Practice casting without a hook - Advice?

[b4d93r]

Hi everyone,

Ok, I have a real noob question and I apologize in advance for this. I'm finally getting started in Fly Fishing and got to thinking about my casting, Once the sub-zero temps clear up and I can get out I'm going to start practicing my casts. I know with regular fishing they have these rubber plugs you can practice with, is there anything like that for fly fishing? I really don't want to use a live lure (by live I mean one with a hook) as I know I'll snag myself! I would like to try and be as accurate as possible weight wise so I'm not over or under compensating when I'm actually out fishing. I had thought about just clipping off the hook on an old lure but wasn't sure about that so if there's any advice you could share with a new person, I would appriciate it.

Thanks
Steve

[littledavid123]

Snapping off the the hook at the bend will work but there is still the possibility of slinging the fly back into your eye. You can also tie a small piece of yarn to the end of the tippet, that's what I do and it's easier to see.

Dave

[turbineblade]

I usually tie a HUGE piece of yarn doubled-over several times because I often fish medium-large flies and a tiny piece of yarn is too easy to cast for practice purposes.

Always were eyewear when casting a fly rod. Always.

Sorry to show this because it has scarred me for life, but you need to know why and this way is the most effective to get the point across --

Why you should Always wear Glasses and Only use Barbless hooks. « the limp cobra

I was always pretty good about wearing sunglasses while fishing -- but I will never, EVER fish again without them. Not even casting practice. If I'm holding a rod, I have glasses on.

[b4d93r]

Thanks for the responses guys. Not to long after I posted this I saw the thread about practicing which went into good detail about using yarn. I'll have to give that a try, but I didn't understand the benefit of using a shorter rod. I would think it would impact the cast action. In other words, you wouldn't get a true "feel" for the rod action or does that really matter?

[Hardyreels]

Hello & Welcome to the forum,

I see from your last post that you're searching through forums and threads here. That's great, there are so many things tucked away here and you can find about anything you could dream up in the archived threads.

To simplify your experiences here use that search tab on the menu bar (I figure you already are) and fine tune your searches by using the advanced search feature. It's not as good as goggle but it will get you in the ballpark. I hope you'll become a regular poster and keep us updated as you progress from practicing casting to the pictures of your first fish caught.

Ard

[Diver Dan]

Welcome to the forum. Never truer words spoken than what Ard said here:

Originally Posted by Hardyreels

there are so many things tucked away here and you can find about anything you could dream up in the archived threads.

Ard

Good luck with your casting practice.

[Jackster]

Originally Posted by b4d93r

I didn't understand the benefit of using a shorter rod.

I don't either and I've been at this a while. Where was using shorter rods suggested?
Unless they mean the practice set-ups that can be used indoors in a pinch. Those systems are really getting tweaked these days so you can actually get a feeling for what rod loading feels like.
In every other case I like to practice with the rods I'm going to use. Lines are a different story. I save the good lines for fishing and when they get tired or damaged they get used for practice.

[Rip Tide]

Originally Posted by b4d93r

Thanks for the responses guys. Not to long after I posted this I saw the thread about practicing which went into good detail about using yarn. I'll have to give that a try, but I didn't understand the benefit of using a shorter rod. I would think it would impact the cast action. In other words, you wouldn't get a true "feel" for the rod action or does that really matter?

Two different animals
You can use a tuft of yard on the end of your leader as a hook-free practice fly.

or... you can use a length of yard on a stick or a rod tip section for indoor practice. The purpose of which is to help you to understand how to form good loops.

[caseywise]

welcome to the forum steve
sooooo much great info here that any questions you may have will likely be met by a varied selection of good knowledgeable responses.
looking forward to hearing more from you....


casey