For just a moment, let's pretend you are a
self-taught fly fisher. Maybe you've read a
book or two or some columns here on Fly Anglers
OnLine, or maybe even picked up a casting video.
You have learned enough to make your casting
work for you. You can get a fly out to where
the fish are. Best of all, you catch fish!
That is success. It is just an educated guess
on my part, but I would bet 80% of American
fly fishers are self-taught. You aren't alone.
Let's add a little more to our 'lets pretend.'
Say you only fish lakes and ponds. You've never
fished moving water - as in rivers or streams.
If that is what you want to do it's fine. Or,
what if you have only fished rivers or streams
but never fished a lake? Would you like to
fish somewhere different from your usual?
Or what if you are invited by a good friend
to fish his favorite water with him? Are
Say you've been fishing poppers and wet flies
for panfish, bass or other warm water species
and the invitation is to fish trout in a world
famous river or two? It's grasshopper season,
and that is a dry fly. Could you adapt your
casting? Would you even know where to start?
How about something a bit smaller than a grasshopper
(at least the size of it is familiar), let's put
a size 16 Adams into the mix. Now what do you do?
One of the questions which hit my email this
week was about false casting. What is it's
purpose? Is it something you use for pond
and lake fishing? Or something only dry fly
fishers use? And for that matter, what do
they use it for?
The false cast has 2 basic uses ('tho there are more).
1. Dry the fly.
Start with drying a fly. You could just hold
the fly in your hand and blow on it until it
is dry, or put it in between a folded piece of
amadou and squeeze gently. Or false cast it
back and forth a couple of times.
2. Extend line.
False casting presumes you aren't getting the
fly wet on either the forward or backcast.
(Although I've sure seen a battalion of fly
fishers "casting behind themselves.") If
you know the most basic casting stroke you
can false cast. Don't know? If you haven't
read it, read Castwell's
HOW TO CAST. It isn't a joke, print it out,
take it outside with your rod and do it.
The basis of HOW TO CAST is stopping the rod.
Stopping the rod is what makes the line go.
In spin fishing, the weight of the lure takes
the line out. In fly fishing, the weight of
the line takes the fly out. Two totally
Using Castwell's HOW TO CAST will allow you
to fish to about 30 or 40 feet. You can add
a little line to that by just stripping off
about ten feet of line and letting it sit on
the ground. Then, just as you are ready to
make your final forward cast, just when you have
stopped the rod, let go of the line in your line
hand. It will 'shoot' out. As you extend line
(which you can also do using the double haul)
you have to change the casting arc. If you
haven't been casting long enough to be able
to feel the line behind you unroll, just turn
your head and look at it! The line should roll
out like a carpet - when it is straight, make
the forward cast. Try practicing the false cast
by keeping the line going through a minimum of
three forward and backward casts without touching
the ground (or the water).
Without using the double haul, 30 or 40 feet,
(depending on how young or strong you are), is
about the limit one can cast. The weight of
the line wants to drag the line down, and keeping
it in the air long enough to false cast, or extend
line becomes a problem. The double haul (dh)
solves that problem.
Why use the double haul? It divides the work
between both hands, makes casting less work, it
allows you to cast in wind situations, make
longer casts, dry your fly faster - and use
less false casts. The double haul increases
line speed, and helps load your rod. It is
just a more efficient method of casting. I
routinely use the double haul with any and
every rod. The smallest rod I own is a 3wt.,
but I do use the double haul with it. Once
you've learned it and it becomes automatic,
you simply do it.
If you have tried to learn the double haul
and not mastered it, try really watching all
three of the mini videos here:
Watch for the exact hand motion with Castwell's
line hand. It is, Pull, Cast, Feed. The pull
and feed are done with the line hand! Also note
the casting arc extends when the length of line
One more point. Controlling your casting is
controlling your flyline. Watch to see what
the line is doing as it leaves the tip of your rod.
It should look like a letter 'J' on its side - that
is a 'tight loop. It will go farther than a cast
which looks like a letter "C" - but if you are
casting big flies, you may have to make a cast
which looks more like the "C" to keep the fly
from hooking on the line and causing a wind knot
or tailing loop. You need to be able to make
either a tight loop or a big open loop any time
you want to need it. Practice line control.
Practice accuracy. Practice stopping the rod!
Do not just go out and aimlessly cast. Work on
You can improve your casting - and just maybe
the let's pretend will become reality. ~ DLB
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