ÿþ<HTML> <HEAD> <META HTTP-EQUIV="Content-Type" CONTENT="text/html; charset=windows-1252"> <META NAME="Generator" CONTENT="Microsoft Word 97"> <TITLE>General 3 - Some Tips for the Beginning Fly Caster</TITLE> </HEAD> <BODY> <BLOCKQOUTE> <FONT FACE="Courier New Bold,Times New Roman" SIZE=5><P ALIGN="CENTER">Some Tips For The</P> <P ALIGN="CENTER">Beginning Fly Caster</P> </FONT> <FONT SIZE=4><P ALIGN="JUSTIFY">Fly casting is a method by which a rod is caused to throw a length of line out over the water which, in turn, carries a leader and artificial fly that extends out beyond the line.</P> <P ALIGN="JUSTIFY">Read the first part of that sentence again. It's very important. The "rod is caused to throw" the line, the caster doesn't throw it. All the caster does is impart the motion that makes the rod flex and throw the line. That's the secret of effortless casting, let the rod do the work.</P> <P ALIGN="JUSTIFY">In fly casting, the line itself is thrown, and as the rod casts the line by flexing, then unflexing, the weight of the line in relation to the rod's action is extremely important.</P> <P ALIGN="JUSTIFY">Line manufacturers use a standard method of designating fly line weight by number. It's a system using numbers from one to 12 in which the smallest number indicates the lightest weight and as the numbers get larger the corresponding lines are heavier. To establish a line's number designation, the first 30 feet of line, exclusive of taper, is weighed.</P> <P ALIGN="JUSTIFY">Some rods, especially those with slow actions, can cast several weight lines with at least some degree of satisfaction but invariably there is one that works best.</P> <P ALIGN="JUSTIFY">Most manufacturers specify the line recommended for each rod and this is a safe place to start. Sometimes line weight preference will vary between casters using the same rod, so as you gain experience you may decide to try a size lighter or heavier to fit individual casting style or fishing conditions.</P> <P ALIGN="JUSTIFY">Now assuming that the rod is strung with a line that is a reasonable match, the next step is to move out on the lawn and make the rod throw it.</P> <P ALIGN="JUSTIFY">There should be at least a short length of leader and a fly with the point clipped off fixed to the end of the line. Without a leader, even the most perfectly matched outfit won't cast properly.</P> <P ALIGN="JUSTIFY">Begin by stripping off about 20 feet of line and throw it straight out on the lawn ahead of you. Now lower the rod tip to a point about a foot above the ground and, assuming you are right handed, use your left hand to remove slack between the tip and the ground and maintain tension on the line. Then with your right hand, try to throw the line straight up in the air by lifting the rod with a brisk, accelerating motion and stopping it with the tip pointed straight above you.</P> <P ALIGN="JUSTIFY">The line won't go straight up, but by trying to make it do so you are insuring a high back cast which allows plenty of time for the line to straighten while dropping.</P> <P ALIGN="JUSTIFY">After stopping the rod with its tip up, pause long enough to allow the line to nearly straighten behind you, then move the whole rod forward with a spearing motion as if you were going to punch a hole in the sky about 45 degrees above the horizon.</P> <P ALIGN="JUSTIFY">The rod won't stop with its tip straight up, but by trying to make it do so, it will be kept from drifting too far back. if the rod is allowed to tilt too far to the rear, the pull of the line can't bend the rod and cock it properly, so to speak, on the forward cast. When this happens the caster must do the work that the rod should do.</P> <P ALIGN="JUSTIFY">The spearing motion moves the rod ahead, without its tip dropping, against the pull of the line straightening behind you. This makes the rod bend backwards and then, almost as if it comes alive, it will flex forward and throw the line out ahead. You see, the rod will do the work. All you have to do is move it a little.</P> <P ALIGN="JUSTIFY">Now, after the line has started forward, you can lower the rod as much as you wish. When casting against a strong breeze for instance, you would lower a lot to shoot line under the wind, while on a calm day, you might want the whole Iine and leader to extend out well above the water before settling on it.</P> <P ALIGN="JUSTIFY">As you become more proficient, the pause between the spearing motion and lowering the rod tip will be imperceptible and the whole will appear to be one continuous motion.</P> <P ALIGN="JUSTIFY">The reason for practicing on the lawn instead of water is that there is nothing more distracting, when concentrating on technique, than fish hitting at the fly. Practice an hour or so on land before going to the lake or stream the first time.</P> <P ALIGN="JUSTIFY">Now you are ready to start shooting line. Strip off about 20 feet more line and hold it in three or four large loops in your left hand. On the next cast, at the instant you pause at the end of the spearing motion and just before dropping the rod tip on the forward cast, move the line hand towards the stripping guide and open it to allow the Iine to shoot out through the guides.</P> <P>Supporting the line in this manner, close to the stripping guide, helps it to shoot more freely than if it were lying on the water or ground.</P> <P>Practice shooting line at every opportunity. This is a much more efficient way to extend line than time consuming false casting. All the time a fly is in the water, it's working for you. No way can a fish take a fly when it's sailing back and forth in the air.</P> <P>There are only two basic fly casts. One, the overhead cast, is what you have just learned . The second, the roll cast. All other casts are variations of these.</P> <P>The roll cast is half an overhead cast that depends on the resistance of water to execute, so practicing on land won't work.</P> <P>First, work out about 30 feet of line on the water in front of you. The rod should be pointed forward and horizontal. Strip a few more yards from the reel and hold in your left hand.</P> <P>Raise the rod until the tip is a little past vertical and the belly of the line is slightly behind your right elbow. Now drive the rod sharply downward. This will cause the line to travel outward before the leader and fly have left the water and they will move after it in a big loop and unroll out on the water.</P> <P>As the line rolls out, you let the line held in your left hand follow, much the same as shooting line on an overhead cast.</P> <P>The downward motion of the rod must be forceful but the whole operation should be one continuous movement.</P> <P>Use the overhead cast with its variations such as side cast, back hand cast, etc. for most fishing and roll cast for situations where trees, cliffs, or other obstacles prevent a back cast. The overhead cast permits a much more delicate presentation than the roll cast.</P> <P>Remember, if fly casting is work, you are doing something wrong.</P> <P ALIGN="CENTER"><IMG SRC="G3.jpg" WIDTH=140 HEIGHT=122 BORDER=0></P> <A HREF="TOC.html">BACK TO TABLE OF CONTENTS</A></FONT> </BLOCKQOUTE> </HTML>