is there a problem??

[streamwalker]

ok so ive been fly fishing for about 2 months now and lately i have noticed my that my line isnt really shooting out and strighting out good. it shoots out but then kind of crunches up and dosnt go very far. any advice? should i try line butter? and how do i apply it?

 

[Ard]

Hi,

In all likelihood the problem is more technique oriented than being a lack of slippery line coating. I have lines that have never seen any 'line butter' in their whole life and they shoot fine. There is no way for me to troubleshoot a casting problem via posts but I can offer this. Find a range that you can cast and achieve a good result as far as the cast unfurling and perhaps some line shooting through the guides. Once you find that range / distance, keep working within that comfort zone until every cast is a good cast. By extending your range little by little you may be able to get good results at longer distances. If you begin to have trouble again that is your call to shorten up and regain control.

I don't know if you have done any reading about the physics & mechanics of the cast, if you have not this could be very helpful.

Ard

 

[Guest1]

I am going to fall back on my usual comment. Can you video record your casting and post it? As Ard said, "There is no way for me to troubleshoot a casting problem via posts". But if we could see it I'll bet we could spot the problem pretty fast.

 

[streamwalker]

i think you guys are right i just took the rod out in the yard and was casting great. i think i was sloppy that day because it just wasn't a good day lol...so line butter dosnt help at all?

 

[bigjim5589]

I also agree with what the others have said, but keeping your line clean, and stretching it some before use can help a little with casting as long as your technique is sound. Slicking up the line won't cure a technique issue, but if the proper treatment is used, as recommended by the line maker, it too can aid the casting process.


BTW, I see you have Caylor Custom Flies in your signature. Is Roger still tying?

I had heard he had retired & moved to Florida!:shades:

 

[Ard]

Speaking generally it takes a fairly long period of time and casting experience to become really smooth and consistent with casting. Once you have reached this point casting in all sort of conditions you will not see days when you just simply crash with your casting. There will always be isolated incidences where you for some reason have some difficulty but you'll be able to sort things out. Where I live winter is long and hard and I only began Spey casting a few years back. Every spring I have to reacquaint myself and the casting because I have only been doing it a few years. Using my single hand rods is like swimming, riding a bicycle or breathing to me because I've been at that type casting for over 45 years. When I say it'll take time to get really consistent I base what I tell you on my own experience.

By the way on the first reply here I ask if you had done any reading / studying about the physics & mechanics of casting......... This would be a big help to pin point problems, it worked for me.

 

[steve_eth]

I just started as well, maybe a few months to.
I find I have good days where it all clicks and bad days where I cant get a break. I have no counter for windy days. I might as well pack it in.
I do notice however after fishing a certain river my line does stick a bit more and I should probably be cleaning her down every now and then.

 

[Mnflyfish]

It just takes practice. I have days when i can cast real nice loops and get somewhat good distance. other days my line falls in a pile on the water and i cant get any farther than 10yds. (I have more bad days than good lately) I dont practice like I should, and when the bad days happen i get frustrated and it usually gets worse. So then i usually set the rod down and just set on a log, grab the copenhagen, and just watch the water, or take some pictures, or just enjoy the scenery. In short, I relax. After a bit i take the rod and make some short, good casts and then just let it happen from there. usually it gets better.
Keep your line clean, practice, take a class if you can, or go out for a day with a guide that caters to beginners if that is in your budget. As Ard mentioned, study the mechanics of the fly cast.

 

[wjc]

All of the advice above will help. Especially a good video of yourself for additional critiques. But watching slow motion videos of really good casters will help too, and reading all you can about the mechanics of casting. That is a whole new language and daunting at first, but once you get the terms down, things make sense.

so line butter dosnt help at all?

The only times I notice much difference is when sight fishing in the salt. The line sits on a boat deck and gets sticky from the salt and baking in the sun. The coating also gets softer and creates more friction in the guides and does not shoot so well. Line grease helps immensely, but only for a very short time. I've never noticed a lot of difference with or without up north except that it prolongs the life of the line and tip tops and helps keep it floating.

 

[fisher46]

If you can't put it in a video for us to check it out, try to get to a fly shop and ask somebody there. Most fly fisherman (or at least the guys I want to associate with) love to share there hard won fishing wisdom. Sounds to me like ur line is to light though. You need to cast a well balanced kit to know what it's supposed to feel like. At least, the balanced part. Youtube has some great videos also.

 

[Jackster]

Like Ard who doesn't seem to have bad days with single handed rods, the same will happen with you.
This isn't automatic though and you usually have to pay your dues by doing most everything suggested above. It takes most humans hours upon hours of GOOD practice to reach the point that the bad days are rare (I said most humans because of Diver Dans' friend who must have sold his soul to be so good so early in his casting career)
Good practice is knowing a good from bad cast and how to get there. This is done the hard way through trial and error, the moderately hard way through books and video's and the easier way through lessons from a good instructor. An instructor sees your cast and provides instant feedback and hints for correcting bad habits. When you know what a bad cast is from a good your practice will much more effective and you will be practicing good habits and not ingraining the bad stuff.
Even after you get things worked out you won't be wasting time or money in casting books and videos', with them you can always learn something that will benefit your particular style and needs.

 

[bruce m]

You forgot one other way to quickly correct poor casting habits, having dear old dad, rest his soul, glaring down at you and telling you to stop 'whipping off my damn flies". His 6'5" stature and stern look would correct anything I had going on in my casting real quick like.