5. Fly-Casting Techniques

"If I could fish only one way, I'd say, 'Give me a fly rod.' To me, by far the greatest sport comes with fly cast­ing, the use of a nearly invisible leader really gets results; and there's fly-rod fishing everywhere—lakes, streams, brackish waters, tidal flats," says "Gadabout" Gaddis, an­gling expert and television star. I agree with my good friend that there's no limit to fly-rod fun through every fishing season. But to many fishermen, the fly rod seems to re­quire of the sportsman an almost mystic sense of handling and timing. I believe that this all too common hesitancy to attempt the fly rod is the fault of many "experts" who stress the fancy throws, the trick casts, and speak of fly fishing as if it were something they alone can do. As a re­sult, the average angler has come to regard fly casting as something beyond him, with his average skill and the lim­ited time he has to devote to the sport.

There's no reason for you to put off any desire you may have to enjoy fly-rod fishing simply because you feel that the casting would be difficult to learn. As a matter of fact, it's easy—and with a little practice in advance, over lawn, swimming pool, or street, you'll obtain the proficiency with which to take fish under any circumstances.

There seems to be some confusion as to exactly what is meant by fly fishing. Originally it was used only for trout and salmon, but fishermen have found that it is one of the most sporting ways to take any fish that will strike an arti­ficial lure—bass, crappie, bluegills, shad, and such salt­water species as tarpon and bonefish. The bait or "fly" used is a lightweight insect or an artificial lure; it may be a "dry fly" or a "popping bug" which float on the surface, or a "wet fly" which floats just under the surface.

Let's take a look at the tackle needed by the beginning fly-rod fisherman.

FLY-CASTING TACKLE

Fly casting, which could appropriately be called "line casting," utilizes the weight of the line rather than the weight of the lure to achieve distance. Because of this fact, it's very important that the fly line is of sufficient weight to match the action and strength built into the rod. As nearly as I can determine, poor tackle performance is chiefly responsible for the beginner's belief that fly casting is too difficult to learn.

The rod and line are the vital items in fly fishing. Pur­chase the best you can afford, even if it means you must settle for a low-price reel. The fly reel is, in effect, a storage place for the line which is stripped from it prior to casting. All the established manufacturers make good fly lines, but the various lines have different dimensions and weights. You must have a line that fits your rod and the type of fish­ing conditions you will encounter.

rods In the years before World War II, fly rods were usually made of split bamboo. There were a few hollow metal fly rods around, it is true, and some of them had fairly decent action despite their weight, but most fisher­men considered them far from satisfactory. In recent years, however, the development of the Howald processed glass fiber rods has been a boon to fly-fishermen. These modern hollow glass rods are light in weight and have all the de­sirable qualities of good split bamboo rods without their shortcomings—the great care required to protect the rods' finish and to prevent permanent sets or bends, the high cost of good bamboo. Fiber glass rods, on the other hand, re­quire little care (see Chapter 10) and their relatively mod­est cost puts them within the reach of the budget-conscious angler.

MALE FERRULE WINDING         SNAKE GUIDE         TIP-TOP

The rod is, in the strictest sense, a lever used to impart momentum to the line. The weight of the line, when it is cast, bends the rod and thus utilizes its flexibility. The rod has a reel seat below the hand grasp so that the line may be stripped from the reel by the free hand. Fly rods are usually 73/4 to 9 feet in length but are available in both shorter and longer lengths for special purposes. They are usually composed of two or three sections and have a series of snake guides, starting with a ring guide 18 inches or so above the hand grasp, and ending with the ring at the tip of the rod. These guides permit a free passage of the line along its entire length. In weight, fly rods are any­where from 3 to 6 ounces. (With most good rods, the weight includes guides, ferrules, reel seat, and tip.)

In addition to rod weight and length, you should con­sider the rod's casting action. Until a few years ago, most fly rods were classified as having wet-fly action, dry-fly action, bass-steelhead action, or salmon action. Wet-fly— or as they are often called, "trout"—rods generally have a soft, limber, whippy action, correct for lifting a wet fly from the water. They're very sporty for trout, panfìsh, and other small game fish taken with wet flies; they have a more gradual taper than rods built for dry-fly and bass-steelhead action.

Dry-fly rods have a moderately stiff, fast action cen­tered near the tip. In other words, they have a compara­tively stiff butt and middle joint with a light-action tip. Such rods, as the name implies, are designed to handle dry flies and small lures for trout, panfish, etc. The bass-steelhead rods have very stiff action, and a sharper taper from butt to tip for use with heavier lines (for longer casts) and with all types of bass bugs, fly lures, spinners, bucktails, stream­ers, and bait. This type is excellent for bass, big brown and rainbow (steelhead) trout, and other larger game fish, including salt-water species. The salmon action rod is the heaviest and stiff est of all fly rods because of the size of the lures used and the size of the fish the rod must handle.

For all-around use with bait, small lures, dry and wet flies, and for the beginner, there is a new classification— all-purpose or medium-action. It lies somewhere between the stiff dry-fly rod and the soft wet-fly stick.

The new omni-action design is preferred by many fly-fishermen—both beginners and experts—because it makes possible a good all-around fly rod that can do some of the specialized work almost as well as the individual action ones just described. As was the case with the omni-action spinning rods discussed on page 43, these fly rods can cast a wide range of fly lures—wet and dry flies, streamers, and small bass bugs. If you plan to do specialized fly fishing, of course, the specialized rod action would be your best bet.

