Casting

THE FORWARD CAST

GETTING STARTED

Before starting the forward cast you will need to assemble the rod and apply the proper grip to the rod handle. Take the rod from the case and seat the ferrules. Holding the rod with your hands about 2 inches from the ferrules, push them together until they are hand tight. As you push with one hand the other hand should be pushing and rotating the rod while anticipating the guides lining up when the ferrules are tight. Now look through the guides checking to see that they are in perfect alignment.

STRINGING UP

Set the butt section on the ground in a clean, dry place. Double the leader over on itself about halfway down, and thread it through the guides on the tilted rod. When the loop is through the tip-top, pull all the leader and some line on through and check to see that you have threaded all the guides. Remembering that the leader has practically no weight, always start to cast with a few feet of fly-line out beyond the rod tip. Once the line is out of the rod tip, hold tension on the leader or keep the rod tip below the horizontal level until you are ready to cast or the line and leader will slide back down the rod unstringing it.

THE GRIP

The way in which a fly rod is held during casting is extremely important. A good grip will enhance the cast while a poor grip can kill it. There are two basic grips: the Thumb-On-Top and the Index-Finger-On-Top. Most fly fishers' find using the Thumb-On-Top more comfortable, stronger, and less tiring. This is the grip we will be demonstrating. Avoid a flattened thumb so you can take full advantage of the thumb muscle' forward pushing action. As will be discussed later, the thumb will be used as a reference in directing your fly to the target - thus the thumb must be correctly positioned at all times.

The push of the thumb maximizes the wrist action, adding speed and direction to the forward cast. As in opening a screen door, you will push with the thumb and pull back with the lower fingers. The thumb should be flexed with the first section pressed on the grip and a little space under the lower section. You can't maximum forward push with a flattened thumb. The thumb should be close to the forward end of the rod handle. Never allow your hand to shift its position during the cast.

GETTING LINE ON THE WATER

With the proper grip on an assembled rod, the last thing to do before casting is to get the line on the water. An easy way to accomplish this is to stroke the rod from side to side while releasing slack line. The line will leave the rod tip due to the centrifugal force (actually it's a centripetal force since centrifugal is a fictitious force-but, that's another story) After you have fed about 10 feet of line from the rod tip you will have enough on the water to begin casting.

THE BASIC CAST
(OR FORWARD CAST OR OVERHEAD CAST)

Before you start the basic cast, remember what you had to learn before you could drive (assuming you drive) safely for one city block. As in driving a car, in the beginning you don't have to "drive" your fly very far but, to do it right there are a number of things you will need to learn - be patient and eventually everything will fall into place and you will be "driving" a fly line as automatically as one drives a car, or if your younger, a bicycle or skateboard.

SIMPLE CONCEPTS TO NEVER FORGET WHEN CASTING

Whether you are learning to cast or improving existing skills, there are several fundamentals that are helpful, if not vital, to always remember.

REMEMBER: Essentially, fly casting is all about driving energy directly towards a target. In casting you simply bend or flex a rod (a lever) to accelerate the tip and then stop it. The flexed rod causes the long line to unroll back and forth delivering the fly.

REMEMBER: If you accelerate the rod tip and stop it while going straight ahead - the fly will go straight ahead. If the rod tip is stopped while going forward and down, the fly will go forward and down. If, during the back cast, you stop the rod tip while going back and down the line will go back and down producing a sag. To throw a straight back cast, the tip must stop while traveling straight back and on a slightly upward plane.

REMEMBER: For short distance casting (30 feet), the rod will travel a short distance and when conquering distance, wind or casting large flies, your rod will move a proportionately longer distance

REMEMBER: The faster you speed up and the more abruptly you stop the tip, the faster and farther the line will travel. If you can successfully flick paint from a brush - you get the idea.

REMEMBER: You can't start a back cast with your rod held high, especially if you are casting for distance because the end of the line doesn't get moving until the rod passes the vertical. Most of your forward cast is wasted removing slack from the line - thus, you can't deliver an efficient forward cast.

REMEMBER: The loop size is determined by the distance your fly rod descends from the beginning of the acceleration to the stop. If the tip drops 3 feet the loop will be 3 feet. If the tip drops 6 feet the loop will be 6 feet. A large loop doesn't go as far because the energy of your cast is being directed around in a circle. A tight loop means the energy is being directed toward your target, large loops direct the final part of the cast down towards the water. A loose wrist can cause larger loops - locking your wrist can diminish loop size.

BEFORE CASTING, CHECK YOUR SURROUNDINGS

START with a low rod tip and little slack in the line.

When ACCELERATING THE ROD on the backcast you must first lift (free) all the line from the water. If you accelerate too soon you will rip some or all the line from the water and alert any nearby fish. Also some of the energy necessary for the backcast will be wasted overcoming water tension on the line. So, start the acceleration after you have lifted all the line from the water. If the speed of the acceleration is too slow, the line will come toward you - too fast - again, the line will disturb the fish. Compared to the acceleration- dead stop, lifting the line from the water is a relatively long portion of the stroke.

ACCELERATION -DEAD STOP

The instant the last part of the line is lifted from the water, the rod tip is accelerated rapidly and stopped. This will have a major influence on the direction and distance of your cast. The faster you speed up, and the more abruptly you stop the tip over a short acceleration-and-dead-stop distance the faster your line will travel and the farther you will be able to cast. For efficient casting, you must stop abruptly. Also remember, the line will go in the direction that the rod tip stops at the end of the cast. If the back-cast is traveling in a direct line opposite the target, the forward cast will be more efficient.

Accelerate the stroke in a straight line lifting your whole arm while adding a forearm and hand thrust ending the movement with a dead-stop. Keep the rod butt against the underside of the wrist throughout the accelerate-dead-stop movement. The wrist will “crack” a little but, should never separate more than one or two inches from the rod butt. Squeezing the forth and fifth fingers during the dead-stop will keep the butt close.

The DRIFT is a backward follow-through of only a few inches that:
1. Repositions your arm and rod for the forward cast, giving you better leverage through a farther back starting position.
2. Allows you to maintain a feeling of being connected to the line - linking the backcast to the forward cast.
3. To be avoided during a strong backwind.

Continue on to the ABC's of Forward Casting ...