Fly Casting Tips - Fly Casting Made Easy

Fly casting works because we use the weight of the flyline to bend the rod, we then force the rod to unbend which casts the line for us. We bend the rod by moving it against the flyline's mass. We unbend it by stopping. The most important part to learn in fly casting is an effective stop.

OK now you know this, you should also know that it isn't true. What this is, however, is a nice way to visualise flycasting. It gives you 'feel'. If this was actually all there was to flycasting then we would be able to stick the rod in the ground so that it was standing upright, and by pulling the line against the top of the rod until the rod bent to it's maximum, then releasing it, we would be able to make a long cast. Truth is that the tip of the line won't even reach the rod. Try it.

So leverage is also important. Indeed it is an interesting combination, for it is possible to cast with rods which don't bend (broomsticks, short pieces of timber and one or two brands of flyrods), but if you have tried this you will rapidly come to the conclusion that a rod which actually bends is a far better tool.

In flycasting we are using both leverage and the spring of the flyrod. Your average caster gets the leverage bit just fine, but loses it when it comes to unbending the rod.

Anyway the more abruptly we stop the rod, the faster the rod throws the line. Working on this stop is the first secret to good fly casting. This part of the fly cast goes by many names: 'positive stop', 'forced stop', 'tip-snap', 'wrist flick', 'flick of the tip', 'flippetty flip', 'tip-top', and many others - but I'm sure you get the idea.

You know when its right purely by feel: you can actually feel the flyrod unloading at the end of the stop. You should be getting this feeling on both backcasts and forward casts, and every single time you stop the rod. This is the fly casting feeling. Some casters (possibly the majority) go through their whole lives never experiencing this feeling. Isn't that sad? Working on the stop is the quickest way to achieve results: especially a firm stop in the backcast. Often a great way to learn distance casting is to concentrate on a hard stop on the backcast. Just one of many strange paradoxes in life.

Learn this flycasting feeling by false casting a short length of line (perhaps 8 meters) using the minimum of hand movement. The movement should be slow, gentle and relaxed.

Casting loops are formed when the line travels over the tip of the rod, after the positive stop. Good casting requires a narrow loop shape. The shape of the loop is directly dependent on the path the rod tip travels: narrow loops are caused by straight paths of the rod tip, open loops are caused by convex paths of the rod tip, and tailing loops (where the line crosses over itself) are caused by concave paths of the tip; ie the tip of the rod dips under the straight line path.

Do not fall into the trap of forgetting that the fly rod bends when we cast; therefore forget that rule that the line goes where the thumb goes - this is broomstick logic. When you bend the rod the tip comes closer to your thumb. This is not a matter of semantics, but is a basic principal behind flycasting.

Fly Fishing Flies - The Basics Of Flies

If you go into any fishing tackle shop, you will find a plethora of fly fishing flys. In fact, you might find that the shop has an overwhelming amount of fly fishing flys. It can be hard to know where to even start looking, let alone how to know which flys to buy.

To help you out, here are some basic descriptions of some of the major types of fly fishing flys:

Wet Fly Fishing Flys
The flys are supposed to resemble certain insects as they would look beneath the surface of the water. Fish will bite at wet fly fishing flys, thinking that they are drowned insects, aquatic insects, or larvae swimming to the surface to hatch. When using wet flys, you are not necessarily trying to imitate a particular insect or fish, etc. (whereas you are trying to do so when using dry flies or nymphs). Wet fly fishing flys are supposed to imitate insects in motion… they look like they are swimming to the surface or drowning, etc. You do not need perfect technique to fish with wet flys.

Dry Fly Fishing Flys
These fly fishing flys are meant to resemble an insect floating on the surface of the water (although, some do not imitate insects, but rather frogs, snakes, or mice, etc.) To keep the fly on the surface of the water, many of them need to be oiled with something like Gink. Some flys rely on the surface tension of the water to float.






Nymph Fly Fishing Flys
A nymph resembles an insect living under water. It can also resemble certain larvae. Some nymphs may have added weight to keep it underwater.




Streamer Fly Fishing Flys
These types of flys do not resemble insects. Rather, they look like injured fish. If you are fishing for a predatory fish, a streamer fly is a good choice.

Fly Fishing - Beginner Fly Fishing

This blog is suited to the beginner fly fisherman wanting to learn the basics of fly fishing. The site is designed to help you with:

• Selecting & purchasing the essential fly fishing equipment like fly rods, reels, line, waders, and fishing vests.
• Identify and use the most common flies used in fly fishing including dry, nymph, and streamers.
• Basic knots and tying them.
• The overhead and roll types of casting.
• and fishing techniques like fishing lakes and streams, or matching your fly to the current insect hatch.

Have a look down to the menu section on this blog for further articles around these beginner fly fishing concepts.

A Wikipedia Definition Of Fly Fishing

The following is the Wikipedia definition of Fly Fishing (Located at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fly_fishing)

Fly fishing is a distinct and ancient angling method, most renowned as a method for catching trout and salmon, but employed today for a wide variety of species including pike, bass, panfish, and carp, as well as marine species, such as redfish, snook, tarpon, bonefish and striped bass.

There are many reports of fly anglers taking unintended species such as chub, bream and rudd while fishing for 'main target' species such as trout.

There is a growing population of anglers whose aim is to catch as many different species as possible with the fly.

Fly Fishing Tips - Fly Fishing

When fishing with a sinking line - always keep the fly rod pointing down at the line, to increase bite sensitivity.

When approching fishing waters - always take care to walk slow and quiet - sound are transmitted more rapid through water than air!

When fishing streams - take your time to look for rises and insect hatches before making your first cast to a likely area on the water.

When fishing a river or stream - always fish upstream and let the fly drift back, the fish are lying in wait for prey just in front or the back of the rocks in the riverbed sheltering from the current.

When using a net - take care not to swipe at the fish, the sudden movement will scare the fish and you can break the tippet on your fly line and lose the fish in the process.

Releasing your fish -  make sure that the hook is removed gently by using forceps or pliers whilst keeping it in the water.

After the cast - Strip in as much line as needed in order to keep a straight line between the fishing fly and the fly rod tip.

When the fish strikes - tighten your fingers around the fly line and the fly rod handle, then raise the rod sharply to set the hook.

When wading - always use a wading stick to feel your way through unfamiliar waters, never pull the wading stick up until you have both feet firmly planted, the stick acts like a third leg and can support you on uneven riverbeds.