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casting troubles

530 views 5 replies 5 participants last post by  Richard E 
#1 ·
When I was casting some weighted WBs i noticed my fly slapps the water about 7 feet in front of my forward cast then continues on its way. Im casting a 9foot 5wt with itermiedate sink line and a short leader from a float tube. Is there anyone out there with a few tips on how to fix this.
 
#2 ·
5X tippet is fine for dry flies and small nymphs but not heavy enough to turn over a big weighted streamer. Try using a stouter leader, say 3x or 2x and perhaps shorter, especially if you're fishing a sink tip or full sink line.

K
 
#4 ·
i dont remember what i have on for a tippet but its probly 4x and ive been starting my cast with sumberged line. I guess i cant cast but somehow fish are still finding their way to my hook. Thanks for the tips guys as always you have been veryhelpful.
 
#5 ·
sometimes your angle and profile, in a tube in particular, really can affect your cast, many hardcore tubers look for a long rod to throw with, I found that fishing from a pontoon boat and my 15ft jonboat dramaticdally reduce the "skip" simply because you are higher up offthe surface, and I do agree with the stoutness of your tippet, I tie my own leaders and it is a BIG help to have a leader of very sstout diameters to turn a big fly over....


Earl
 
#6 ·
First, as you bring in your line, make sure that you have enough to get your rod loaded and a good cast started. And, the line needs to have the slack out of it for the cast to get started. As someone else noted, if you're retrieving your line all the way in to you, you probably don't have enough line out to get that started, so do a couple of roll casts to roll out a little more line.

Then, before the line gets a chance to sink, and making sure you have the slack out of your line and rod is pointed at your line, start your cast.

Hugely important concept for long casts: Remember fly line is weighted . . . this means entirely throughout your cast gravity will affect your line. So, if you're trying to bust a big cast, you should be waiting a short period on your backcast for your line to unroll and straighten. And, as it is unrolling, gravity will be causing the line to drop.

Think of how frequently you see guys out on the lake ticking or slapping the water behind them on their backcast. Much of this would stop or reduce if the fly fisher stopped his/her backcast higher than they usually do during the backcast. You almost want to exaggerate the angle of the backcast, stopping the cast as your hand and arm comes UP in the casting motion. The line will head behind you at an upward angle, and as it unrolls, it will drop behind you. But because you stopped higher (than normal, but you are now actually stopping it where you should, for long casts), you'll reduce line slap.

Ditto for the front cast. Stop your front cast, aiming at the horizon or higher, and line slap in front of you will reduce.

Summarizing:

1) Get enough line in front of you to load your rod.
2) Make sure the fly line is tight and in line with your rod at the time you start your backcast.
3) Stop your backcast higher than you usually do on your backcast.
4) Wait for the line to unroll
5) Forward cast, stopping the rod higher than you usually do, aiming just above the horizon.

It works. If you're having a tough time making a tight loop on your backcast, do this; try to hit your rod tip with the line on your backcast. You won't. But, in doing this, you're stop will happen more quickly, and the stop in the cast is one of the key elements in creating your loop. The faster (not the harder) the stop, the tighter the loop.

Stop your casts higher, tryto hit the rod tip with the line, and you'll be tossing needle sharp loops.

:thumb:
 
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