Fly Fishing for Beginners - Overhead Cast

The overhead cast is the basic fly fishing cast. It has evolved over the years primarily due to advances in equipment. In the “olden days” before graphite rods, a lot more wrist movement was involved in the cast. Now, there is more arm and shoulder movement in order to “load the rod” to better utilize equipment (graphite). However, the basic concept is still the same. Bring the fly line overhead and behind you, then cast it front of you to the desired target.
Grip the Rod – hold the rod like you are shaking hands with someone. Your thumb should be on top of the rod and curl your fingers underneath. Your hand should be located in the middle of grip. The fly line should be between your index finger and the rod for better control.
Stripping Line – pull out about 10 yards of line from your reel and quickly move the tip of your rod back and forth horizontally. Your line should feed down your rod and onto the ground in front of you. This technique is important because it can be used to feed line when fishing downstream to keep your fly feeding into a pocket or seam.