What Did I get Myself Into!!

[mbphotos54]

I recently found out a friend of mine has a trip booked to fly fish for bonefish in less then a Month. He hasnt done any fly fishing ever. so being a nice guy I have volenteered to atleast teach him what I can about casting. the yard session happens Thursday night, any pointers and suggestions would be helpful. I plan to use the many of casting videos I watched when I started this last summer as a guide. will see what happens.

 

[theboz]

Tough task ! Basics should come first bit if you teach Him anything accuracy and the ability to throw a quick cast should be a priority with bones. Distance would help but not as important as accuracy and speed. Most good guides can get you on bones but no guarantee they are tailing. Many times they'll be on the move where the guide will try to keep you ahead of them and this is where the speed and accuracy to throw in front of them before they pass.
Another thing would be to practice with a weighted fly such as a Clouser. Many new casters the first time they throw a weighted fly have problems. And most likely in most situations you will be using a weighted fly. And you don't want the guide to have to wear a helmet!makes for a unhappy guide.
Once he can throw 30 - 40 ft of line practice clock casting with him. Show him where 12oclock is on the practice field then start having him throw to different times from there. As he progresses speed up and do the 1 o'clock 3oclock 10 o'clock as fast as he can strip in and recast. This is all assuming you can get him past the basics. Some guys learn real fast others well hopefully he's not others. Good luck!

 

[txshane]

Show him every video Lefty Kreh ever made.

 

[mbphotos54]

thanks boz, should help me alot. Im hoping I can get him to forget his lifetime of spincasting.. lots of habits to break. I had it easy as I didnt do much fishing for the 5 years before getting into FF I also tend to learn fast. Ill be letting him use my 6wt and my 8wt with bass line. to get a feel of heavy line. I am planning to get him on a small pond in a week or so also so he can learn to deal with water friction. look forward to see what else is suggested. my lesson plan is growing.
Mike

 

[gatortransplant]

One important thing is that from what I've seen/been told, false-casting in saltwater is at a minimum. Once you get him casting, practice throwing 30-40 foot casts with a single false cast. If you watch some saltwater casting videos, you'll often see the caster holding the fly in his non-casting hand, flip the fly back into the backcast, then throw a single forward cast. I know that I often find myself false-casting too much, so starting off with limited false-casting would likely be beneficial!

 

[Sep]

One important thing is that from what I've seen/been told, false-casting in saltwater is at a minimum. .... I know that I often find myself false-casting too much, so starting off with limited false-casting would likely be beneficial!

Great advice. I think there's too much false casting going on most of the time. It look pretty, but it's often just wasted effort. And after about the third false cast, things tend to start falling apart anyway.

 

[Jackster]

Go here: Casting Instructors
Plug in 'Kentucky' (or a state near you) and find a Certified Casting Instructor near you and share the cost. It's going to cost you some good, hard cash to get to Florida and hire a guide, why not start off with a good foundation to work with.
I can almost gaurantee the learning curve will be very much shortened and any new tricks you learn will be carried over to your everyday fly fishing.

 

[gatortransplant]

This is also going to sound crazy, but a friend of mine showed me a great way to iron out kinks in your casting...

Take a piece of dacron backing, starting with one about 8-10' long. Now try your casting stroke and try to throw loops with this. WAIT. Don't use a rod or anything. Don't change your casting stroke either. Eventually you'll start seeing loops appear and you'll be amazed. Then take a half or a quarter of a rod section and do the same with a longer piece of backing. This will highlight where the mistakes in your casting stroke are, and when you start throwing 20-30 ft of backing with a half a rod section you'll get a great confidence boost as well. This works for more than just standard overhead casting as well, as you can do pile casts, reach casts, and other things with just the backing. Plus the next time you pick up a rod not only will your casting be better but if you do have any problems you'll have a much better idea where they are coming from. Definitely a neat trick, and also something you can do in places you wouldn't want to be flipping around a fly line.

Plus if you want to make a game out of it, put a ring on the wall and tie a 2-3" loop in the end of the dacron. See who can hang the loop on the ring first. The main thing is, you won't see improvement in your casting stroke if you modify it for this game or casting the backing, so don't cave to temptation!

 

[mbphotos54]

Go here: Casting Instructors
Plug in 'Kentucky' (or a state near you) and find a Certified Casting Instructor near you and share the cost. It's going to cost you some good, hard cash to get to Florida and hire a guide, why not start off with a good foundation to work with.
I can almost gaurantee the learning curve will be very much shortened and any new tricks you learn will be carried over to your everyday fly fishing.

this is not for me. And his trip is in early may. unfortuneatly the fly club im in is hosting a intro to flyfishing on may 12th.. Would be good for him. but Ill do what I can to get him just getting line in the water..

 

[Capt Chris M]

I do redfish trips, which are very similar to bonefish and see the same few things happen week after week that prevent people from catching fish.

1. Distance - must be able to get at least 40 ft, preferably 50-60 if needed. many days I spend the whole time saying "you're 5 feet short"

2. Speed - Must be able to deliver the fly in 2-3 strokes. This means you have to start with line outside the tip and, in our waters, the fly in your hand. Look up Saltwater Quick Cast on Youtube. The less false casts, the better.

3. Accuracy - many time, you anly get one shot so you need to make it count

4. Understand how to cast a loop. People can get away with a lot of bad habits when there is no wind. As soon as it blow 5mph, large open and sloopy loops collapse and distance suffers

Teach a beginner how a fly cast works. What rules must be followed to cast correctly. That way they can begin to analyze their own casts when practicing and know how to correct common mistakes. The "just move the rod like this" school of teaching does nothing to help the student know why a cast did or did not work. I get many lifelonig fly fishermen on my boat that have no idea what a loop is or how a cast works. If you come on board knowing how a cast should work, a 10 minute tuneup is easy. If not, we spend an hour or more trying to just learn the basic cast.

