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Practice so that you can pull this over head cast out of your bag of tricks whenever you need a super accurate straight line cast. This is not likely to be the cast that you use all day every day on the river, but if you need to be very accurate and present a fly in a tea cup - this is how you do it. And once you understand tracking and its cause and effect your “normal” cast will become more accurate too - and that’s a good thing.
Casting heavy bead-head nymphs and big cone-head streamers brings a unique set of casting challenges that can not only be frustrating, they can break rods, hook ears and cause plenty of tangles and knots. Here are a few simple pointers to help avoid busted rods, damaged pride and the inevitable macramé that results from these heavy weight tangles.
Christian Stixner, a good mate of mine from Germany (and expert Cane rod builder) favours this grip, not only is he one of the smoothest casters I've seen he can most certainly punch out a very long line using this grip
Imagine you are holding a set of keys and about to unlock your front door - that’s pretty much it. Knuckles facing up and out, palm down, heel of the thumb down on the grip. You'll form a nice V between your thumb and forefinger.
Most fly casters are pretty well focused on improving their fly cast, but few of us give much thought to how we actually grip a fly rod.
Over the next few posts we’ll take a look at the three most commonly used grips and their pro’s and con’s - no particular grip is right or wrong, but each does have some influence on how you move a fly rod and deliver a line.
This set of tips are taken from the comprehensive build book included in all our Epic "Ready to Wrap Rod Kits"
15 tips and common errors that I see regularly on both winter and summer-run steelhead trips. Of course some of these are not always errors — some are occasionally sound techniques — but nonetheless here are some personal observations that I hope will be worthwhile.
The first Spey line that I ever purchased came packaged in a box as thick as an encyclopedia.
Like a book cover designed to culminate my curiosity, the word ‘Spey’ prominently highlighted the box’s crisp edge and sold me on the promise of its contents. Encyclopaedic was not far off from what I held in my hands.
Rich with knowledge and the possibility of growth, the comparisons were evident — the difference being that with an encyclopedia I had an idea of where to start.
It has been quite noticeable over 25 years of guiding that fly fishers rarely practice their casting techniques from one year to the next, often leaving any practice to only when they fish. Fortunately, I am heartened to say, that is gradually changing among many of my clients. Practice can clearly reduce frustration “in the field” and undoubtedly increases success and hence personal satisfaction.
This one seems to be becoming a lost art as most fly line manufacturers put loops on their fly lines. For light presentations to trout, welded loop to loop connections are far from ideal if you are looking for the very best turnover characteristics.For delicate presentations when fishing small dry flies and emergers a nail knot or needle knot are the only way to go - let’s face it, loop to loops are great for saltwater fishing but when it comes to Trout they’re pretty amateur.
I get a lot of anglers and customers asking about our fly rods and casting in windy conditions. The short answer is that battling the wind has more to do with technique and skill than the type or action of the fly rod being used.
Understanding how to deal with the wind is one if the most valuable skills a fly angler can learn. Getting comfortable casting in windy conditions will not only afford more success on the water it will open up a lot more fishing opportunities whether they be on the river or out on the flats.
Keep the three L's in mind:
