# Casting problems



## Brad King (Sep 30, 2007)

Guy's I got into Fly fishing about 10 years ago. I fished the Tiger Point area for bass and casting really far wasn't an issue. I have lately starting carrying my Fly gear with me when Trout and redfishing as well as when offshore. My problem seems to be I can't seem to shoot the line far enough to be effective. 

I have two 5 weights and an 8 weight. First off i can not seem to make false cast to get the line out. I have to let the fly hit the water then bring it back again to shoot another 4 or 5 feet of line out. I think that this maybe spooking the inshore fish I am after. Secondly, I wade with a fly rod from time to time and I am only getting the fly between 30 - 40 feet in front of me. Which doesn't seem far enough to attract anything. I also have a HUGE issue casting if there is any sort of a wind.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. I have never been shown the proper ways, I just kinda taught myself. I think that is the root of the whole problem.

Thanks again for any help!!!!!!!!


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## chinook (Mar 26, 2008)

Check out some of the Lefty Kreh "YouTube" casting videos. They are an excellent/insightful sourceon the technical aspects of casting. Plus, the info is free.


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## flynurse (Oct 9, 2007)

make sure your wrist does not bend. go from 10 to 2 and most important you got to let the rod load and unload. practice, practice practice and practice some more. i'm no expert i have trouble shooting the line out. their are some on here who are instructor but can't remember the names. i agree with the above post lefty is the man.


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## true-king (Oct 2, 2007)

Yes, practice, practice, practice, practice X 10000000! I pretty much get out on my dock and work the fly rod everyday. I enjoy using it even when I'm not catching fish (because it is DEAD where I live). Just slowly start working your way up to the distance you want. You will get more comfortable holding more and more fly line in the air with practice. Have you tried double hauling the line? It really helps to add speed to the line and a tight loop.


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## lobsterman (Sep 30, 2007)

use your stripping hand also and put alittle zip on it.


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## Garbo (Oct 2, 2007)

Stay between 10 and 2 until your shot, then point your rod at the target.

You may want to try turning the reel at 45 degrees so the line flows guides only instead of touching the blank between guides. 

What flex rod do you use? and where do you live? One day lets meet up on a patch of grass and I will be more than happy to show you some lline management tips. Shooting is most likely the easiest part of flycasting, and more a timing task than anything else.


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## wrightackle (Oct 29, 2007)

The flyfishers of northwest florida has a free clinic the third saturday of every month at miraflores park [close to grafitti bridge 17th ave]. They have some guys there that can really zing it out. Bring your fly rod or use one of theirs. Great group of guys and if you come at lunchtime you can choke down a hot dog or two!


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## fishFEEDER9697 (Sep 30, 2007)

first off, I'm a beginner and there are many people on here that are really good at fly fishing. 



> i can not seem to make false cast to get the line out.





> I am only getting the fly between 30 - 40 feet in front of me.


most weight forward lines have a front "belly section" of about 30'. if you are running a 8 to 10' tapered leader, you're gonna have to practice false casting with 15 to 20' of flyline in the air( + 10 or so feet of leader on the end), and inch it out until you get the whole "belly section" out(aprox 40'). you must be able to carry this length of line effectively enough to get that 30' belly section of flyline outside the rod tipbefore you will be able to effectively "shoot" line. it is this "belly section" that makes a weight forward line a weight forward line. once the heavier "belly section" (roughly 30' of flyline+ however much leader you have) is outside your rod tip, it is able to "pull" the rest of the already stripped line through the rod guides. 

I agree with garbo that shooting is most simply a timing thing. BUT... you'regoing tohave to be able to false cast and carry in the air 20-40ft of line comfortably. so start small. 

p.s. 10 and 2 is a terrible analogy. whatever direction your rodtip travels is the vector that your line will take. so, from 12 on a clock to any other point on a clock is in a downward direction. this will not work in fly casting. you are not casting on an arc, but rather a plane.


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## FlyLipps (Oct 3, 2007)

Brad,



INSTEAD OF READING THIS LONG RESPONSE, SIMPLY BUY AND FOLLOW LEFTY'S BOOK. I am quite certain he says it way more accurately and succinctly.



I am not a professional casting instructor and like you I am self-taught. First off I would agree with wrightackle, check out the local fly fishing club, they are a great bunch of people and have some Federation of Fly Fishers certified casting instructors as members. Having not seen your casting stroke it would be difficult for anyone to analyze a specific problem. That being said one thing you mentioned does indicate a possible problem, the loading of the rod by lifting the line from the water. A rod "loads" normally as it flexes under the resistance created by the weight of the line as it is pulled through the air. In your case you are using the waters surface tension to create this same drag and thus load your rod. A concept I had difficulty understanding was the importance of an accelerated cast followed by a sudden stop. The gradual build up of line speed prevents the formation of shock waves that would be created if you suddenly jerked the line forward or backward. And while the traditional "10-2" casting stroke is an excellent model, for longer casts it is often benifical to lengthen the casting stroke a bit, thereby giving you a chance to build the accelerated stroke over a longer distance. However, and this is important, even though you lengthen your stroke, you must try to keep your rod tip traveling on a level path. This will keep your loop tight and cause your line's energy to travel in a straight line. And as flynurse said, try to not break your wrist, this will cause your loop to open up and thus divert the energy to an upward and downward direction as opposed to forward and backward. Remember the fly line will follow the direction of the rod tip, keep your rod tip level and your line will travel in the same level direction.



And one last point, distance it is all about line speed. Good form results in an increase in line speed, but to get the most out of a cast, as has already been suggested, you really should learn to double haul. It may not be necessary for freshwater, but it is a must, IMO, for the salt. Double hauling is a rhythm thing and once you get the feel it is difficult "not" to do it. Just try to keep your stripping hand close to your rod hand through out the casting stroke, both forward and back. The downward pull mentioned above is only applied at the end of the stroke, whether it be forward or back. This pull actually causes the rod to bend, and thus flex, just a bit more right before unleashing its "built-up" energy.



And just practice, practice,practice.... it will all work out. Sorry for the lengthy response.


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## true-king (Oct 2, 2007)

> *FlyLipps (7/4/2008)*
> 
> Double hauling is a rhythm thing and once you get the feel it is difficult "not" to do it.


The double haul really helps a lot. I can't fly fish without it now. I really can't keep a large amount of line in the air without the double haul. Once you get the hang of it, double hauling is smooth and easy.


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## Brad King (Sep 30, 2007)

Thank You so much for the advice guy's. Sorry I have not responded, I have been in Houston all last week.


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## Key Wester (May 2, 2008)

Waaa!


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