to practice. 35 years of bad habits are not easy to change though. I was quite pleased when Magnus told me my casting was OK soemtimes………… now I know why it sometimes is not…………….my control of arc, plane and drift back  is not consistent enough. The timing of the haul on the forward cast also needs  work.

[Bob Wyatt]

Swihun,

Casting is at the very heart of fly fishing IMO. The better you get at it, the better and more enjoyable the fly fishing gets.  Almost as important, the other guy in the boat will enjoy it better too.  Nothing worse than some plonker next to you screwing up every cast and fankling yours all day long.

On the "Well, I still catch fish argument", I like what old Lefty says about that.. cast better and you'll catch even MORE fish.   :wink:

I feel that too much is made of distance casting though.  There are lots of extremely useful casts that every trout fisher should have in his repertoire, distance is probably the least important of them for fishing.  That said, to cast a long distance requires good technique, so its sort of built in.

For our trout fishing up here, roll casting, switch casting, reach casts, and all sorts of slack line presentation casts are all very important.  Accuracy is worth some consideration too, even on lochs.  [/i]

[Richy]

Swithun,

Have to admit that my casting is mince and blame fishing overgrown river banks and casting under low tree branches.
That's my excuse and I always seem to cast to the side rather than overhead.  :oops:  :oops:

I attended a couple of lessons from Jim Thomlinson down at Troon and it was nothing short of amazing to see him pick up any of our rods and cast a line that was pulling line off the reel as it flew into the distance.

I think another few lessons would be a great help..........to me.............and more importantly.........others that are near me !!!

All the best

Richy

[Bob Wyatt]

Nothing wrong with watching your back cast Swithun   As long as you're watching the forward throw too.  The only thing is, you usually adopt an open stance to watch the back cast, standing somewhat sideways to the stroke.  Okay for distance but for good tracking it's maybe better to get used to feeling the back cast unroll behind you.  And we all know how important good tracking is, right? :wink:

You're lucky to have met up with Magnus and Paul.  Was it Paul Arden?  If it was, he's a serious gun caster, and fisherman too.  With those guys you got some top tuition there.

I have to tune up for saltwater this spring.  Could use some tuition from those guys.

Ricky,  
I have a bit of a Lefty Kreh side-cast habit myself.  It's OK for normaltrout distances.  Affects accuracy somewhat.  Gives me a bad hook.

[Havtafish]

My casting shite at times. Well mostly shite actually. Taught by my Dad with the saucer under the arm thing.Ive found myself compensating by improving my river craft and getting sneaky. I always push how close I can get. My confidence level for hooking the fish is high when Ive got myself into a good position. I, like you swithun need someone to put me in the right direction. I was thinkin bout taking some tuition.

[Wildfisher]

Bob,

that was Paul Rankin – our own "Acefisher" Also a mighty caster and  instructor

[Bob Wyatt]

Swithun,

I wouldn't worry too much about getting too involved in the technicalities of casting.  The way i look at it is it's not even a concern once you get good at it.  Your technique, ideally, should be 'transparent', you just don't have to think about it and can concentrate on the fish.  That's the ideal, at any rate.

Noticing that the line is always under tension is a good start toward improving the cast.  Letting the backcast straighten behind you before beginning the forward stroke is very important.  Most of that slack you get is from beginning the forward stroke too soon.

The more you practice, the better you get at 'feeling' what the line is doing behind you.  Then, eventually, all you need is a glance behind you to see what's back there and then visualise your back cast.

[Havtafish]

I dont even think about my casting while focused on a rising fish Swithun. Always watching the current and try to place the fly where I want it.

Maybe Bob can shed some light on the "standard cast" as Im not a follower of casting teqnique?

I was taught elbow tight to the ribs, dont break the wrist. For a roll cast I was taught to think of my rod as a hammer and the water a nail. The reel comes up ear high and "hammer the nail"

I notice alot of guys really like to get the arm swinging. Does this not take away the energy which should put into the rod?

Would you also say that a softish rod helps with the feel on the backcast? This is what I started with. My first rod was a Fenwick fiberglass which I got for my birthday in 1979

[Bob Wyatt]

Havta,

Sounds like you got it all right.   Except maybe for that soft rod thing.    :wink:

[Bob Wyatt]

Guys,

There are some great books and videos on casting.  Mel Kreigers videos are very good.  George Roberts Mastering the Cast is excellent, and cheap. http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/007137972X/ref=si_1_3/026-1680865-5747633