ULTIMATE ANGLING - the Ultimate SA Fishing website
FRESHWATER ANGLING => Fly fishing => Topic started by: WalkersKiller on September 02, 2011, 01:30:52 PM
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A basic way to explain what the action of the cast on a fly rod should be is as follows: Pretend you have a hammer or an axe in your hand. Now go through the motion of cutting up a piece of wood or hammering a nail into the wall. In theory this is how you cast a fly fishing rod. In practice you need to do the following:
Start out with a bit of line and your leader, make sure they are out of the top eye, don't try to cast more line than you are comfortable with
Pull some line out of the reel and hold it in the hand you are not holding the rod with
Now hold the line tight and get your first back cast going using the hammer/axe technique mentioned aboveLet some line out on your forward cast, don't wave the rod and don't move your head but put power into the cast with your arms
Also you should never need to go forward and back on your cast more than 4 times If you do you are doing something wrong
Once you have got the casting technique right you can modify it to what you are most comfortable with
Another 3 things are important in learning how to cast a fly fishing rod, perseverance, practice and patience!
It will be frustrating and will require long hours of practice and slapping the water but once you have got it right, it will stay with you forever!
WK :ult:
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Great info WK :-)
The best advice I know of for anyone learning to cast a fly rod is to go for lessons with a good teacher. No amount of reading will ever be a substitute for time spent with a good instructor. w;k
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Andrew, I have to agree.
If you are serious about getting into f/f, then casting lessons are a MUST.
Imagine if you have been casting a bass reel for 10 years and you would like to try the salt.
So you buy yourself an entery range Penn, Shimano or whatever ( free spool ).
Without classes you will bird's nest that line untill you have no line left on the spool :unhap :shk
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Thanks guys what you say is very true... Reading will not help you cast but will give you an idea of what you need to do in practice!
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Agree with Herman and Andrew. Fly fishing casting can't be explained in theorie. Period. Learned from a Scottish double handed caster back in 2000. Personal tuition can't be taken for granted, Its the best way.
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:shre:
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I recently came across a dvd called The Merge at:
http://www.flyfishing.co.za/DVDReview.php (http://www.flyfishing.co.za/DVDReview.php) I would recommend this for anyone learning to cast and wanting to know a bit more, he covers the basics from casting to all knots needed and give some great tips on Stillwater and streams, as well as trout and Tiger fishing. I would recommend it to anyone who want to learn the art of :fshn:
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Totally agree on the 4 casts I use to mainly do my distance the one just before my final cast… And then you just feel like :cry:
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:shre: Wynand!
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Another 3 things are important in learning how to cast a fly fishing rod, perseverance, practice and patience!
WK :ult:
Couldn't have said it better .....
I must say that I'm finding it much more enjoyable since I upgrade to my Stealth Infinity 9' 4-5 weigh Rod paired with a Shimano Biocraft Reel.
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Thats an awesome setup Debbie :win:
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The Setup makes a huge difference to your cast.
To be honest and I have said it before here a few times. The most important is your line; that changes everything. Among others I have a Stealth Magnum rod, as its only a 4WT others are 5/6 and up I can say that the Magnum outcast the rest on my style, sad thing when buying rods is that you can’t really “test drive” it as actions vary and that means that some people just cast great with certain rods and others don’t. I don’t have a Hardy would love to have one, but even on my cheaper rods I get a proper cast by using higher end lines.
But good luck as said above perseverance, practice and patience is key. Casting gets better with time, and that is time at the water practicing that is the only sure way you will master the cast.
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Awesome advice Wynand! :+ cred:
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Very true, as I went with a higher end setup I matched is with the Floating, intermediate and sinking Rio Line. Im very impressed with them ( at the price I paid I should be w;k )
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Very true, as I went with a higher end setup I matched is with the Floating, intermediate and sinking Rio Line. Im very impressed with them ( at the price I paid I should be w;k )
Debbie, your new rig sounds great. The Infinity is a great rod if you like a medium action with a very forgiving tip section. I was tasked to break one on the Vaal, and really abusing the rod on big foul hooked muddies, couldn't. ( 5# ).
The Biocraft reel is a copy of the Ultegra, but in a different alloy.
My Ultegra has been abused on the Vaal for 180n+ trops over the last 7 years, with being serviced ONCE :shk
BTW, if you ever yearn to fish the Vaal, drop me a PM. I fish the river virtually every weekend, summer and winter. :nuts: :nuts:
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Herman thanks for that. Yes Im very happy with my rig. When I started out I bought a little cheapy which really killed my back. I could fish for about 30 mins and have to stop. Now I fish for hours and Im loving it.
I will be taking you up on that invite very soon ......... im moving back to that part of the world at the end of the month and want/need to catch a Yellow on the Vaal.
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I have tried to explain the art of casting a fly line to so many people. And the end result is always the same 'Nee boet I lost you there"
To see is to understand and to do is to experience and to practice is to find result. That is how I give advise on casting a fly line.
But in the end some people get it and some just don't. Those who want to learn will succeed.
My 2 cents worth
Brian
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I recently had the privilege of being at one of Peter Hayes`s clinics, and I must say that everything I was learned and thought I knew about casting, just went out of the door. I do think that each person should get a style he/she is comfortable with.
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Although I missed the clinic (I was booked but then work interfered as it usually does) the following may be useful
From The Bobbin (http://www.durbanflytyers.co.za/Bobbin/The-Bobbin-June-2013.pdf (http://www.durbanflytyers.co.za/Bobbin/The-Bobbin-June-2013.pdf))
Some key points to come out of Peter Hayes’ workshop.
