Admiring your casting loops makes you less accurate while also removing your focus from the water and your target. It’s a beginner’s habit that anyone can break in a couple hours, And it’s worth it.
Articles in the Category Fly Casting
The Setup Cast — Fly Fishing Strategies
The setup cast keeps you in control on the river. It allows for repositioning and redirecting the line, leader and fly to the next target. The setup cast gives you a chance to regroup and rethink, too. It keeps you in rhythm by keeping you out of trouble and lending new options to an active angler.
What Hand Should Turn the Fly Reel?
In the short term, reeling with the casting hand might lose fish. But in the long term, it encourages poor line maintenance principles.
In this article I give a lot of thought to the various inefficiencies and handicaps that hurt when reeling with the casting hand . . .
The Corner Cast — Rounding the Corner Might Be Better Than a Roll Cast (with VIDEO)
Rounding the corner with a Corner Cast often outperforms a Roll Cast. It’s faster, more efficient and easier. But remember, it requires great casting from, with good line speed and crisp stops. That’s where good fly casting always begins. So develop a good baseline and everything else will follow. . . .
Land With Contact or Without, When Using a Tuck Cast — Tight Line and Euro Nymphing
The tuck cast presents a fly-first entry, from very steep and vertical with extra slack, to almost flat, with immediate contact. That’s how flexible the tuck cast is. It’s useful. In fact, it’s critical to how I present nymphs and streamers.
When Fishing Around Structure, Crowd the Hazard
Casting around structure is one of the toughest things for any fly angler to learn, but what comes before the cast is most important. Don’t walk past the toughest spots. Get close and go get ‘em. Crowd the hazard . . .
Fly Cast With Speed — Yes, Always
All fly types — all rigs — need speed to reach their potential. Cast with acceleration and good crisp loops. Do it with dry flies, nymphs, indicator rigs and streamers. And don’t let anyone tell you differently . . .
Sensitivity in a Fly Rod — Two Very Different Ways
How much can we feel the fly at the end of the line? And how well does the fly rod transmit the flex to the angler? These are two very different kinds of sensitivity.
Why I Hate the Water Haul Cast
I don’t like using a rig that forces me into a water haul as my only option. I’m happy to use the water haul as the occasional problem solver, but for day-to-day casting, no thanks.
Don’t Hate Split Shot — Have a System (with VIDEO)
You need the right tools, the right shot and the right methods for using all of it. None of this is complicated, but simplicity in fishing is often elusive, until time on the water eventually reveals what is best. Honestly, I believe there’s no better way to carry and use split shot than what is shown here . . .
The Hard Truth About Why You Can’t See Your Dry Fly
“Your first job is to find some accuracy. You’ll see the fly every time, once you can hit your targets.” I nodded at the fly again. “There’s enough visibility built into that fly that you can find it quickly, as long as the fly lands where you’re looking . . .”