Any tips to help with this?

[kimba007]

When i get a fly stuck in a log or something, is there any old pro tips thats might get it out? any help would be great?

Thanks

[Hardyreels]

Flip a roll cast over the snag so that you have your line on the opposite side of the snag. Then after it starts to drift whip it up quickly. The idea is to tug the fly / hook in the opposite direction it was traveling when you got it stuck.

[kimba007]

Ok thanks hardy. But i dont think that'll work underwater. will it?

[rockhoppernc]

sometimes it will work....the other this is to pull all the line till your fly is at the tip of your rod.keep it tight but not hard.then give it a little push....pops off every time for me.

[FISHN50]

Sometimes if you can get upstream & give it a few light tugs it'll come off. Hardyreel's method will work underwater if the water is not too deep. Just remember that if you nymph on the bottom you will occasionally get snagged
but most of the time that's where the fish are

[Hardyreels]

Originally Posted by kimba007

Ok thanks hardy. But i dont think that'll work underwater. will it?

Yeah, lots of the time it'll work but like Fishen50 said if it's too deep it is tougher. The deeper it is the longer you must wait before you whip that line up. Letting it sink a bit helps if the fly is two or three feet deep.

[Pocono]

I usually have good luck false casting the fly free of a snag.

If it's snagged upstream of you, then get your line length to about the distance from you to the stuck fly (don't pull the line tight to measure this, just approximate), then add about 10' to it. Cast crisply as normal in the air and if you're getting a good loop in your fly line, then the momentum of the loop straightening out at the end of the casting stroke will put pretty good pressure on the fly in the direction opposite to the direction in which it got snagged. That pressure will generally free your fly. Sometimes I need to do this 2-3 times in order to get the fly free, but it usually works for me. As others have said, the deeper the snag, the less this technique will work.

If it's really stuck down 3' or more, then I either do the "arm in up to your shoulder" routine and snatch it out or I break the fly off. When it's cold or when the water is running hard, I'm breaking it off almost 100% of the time. On warmer days and slower water, I'm retrieving it.

[Frank Whiton]

Hi kimba007,

You have to use an Aerialized Roll Cast to unhook from obstructions.

Sometimes you just have to break off. If you have to break off point the rod directly at the fly. Grab the fly line and pull on the line. Don't try to pull it off using the rod. This applies pressure directly to the fly and it won't boomerang back at you like it does if you use the rod.

Frank

[BigCliff]

The first step is always this- stop tugging on it ASAP, no need to bury that hook deeper into what you're trying to get it free from.

Originally Posted by kimba007

Ok thanks hardy. But i dont think that'll work underwater. will it?

Getting unsnagged while your fly is deep and upstream from you is tricky, but if its downstream from you try this: start pulling lots of line off your reel and let a huge "U" shaped bow form between you and the snag. Once you've got a nice big "U" pulled by the current below the fly, start making long powerful strips of line (with your hand, don't sweep the rod) with a pause in between them.

The idea is that you're pulling against the bow in the line due to the resistance of the water and the current, not the snag, and thus are actually pulling the fly away from you. Its doesn't always work, but its often worth a try. If you can't free it, reel up the slack and break the fly off.

Of course, if you can just go grab the thing by hand, then go do that instead of all this trickery and voodoo. You might spook the fish for now, but you can always fish the spot again as you wade back by it going back to the car.

[jpbfly]

You've already been given great tips,here's another one. When you're wading go as near as you can from the place where the fly is stuck.Pull your line then your leader and tippet slowly putting your rod into the water.If it's not too deep and if you're lucky you'll get in touch with the fly on your last ring...push gently...beware not to break your rod...but this trick works