Windy Wind

[brokeoff]

I was practice casting in some tough wind today. The wind was forecasted for 15 - 20 mph with 50 mph gusts and I was on an exposed field at the edge of a harbor. So my guestimate is that winds were between 20 - 35 mph. Gusts were able to push my Linekurz stripping basket 3 ft towards me.

So, I was able to inconsistently cast to 30-40 ft if I was directly into the wind. At the beginning I was at a slight angle, so facing the wind but with it a few degrees on my shoulder. The fly line would be straight but the leader would get blown to bits and pile up.

Are there any tricks when the wind is absolutely howling? Two thoughts, I should have pulled out my wind stick, shortened the leader, remembered that in 30 mph winds 30 ft might be all I need to get a fish. I try to remind myself that winds like this call for a bit more power and a lot more technique instead of just a ton more power. Even though I started with this mindset at the beginning of the session I fatigued quickly.

Any thoughts?

 

[boisker]

For me the main thing to concentrate on is to increase the haul speed but to keep the rod speed smooth/acceleration and only very slightly increase in tempo; plus change the trajectory of the cast... high back cast low front cast.... ideally so the leader unfolds just above the water and lower the rod down to the water slightly quicker than normal... or alternatively a sidearm/underhand cast... whichever you use the line speed should come from the haul and tightening up the stop.
I’d reduce my leader to 10’ or so...

 

[mcnerney]

Brokeoff

Welcome to Wyoming! LOL!
I like brisker's advice. If you can get out to 40 ft in those winds I say congrats! For me I try to move so I don't have to cast directly into that kind of wind. Another option is to use a two hander, it seems to handle high winds much easier than a single hand rod. But if you are inclined to use a single hand rod, a good double haul is your friend. Another trick is to use a high backcast and low forward cast into the wind, to try and defeat the wind.

 

[Rip Tide]

Are there any tricks when the wind is absolutely howling?

I once took a casting seminar with Bob Clouser
The focus was on casting weighted flies and specifically casting them in wind.
He went through off-hand casting, the cross-body cast, the reverse cast , the oval cast ... all that
Then I asked him about what to do when the wind was blowing directly at your casting shoulder
He looked at me like I had three heads and gave me this 2 word answer:
"You move"

 

[dennyk]

Have you ever considered using the Belgian Cast? That's my go to in high wind.

How to Make a Belgian Cast or Oval Cast

Denny

 

[flav]

Tighten up your loops, increase your line speed by hauling, and adjust the plane of your cast to better cut into the wind. If your leader is blowing sideways at the end f the cast you need to finish your cast right at the surface so it doesn't get a chance to be blown aside. To do that use a high backcast and a forward cast aimed towards the water. The Belgian cast is a good way to accomplish that.

 

[boisker]

I’m not sure why you would want to particularly use the Belgian cast for a high back cast?
If you have changed your trajectory so that the back cast is high / forward cast low due to casting into a wind, why would you bother with a Belgian cast... you may as well lift straight into a high back cast?
And you can avoid adding the half twist each Belgian cast puts in your line... I tend to use Belgian cast more for casting two real heavy nymphs..
But they all work I guess and it’s just personal preference

 

[biker1usa]

Down here in Southern Colorado the wind is usually so hard from October to May that you must learn to cast into it or you will not be able to fish any, if at all. I've learned so much about fly casting here I wouldn't trade it for anything. Our winds are usually in the 35 mile an hour, or higher, range for those months. To me this is the best time of the year to fish. I do use an 9 weight rod for this or a 13 foot Spey rod, mostly casting big streamers and catch fish from 14 to 20 inches. Just my two cents worth.

 

[Rip Tide]

When you fish the north Atlantic, wind is inevitable.
When it gets really bad, I go to a full sinking line.
Full sink lines are heavy and much thinner than a floating line, therefore better at cutting through the wind
You've got to be quick with your line handling, but it does make the casting much easier


Windy wind

 

[mcnerney]

Here is a really good video that talks about casting tips on the flats:

YouTube

 

[Hirdy]

Here's a good resource on casting into wind.

On the very worst days, I will aim to put the rod leg directly on the water. I forget what the cast is called, but basically, the loop unrolls on the surface of the water so the leader can never blow back as the cast straightens. It requires a downward trajectory and (of course) a high line speed.

Cheers,
Graeme

 

[markfrid]

Here's a good resource on casting into wind.

On the very worst days, I will aim to put the rod leg directly on the water. I forget what the cast is called, but basically, the loop unrolls on the surface of the water so the leader can never blow back as the cast straightens. It requires a downward trajectory and (of course) a high line speed.

Cheers,
Graeme

Yes, I've used this technique before and it works well. For me it was like trying to slap the line down on the water on the forward cast. The rod goes all the way to the water on the forward cast. The line goes out and down on the water with a splat and the leader splats along with it. No blowback. It's very un-elegant, but with a strong wind ruffling the water, the fish don't seem to care. On a calm day it would send every fish in the river looking for an exit, but when the wind is howling... no prob!


Mark

 

[wjc]

Like Rip said, use a dense line. Some floating lines are far denser than other floating lines. The SA Med competition line is " floating" line but it just barely meets that criteria. It is a good wind line. The SA Sharkskin by comparison, is totally worthless in the wind because it floats way too high and is consequently a much larger diameter than the MED and sails in the wind.

The other tricks are to use narrow loops and high line speed naturally with a high backcast and low trajectory like others have said. Using a "pull back" then slamming the rod tip down into the water can help. Aside from a good double haul, the biggest thing to help is to add some weight to the fly - like small split shot- especially if casting on a diagonal into the wind.

The wind will blow a belly into the rod leg of the line, but the loop will continue toward the target. The loop speed actually seems to increase as if you were doing a pull back, but a light fly on a long leader will be blown waaaay off track. The only way to combat that is to add weight to the fly.

Normally, that is not a problem with flats fishing because, in my opinion, bonefish and permit do not like wind on their tails any more than we'd like to drag our bare butts through the snow when snow boarding or skiing.

So they will be completely sub-surface and in deep enough water to keep their tails completely in it. They will not be so spooky to surface splashdowns with all the commotion up there from the wind.