So I was practicing my casting today when this happened....

[flafly14]

I was practicing my casting today when this happened....

I was out practicing my casting today. This guy was about a hundred yards away doing some landscaping. All of the sudden he spreads his hands out and yells out to me asking if I'm catching any fish. I resisted the temptation to tell him I was only catching *******s, but I think I did let a little annoyance slip out in the tone of my voice when I answered. Then he started walking over to me. At that point I figured I was going to get in a fight, and all I was worried about was finding a safe spot to put my rod while I fight this guy!

Then he greeted me by name! At that point I made a quick trip into the twilight zone. I quickly returned and recognized him. It turned out to be this totally cool guy that I've fished with a couple times! I had just completely misread the situation!

Anyway, this guy could really cast. In fact his casts were so good that he kind of inspired me to put some work into my casting to get better. So when he complimented my loops and told me that my casting was looking way better than when we last fished together, I was really, really happy.

It was a good day! :rockon:

 

[myt1]

Nice story.

I routinely practice casting in the street in front of my house.

Also routinely, I pretty much get asked on a daily basis: "catch anything?"

My stock answer is: "I catch about as many fish in the street as I do on the river."

 

[wjc]

I used to cast out in the field in front of my place all the time. It was too much of a pain to cast off the dock between the people going by all the time in their golf carts and stopping to BS, and the pesky little cudas cutting off my yarn.

The newcomers to the area I live at would always yell at me; "What you fishing for?" or "You catching anything?"

My stock reply to the former was, " Grass shrimp"; to the latter "Yeah, a few grass shrimp, but not enough for a good Gumbo"

That would usually get rid of them with a chuckle and not fisticuffs. I did get a few who wanted to learn to cast. About half of them gave it up quickly. But a few went on to take up the addiction. One even became a casting instructor after a couple years.

 

[Ibroxlad]

I practice quite a bit in my backyard, as I'm still quite new to fly fishing (ex spin caster). The yard is large, about 135 feet across, so I don't worry about bothering the neighbours, but last week my wife cautioned me because my back cast was going over the fence. I told her I was fishing the neighbours' pool

But this brings up a question. I have a 5 weight, slow action rod, and my casts are about 50 to 60 feet usually, without a haul. What type of distance should I expect to get once I'm more practiced?

 

[rangerrich99]

I practice quite a bit in my backyard, as I'm still quite new to fly fishing (ex spin caster). The yard is large, about 135 feet across, so I don't worry about bothering the neighbours, but last week my wife cautioned me because my back cast was going over the fence. I told her I was fishing the neighbours' pool

But this brings up a question. I have a 5 weight, slow action rod, and my casts are about 50 to 60 feet usually, without a haul. What type of distance should I expect to get once I'm more practiced?

Without a haul, you're about at the limit now.

 

[dillon]

Without a haul, you're about at the limit now.

And you don't need any more. Casting and catching fish are two different things.

When someone ask what are you fish for? A good reply is: Because it's a nice day...

 

[Unknownflyman]

Without a haul, you're about at the limit now.

That is my experience as well, 60 feet almost on the nose with no hauling. And while that covers a multitude of fishing for me, sometimes I need more, the haul is useful in the wind, the majority of the time I use the single haul, I rarely double haul.

 

[flafly14]

That is my experience as well, 60 feet almost on the nose with no hauling..

I'm curious what happens to your loops when you push that far without a haul. When I try to carry a lot of line without a haul, my loops tend to open up a bit.

 

[Unknownflyman]

The problem becomes line speed for me, I can tighten the loops by adding a bit of wrist and stop on the end which stopping high could get me a bit more distance with shooting some more line, but really for just relaxed casting 60 feet seems to be the area where I have to start working for it.

 

[ia_trouter]

Re: I was practicing my casting today when this happened....

I was out practicing my casting today. This guy was about a hundred yards away doing some landscaping. All of the sudden he spreads his hands out and yells out to me asking if I'm catching any fish. I resisted the temptation to tell him I was only catching *******s, but I think I did let a little annoyance slip out in the tone of my voice when I answered. Then he started walking over to me. At that point I figured I was going to get in a fight, and all I was worried about was finding a safe spot to put my rod while I fight this guy!

Then he greeted me by name! At that point I made a quick trip into the twilight zone. I quickly returned and recognized him. It turned out to be this totally cool guy that I've fished with a couple times! I had just completely misread the situation!

Anyway, this guy could really cast. In fact his casts were so good that he kind of inspired me to put some work into my casting to get better. So when he complimented my loops and told me that my casting was looking way better than when we last fished together, I was really, really happy.

It was a good day! :rockon:

I missed this one. I think all of us that yard cast have to expect a little grief from the neighbors lol. We need to be prepared with snappy retorts. It's all good. Just make sure you are improving lol. My kid was about 16 when I took up the hobby. She was concerned her friends would see me yard fishing. I told her embarrassing her was not only possible, but I considered it my duty if I wanted to be a good father.

Spey casting for crappie at my local lake is also entertaining. I have next to nothing locally for proper two hand casting water. Backing off 60ft from a crappie hole is a decent way to practice for accuracy so I've done it a time or two. I live in Iowa, so I know people are thinking "look at this fool that brought a tarpon rod to the lake".

 

[rangerrich99]

I'm curious what happens to your loops when you push that far without a haul. When I try to carry a lot of line without a haul, my loops tend to open up a bit.