1. Don’t clench your rod. Keep your grip loose, sloppy even.
2. When you want to stop the rod simply squeeze or tighten up your grip. The rod will stop automatically.
3. The old 11 to 2 o clock thing is just that, old. Don’t do it. The arc of the rod inscribes is determined by the amount of line you are casting. The more line out there the wider the arc.
4. It is not a sin to break your wrist.
5. Tip control is everything. Get your rod tip going where it ought to and a lot of the snafus we experience will vanish.
6. Don’t flap your arm about. Keep the cast in plane. That is not to say your elbow should not move. The ability to pull the rod forward (in line mind you) at the beginning of the forward cast is key to line speed and distance.
7. The trick is to put speed in the line not the rod
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Although I missed the clinic (I was booked but then work interfered as it usually does) the following may be useful
From The Bobbin (http://www.durbanflytyers.co.za/Bobbin/The-Bobbin-June-2013.pdf (http://www.durbanflytyers.co.za/Bobbin/The-Bobbin-June-2013.pdf))
Some key points to come out of Peter Hayes’ workshop.
1. Don’t clench your rod. Keep your grip loose, sloppy even.
2. When you want to stop the rod simply squeeze or tighten up your grip. The rod will stop automatically.
3. The old 11 to 2 o clock thing is just that, old. Don’t do it. The arc of the rod inscribes is determined by the amount of line you are casting. The more line out there the wider the arc.
4. It is not a sin to break your wrist.
5. Tip control is everything. Get your rod tip going where it ought to and a lot of the snafus we experience will vanish.
6. Don’t flap your arm about. Keep the cast in plane. That is not to say your elbow should not move. The ability to pull the rod forward (in line mind you) at the beginning of the forward cast is key to line speed and distance.
7. The trick is to put speed in the line not the rod
Super pointers those Ziggy. Point 4 and 5, very true, good stuff this!
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HI Rory
I am working to edit the sound on the videos I took, as there is a lot of wind noise, hopefully I will be able to upload some of them.
Looking at the tips makes sense after I`ve been there. I would like to explain the concept a bit more, if you dont mind.
The focus was on the very last bit of the cast with the loose grip, he said to use a similar wrist as when you are skipping stones. So keep the wrist aimed back until the very last second then grip the rod, this allows for that extra speed in the action at the end and just shoots your line forward. Its a lot to get use to, especially us being thought to use a stiff wrist. It`s a very similar type of action as playing squash...
I do think that each one of us should adapt to a system that works for them, but the tips he gave made me change my technique...
He focused on double Hauling a lot as well, and showed off a bit by showing us how to cast a full fly line with just using his hands no rod involved at all...
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Also your back and forward cast must follow the same line back and forth to get that line to fly true.
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What distance should the average guy get, I tried for the first time yesterday and maxed out on 15m once in every 3 or so casts - agree with the practise thing!! Could be good fun but I am very lazy.................maybe I need to get a cheap setup for the berg next month!!
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What distance should the average guy get, I tried for the first time yesterday and maxed out on 15m once in every 3 or so casts - agree with the practise thing!! Could be good fun but I am very lazy.................maybe I need to get a cheap setup for the berg next month!!
you will catch fish at 15m - trout patrol the edges also
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Never managed the whole "a river runs through it" vibe I tend to look like a blind man trying to knock apples out a tree with a stick that's to short.
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What distance should the average guy get, I tried for the first time yesterday and maxed out on 15m once in every 3 or so casts - agree with the practise thing!! Could be good fun but I am very lazy.................maybe I need to get a cheap setup for the berg next month!!
What line are you using? 15M is more than enough most fish I caught were very close to the bank, its important not to spook them from the bank but that distance should be more than enough to catch some fish.
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Line? no clue all, I know it was floating and an off white colour, I was retreiving very slow most of the time........new to this.
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Another 3 things are important in learning how to cast a fly fishing rod, perseverance, practice and patience!
It will be frustrating and will require long hours of practice and slapping the water but once you have got it right, it will stay with you forever!
WK :ult:
I have to agree with this ...... 100 %
Great article easy to understand and easy to follow :+ cred:
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Can I make a suggestion?
Assuming you received the line as part of a combo? Get some decent line, Airflo Ridge or something similar, this will make a world of difference to you.
Its worth spending a few bucks on proper line, just my opinion here.
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Can I make a suggestion?
Assuming you received the line as part of a combo? Get some decent line, Airflo Ridge or something similar, this will make a world of difference to you.
Its worth spending a few bucks on proper line, just my opinion here.
I agree 100%!
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I recently had the privilege of being at one of Peter Hayes`s clinics, and I must say that everything I was learned and thought I knew about casting, just went out of the door. I do think that each person should get a style he/she is comfortable with.
I've learnt a lot by watching him cast.
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I used a lot of the cheaper lines ( nothing else available locally) and found that that to get maximum distance 25 - 30 meters you have to do a lot of forward and back casts to load the rod enough to shoot out the rest of the line on the final cast.
I got hold of a Cortland line 9 weight WF rocket and now I load the rod in 2 casts and viola 25 meters is easy. Thiis is for salt water purpose where distance is needed to cover as much water as possible.
So a good quality line does make a difference. I am looking to invest in Airflo's forty plus next.
Tout is another story, you need max 15 meters, but here you need finesse and a good loop more then you need distance.