Take a Tip from Your Fly Rod Tip

When I am teaching students to learn the principles of fly casting they have to understand the terms loading and unloading.  Sure these are physics terms, but it will help you to learn just how important they are in executing a great cast. For example,   I will  bend the rod in front the students and they don’t’ really understand the sequence of events that happen during an ordinary pick up and lay down cast. The next thing I will do is break my rod down just to the tip top section with the fly line threaded through the guide and a bright colored yarn fly tied to the end. I have them perform the pickup and lay down cast with just that section of the rod and after several attempts I will ask them to accelerate faster to an abrupt stop and low and behold the light goes off in their heads after seeming the yarn fly shoot from the rod. One of the first reactions is” I can’t believe I can cast it that far with only that section of rod”. Others will exclaim “I’m casting it further with just the tip section rather than the entire rod”. So remember on your next pick up and lay down cast think of this tip and your rod tip and you will be on your way to better casting and tighter loops.

Distance Does Matter

The number one problem I see with all levels of casters who come to me for lessons is slack in their casting  line. It is probably so easy to correct most Casting  Instructors  rarely write about it as a problem. I think it is a very grave distance killer and needs to be noted.
When a caster begins to make his pick up and lay down average cast he starts his cast with the rod tip three or four feet above the water. Problem at the start, we all have to start our back cast with an accelerated  speed up and stop and if you as caster have given up three or feet of acceleration it is like a NASCAR  car starting in second gear at the beginning of the race. The back cast is dependent on the load of the rod to make the forward cast. The acceleration start of the cast is a speed up and stop lift and acceleration. If you have started three to four feet to late in the acceleration lift process you've cheated yourself of more acceleration . Please start your next pick up and lay down cast with your rod tip in the water for saltwater casts or just above the surface in gin clear trout streams and you will be surprised a  your forwards cast  rockets the line out of the tip top of your rod. You will have significant added distance and therefor  more water to cove and strip your fly through in the feeding channel. Tight  loops, Andrew

Having a problem when your fly snaps off during your cast?

This often frustrating problem occurs to often for most casters and can really spoil a fun time fishing. If this happens to you a few simple steps will help solve this problem. Stoke the back cast more gently. Remember a smooth back cast will almost always help for a smooth forward cast. You must allow the fly line time to almost straighten out in the back cast completely before making the forward cast. So focus on a smoother back cast with the line almost completely straightening out and you will only hear the swoosh of the line instead of a snap...crack.

Common fly casting mistakes

Over the next few weeks I will be blogging some common fly casting mistakes, the one I would like to write about today is a student of mine was having a problem with his fly dropping to the water on his back cast and not being able to reocover to his forward cast. The fault when this happens is the caster is probably using too much wrist in their casting stroke.Remember the fly and line are going to go in the direction the rod tip speeds up and stops so if on your back cast your rod tip is pointing toward the water from a floppy wrist  backcast that is where your fly will end up. If you try and quickly compensate you will have a underpowered forward cast.The best correction is to stop your  back cast high,  point the tip of your rod up and not pointing toward the water. Keep a firm wrist and make the rod tip bend or load and chances are you will continue and make a beautiful forward cast.

Practice Your Casting

Everyone needs to develop a good casting technique, start by getting a lesson from a certified casting instructor affiliated with The Federation of Fly Fishers. Be prepared going into the lesson and write prep questions down before you go, remember the 10,000 hour rule and do not get frustrated, remember your home town was not built in a day.Once you take your first lesson practice, and then practice some more, this will lead to proficiency, and this will make a huge difference the next time on the water. It will I promise make all the difference in the world on that trip. Tight Loops, and email me if I can help, Andrew!

Top Ten Go To Nymphs

When I first began trout fishing I did not like to fish with nymph's because I was always losing flies and getting hung up and seemed to be tying on more nymphs than fishing. But I went to a seminar that was taught by  the well known famous nymph fisher Joe Humphries and saw how productive it was for him. I changed my attitude and learned to become a better nymph fisher. While I can't say these should be etched in stone as the top ten, they are very close between most obsessive trout fishers as myself. You may see these tied with a little color variation from fly shop to fly shop but here they are:

1. Gold Ribbed Hare's Ear

2. Gray Nymph

3. Zug Bug

4. Black Midge Pupa

6. Kaufmann's Stone

7. Scud

8. Beaver

9. American March Brown

10. Prince Nymph

And one for good measure Copper John

 

Common Fly Casting Mistakes

I was invited down to Virginia Beach last week to help the avid salt anglers  of the Virginia Beach Saltwater  Fly Angers on their casting. It was much fun and also very good to get out again on a cool crisp night for some casting on a lighted football field. Two common occurrences with a lot of good casters which this club has plenty were the overpowering of the rod and keeping the rod tip on a straight line path. Two important casting components when casting in salt water situations that can cost you much distance and accuracy. The anglers picked up my observations quickly and much improvement was had by all and they were delighted and very complementary. I wanted all of them to know how humbling of an experience it was for me to be doing what I love, in teaching and being with a great bunch of folks. I look  forward in getting down for a meeting to watch some of the finest fly tiers on the east coast and see with my own eyes the flytying ninja in action. Tight Loops! Andrew