Pretty much have to let your loops open up a bit to cast farther than about 40 feet without a haul. At the end of the day it's just easier to haul when casting farther than 40 feet. For myself, between 40 and 60 feet I'll usually single haul unless we're talking about wind above 7-10 mph. Then it's just easier to double haul.

 

[Hirdy]

I'm curious what happens to your loops when you push that far without a haul. When I try to carry a lot of line without a haul, my loops tend to open up a bit.

Learning to carry more line without a haul can be a useful way to improve your full distance cast. You really need to concentrate on getting maximum translation before rotation to make it work. I regularly push my casting limits in this way, since the normal distance cast is much easier if the rod hand is working at maximum efficiency.

Last year, it paid off at our club casting day when they decided to run a "novelty casting event". Furthest cast without a haul. I cleaned up with a measured distance of 90' using a DT line. Next closest was 58'. (To be fair, none of the other guys ever practice casting without a haul, which is why it was chosen as a novelty event.)

Cheers,
Graeme

 

[Hirdy]

And you don't need any more. Casting and catching fish are two different things.

I disagree Dillon. If you're a SW fly fisherman or someone who regularly fishes lakes, you won't be catching fish on a windy day if you can't cast 100' on a calm day. You'll be back at camp drinking a beer, which is arguably a better idea anyway ...

And yes, I fish a 4wt outfit in the salt regularly.

Cheers,
Graeme

 

[flafly14]

Learning to carry more line without a haul can be a useful way to improve your full distance cast. You really need to concentrate on getting maximum translation before rotation to make it work. I regularly push my casting limits in this way, since the normal distance cast is much easier if the rod hand is working at maximum efficiency.

Well, that is good to hear because it echoes what an instructor told me in a lesson I took the other day. I found that my two biggest problems in my casting are:
1. When I don't haul, my stroke is all rotation and no translation. Lots of times I think this results in having to use a little too much power and that power is lots of times less than totally smooth. So if I can learn to throw in a bit of translation I think that might help get rid of a little more slack which should mean that I can get by with less power?? That makes sense to me. Needs to be an earlier, positive stop > some drift rearward, pause, translation to get rid of slack, then forward flick.

2. When hauling, I do good translation but my backcast hauls tend to be short and abrupt. So sometimes I get tails on my backcast. I think that should be an easy fix with a little practice.

I'm going to give good work on problem #1 by doing the translation you recommend and see what I can do.

 

[Hirdy]

Nice to hear Flafly. Translation is just the early phase of power though, not a replacement or substitute for power.

To get that haul on the back cast working properly, start the haul later (so it finishes later too). The tail is forming when the haul finishes too early, letting the rod straighten prematurely. Start to later and you'll finish later ...

Cheers,
Graeme

 

[Bigfly]

I'm pleased to hear somebody is practicing......
I mostly see people who wait till they are on the water to practice. Which doesn't improve their chances...
The thing I teach that helps folks extend their range, is to get rid of the pesky dry fly hand (or haul hand).
I've noticed that if I have them lock-off the line on the corks, they learn to store more energy in the rod.
Once they can store the power instead of trying harder to haul....THEN I have them include a haul.
I have learned to cast nearly a whole fly line without a haul. Just lock off the line, power into the backcast, and just take your finger off the cork and shoot line till the till it hits the backing. A nice crisp stop behind and in front is required.
Don't drop your rod tip, and DO NOT extend your arm. Pretend you are pounding a 16p nail. Drop your elbow hard to your side with a little forearm and just a skosh of wrist.
Casting beyond 60 ft easily, is a function of energy stored in the beginning of a cast, not energy applied later in the cast.
If you don't learn how to store power first, you have to haul more...........
A lot of folks haul like a big dog but still can't boost the cast. beyond that 60 ft range. I work at that range constantly without a haul at all....and zero false casting too....

Jim

 

[dillon]

I disagree Dillon. If you're a SW fly fisherman or someone who regularly fishes lakes, you won't be catching fish on a windy day if you can't cast 100' on a calm day. You'll be back at camp drinking a beer, which is arguably a better idea anyway ...

And yes, I fish a 4wt outfit in the salt regularly.

Cheers,
Graeme

Okay, well today I took a new rod to the Westmorland casting pond in my home town Portland, Oregon. After casting, I'm kneeling on the lawn putting the rod back in its tube. When I hear a voice say, "Did you catch anything?" I look up and a man and a little boy are walking toward me. He has a fly rod in his hand and the boy is wearing a Golden State Warriors outfit and is carry a basketball. When I saw the rod I laughed and he chuckled and started up a conversation. So, after I while I learn he is a casting coach, Chris Korich, and his star protege' is none other than Maxine McCormick, his niece. He is in town for several days, and today he is working with Maxine's little brother. The rod he is using is a 7ft. 5 wt. TFO Bug Launcher with a little Orvixs reel. I cast it for a couple minutes and it's a fun little rod. Chris said, it's what he generally uses to teach fly casting. His nephew caught a big Deschutes Redside with it during the recent Salmon Fly hatch. Chris is quite the talker and opined about his fishing adventures. Turns out this hall of fame member is a darn good fisherman too...

 

[sweetandsalt]

Did you invite this famous Mr. Korich to analyze your stroke?

 

[dillon]

Did you invite this famous Mr. Korich to analyze your stroke?

No, he didn't say anything when I cast his little rod. A local news channel is filming Maxine at the casting pond Saturday. He invited me and we exchanged contact info. I hope to work with him a bit in the future.

 

[Hirdy]

I hope you get the chance to talk more with Chris. You had a brush with casting royalty there.

Cheers,
Graeme