 

[mbphotos54]

I do redfish trips, which are very similar to bonefish and see the same few things happen week after week that prevent people from catch fish.

1. Distance - must be able to get at least 40 ft, preferably 50-60 if needed. many days I spend the whole time saying "you're 5 feet short"

2. Speed - Must be able to deliver the fly in 2-3 strokes. This means you have to start with line outside the tip and, in our waters, the fly in your hand. Look up Saltwater Quick Cast on Youtube. The less false casts, the better.

3. Accuracy - many time, you anly get one shot so you need to make it count

4. Understand how to cast a loop. People can get away with a lot of bad habits when there is no wind. As soon as it blow 5mph, large open and sloopy loops collapse and distance suffers

Teach a beginner how a fly cast works. What rules must be followed to cast correctly. That way they can begin to analyze their own casts when practicing and know how to correct common mistakes. The "just move the rod like this" school of teaching does nothing to help the student know why a cast did or did not work. I get many lifelonig fly fishermen on my boat that have no idea what a loop is or how a cast works. If you come on board knowing how a cast should work, a 10 minute tuneup is easy. If not, we spend an hour or more trying to just learn the basic cast.

well todays lession was not a total loss. I started with the usual stuff 10-2 and make good stops. and got into a bit on how the line flys. he tried both my 6 and 8wt and favored the longer 10ft rod 8wt. did alot of yard casting then decided to check out the creek that borders this small ball park. his casting improved when he had a target to aim for, but im still hounding him about moving to far in his cast. lots of spin tackle habits to break. after getting wore out casting he was getting 25 ft ok, perhaps more. he did have fun and learned alot. I did find out that this bonefish trip is not guided on boat persay. I guess he knows someone going to take him to knee deep water flats, to fish. so will see waht happens. We are getting together at his 7 acre lake to cast over water in a week or so, and I hear this lake has carp ( my own interest peaked hahah) more updates soon.

 

[gatortransplant]

Who knows, he may get out there in the wind and they may have him casting from 9-3, I hear a lot of saltwater guys pushing for a wider casting arc... If he's keeping tight enough loops and getting a solid stop on either end, the wider arc may not be too bad!

 

[oarfish]

well todays lession was not a total loss. I started with the usual stuff 10-2 and make good stops. and got into a bit on how the line flys. he tried both my 6 and 8wt and favored the longer 10ft rod 8wt. did alot of yard casting then decided to check out the creek that borders this small ball park. his casting improved when he had a target to aim for, but im still hounding him about moving to far in his cast. lots of spin tackle habits to break. after getting wore out casting he was getting 25 ft ok, perhaps more. he did have fun and learned alot. I did find out that this bonefish trip is not guided on boat persay. I guess he knows someone going to take him to knee deep water flats, to fish. so will see waht happens. We are getting together at his 7 acre lake to cast over water in a week or so, and I hear this lake has carp ( my own interest peaked hahah) more updates soon.

Your a good friend to have!! I hope he's aware of it, best of luck.

Rick

 

[Capt Chris M]

Who knows, he may get out there in the wind and they may have him casting from 9-3, I hear a lot of saltwater guys pushing for a wider casting arc...

The reason for the wider arc is usually a longer cast. Longer casts need longer strokes. Stay away from numbers on a clock. A certain time on the clock is only for a cast of a certain length and only for straight overhead casting. Almost never do I cast totally vertical nor do I encourage a beginner to do it as it is an easy way to hook oneself in the back of the head.

 

[mbphotos54]

I agree on the not using the time points, but till I can get him putting line out to 40 ft easy itll do, I am getting him to cast higher on forward and lower on the back cast, which is how I cast alot with my 8wt and heavy flys. He he going to order the redington crosswater 8wt package from my work as soon as I can get it in. sicne that is the rig he is taking for this trip I want to get him casting it as soon as possible. How critial is the salt water fly line for a week long trip?

thanks

---------- Post added at 07:46 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:44 PM ----------

Your a good friend to have!! I hope he's aware of it, best of luck.

Rick

im getting access to a new 7acre fishing hole.

 

[oarfish]

A salt water line is almost the same as a bass taper, turns the larger flies over nicely, the pond is a good thing!

Rick

 

[mbphotos54]

A salt water line is almost the same as a bass taper, turns the larger flies over nicely, the pond is a good thing!

Rick

is that the only difference? special saltwater plastics, color? I have the bps bass taper and my friend was casting it alright.

all the insight I am getting here is helping me help him make a good choice in set up. thanks.

 

[Capt Chris M]

If you have a bass taper, that should work fine. The thing I would want to avoid is using a double taper or using a coldwater line in hot tropical conditions. Especially since it is a short trip and not a permanent fishing place, I would not be that concerned. Color seems to make little difference. The fish should not be seeing the fly line, just the 9-12ft leader.

 

[wjc]

Unless he's going to X-Mass Island or one of the remote islands someplace like that, I can't think of many fish worse than bones to go after as a neophyte unless he'll be blind casting for them.

Too bad he's not starting out with a less skittish specie. It's nice for newcomers to actually catch something to help fuel their interest.

 

[mbphotos54]

update, I got him to to the 8wt allen rig like I use. I too the reel with me to bps and had the shop rig it with rio saltwater clouser line. so atleast his gear will be up for the task. Not sure if the rod will make it in before Saturday evenings lake trip. but if not I can put his reel on my rod and get him castign his line. I made a new Allen gearhead.