Burke White

Any form of fishing is fun, but casting a fly rod should be enjoyable and not at all frustrating. The learning challenge primarily comes from all the different fly casting "tips and techniques" suggested from all sorts...some are valid and helpful and others just plain confusing...but which ones are which? For what it's worth you might try the follwing three principles (facts, based on physics): 1. NO SLACK: Just like starting a water skier, you must have zero slack in the tow rope before you power up the boat and "pull" the skier out of the water. The same is true with your fly line...no slack! This will allow you to get the entire fly line moving smoothly in one direction without any shock to your cast. 2. SMOOTH CASTING STROKE: A fly rod is really just a spring, designed to store energy in the flexed tip of the rod. However, a fly rod really likes a constant "load" or flex. It doesn't like to be "shocked or punched" during the casting stroke. The secret is to PULL the fly line. Unlike casting or flicking, PULLING is smooth and keeps a constant load (flex) in the tip of the fly rod. Just PULL the fly line in the direction you want to cast. You'll quickly learn how much pulling power and exceleration is necessary to make your desired cast. 3. STOP THE ROD: If a fly rod is a "spring" and we now have stored energy (in the rod's flexed tip), we next need to efficiently transfer this energy into the fly line (which is how we deliver our fly). Just stop the rod during your casting stroke (Stop the rod where you want the fly line to go.) The stop is the most neglected part of most fly casts and this is why most casters are not efficient. A solid stop will efficiently transfer your rod's stored energy into a rolling loop of fly line and off it goes. The leader and fly just ride along. A few thoughts... Fly casting should really be called "fly line pulling." PULLING fly line (with no slack) to a STOP is possibly the easiest way to initially think about fly casting. Don't worry about distance at first, just get the basics down using principles. Casting a well designed and balanced fly fishing outfit should make you smile. Hope this helps and feel free to hit me with questions. Burke