While I prefer a sporty 7-foot, 9-inch rod weighing 32 ounces, the 81/2-footer is best for most beginners. For the angler who is going to spend all his fly-fishing time on big waters, a 9-foot rod weighing about 6 ounces might prove most serviceable. Big rivers are usually the haunts of large trout or salmon, and such fishing calls for maxi­mum distance. A reasonably fast 9-foot rod, matched with a suitable line, is capable of casting from 50 to 80 feet, with a minimum of false casting. Such a rod will pick up 35 or 40 feet of line, and you can feed another 10 feet out in a few false casts, then shoot 25 or 30 feet in the forward cast. If you were casting on a stream where 25 or 30 feet was the routine distance, and where a cast of 50 feet was the maximum, there would be little point in using a 9-foot, 6-ounce rod, but in places where casts range from 40 feet up, this rod length would be the most suitable.

Many beginners believe that the longer their fly is cast the more likely is a catch. There is little truth to this un­less you are working unusually clear waters where the fish may be skittish. It is obvious that the more line you have out, the more difficult it is to set the hook when a fish strikes. There is the matter of a time lapse between the strike and the upward hook-setting lift on the rod. Many times a fish will mouth a lure and instantly reject it— often so rapidly that even a short pause between the strike and the angler's reaction is sufficient to cause a missed fish.

When selecting a fly rod, check the following points very carefully:

1. Make certain that the rod feels light enough; that the handle and the grip feel comfortable to your hand.
2. Check the action of the rod and be sure that it is suitable for the type of fly fishing you wish to do. Also be certain that there is a smooth blending of the action from the tip to the swelled butt.
3. Determine if the reel seat is of a durable, rust-proof material. Regardless of the type you select—there are several good styles available—be sure that it holds your reel securely. The fly reel is placed at the end of the rod handle for better casting balance.
4. Check to see that the windings are neat, solid, and moisture-proof.
5. Be sure that the guides are of a wear-resistant, rust­ proof metal such as stainless steel. Cheap guides wear sharp and fray the line. Make certain the guides are large for free passage of the line, and that there are enough of them. As to the number of guides, a good 82-foot rod usually has either seven or eight guides, while a 73/4-foot one
   has six.
6. See that the ferrules fit snugly and that they are made of a rust-proof metal such as anodized aluminum, or are nickel- or chrome-plated.
7. Make certain that the rod comes with a cloth or plas­tic bag or an aluminum or fiber case. If not, buy a case to fit the rod. Actually, when you are purchasing any type of rod, it is a good idea to have a carrying case or storage bag for it.

lines When you are fly casting, the most useful tool is your fly line. With a variety of lines in different designs and weights, you can meet every possible fly-fishing need, even though you may own and use only one fly rod.

Fly lines are either floating or sinking lines. The sinking style takes wet flies, nymphs, or bait down beneath the water. A floating line, as the name implies, stays on the top of the water and keeps a dry fly riding high for natural drift over fish with a minimum line drag. During recent years, manufacturers have made great strides in producing dry-fly lines with "floatability" built into them. At one time the angler found it necessary to dress the line frequently to keep it floating properly. With the new, high-quality floating lines, very little attention is required to keep the line in top condition. These new floating lines should never be dressed; it will damage the line surface.

There are three basic types of fly lines: the level line, the double-taper line, and the weight-forward or "torpedo-head" line. All have a definite purpose. For example, a level line, which has the same diameter throughout its length, is useful for live-bait fishing and for casting some of the heavier fly-rod lures such as spinners, bugs, and poppers. The double-taper has the thickest section in the middle and tapers toward both ends. The thick section sup­plies the weight needed for casting; the thinner portion, the delicacy of presentation. Such lines are ideal for fly fishing where short casts will be used. The weight-forward has its weight concentrated in its forward taper at the lure end. This type of line casts best because, once the heavy part is out of the rod guides, it pulls out the light running line much as a plug pulls out a bait-casting line.

SIZES OF TYPICAL WEIGHT-FORWARD FLY LINES

(2LM=GBF 4M=GAF 8H=G4AF 6MH=G2AF)

NO. 2LM

The reasons for a taper on any fly line are, first, to straighten better on the cast and, second, to drop the fly on the water more gently. The splash of a heavy level line hitting the water near the fly may scare a fish. But the beginner can usually do as well with a level line as a tapered one, and level lines cost about one-third as much. For this reason, I generally recommend that the beginner start with a level line unless he has sufficient casting skill to use the advantages of a tapered line. Level lines usually come in 25-yard lengths, while tapers are available in lengths of 30 and 40 yards.

At one time, most fly lines were made of silk. These lines demanded a great deal of attention, including a thorough drying after each day's fishing and careful greasing before they were again usable. Today, most fly lines are made of synthetic fibers, which do not require drying and dress­ing.

When you are buying a fly line, strength is not a matter of consideration. In fact, most experienced fly-fishermen have no idea what their lines test. It is sufficient to know that the line is stronger than the leader. Instead of strength, the unit of measure for the fly line is its diameter, which is related to weight. Some manufacturers are desig­nating their lines in equivalents of diameter, even though they would not measure to the sizes indicated if put into a micrometer gauge. The designation concerns the line's weight, judged in relation to standard line of that size. The scale of measurements is as follows:

FAMILIAR FLY-LINE SIZE CHART

IN. DIA. .020 .025 .030 .035 .040 .045 .050.055 .060 ,065 .070 .075 STANDARD I H G F ED C B A 2A 3A 4A

In learning the meaning of line sizes, the thing to re­member is that a size C line measures .050. Compute sizes smaller or larger than C by subtracting or adding .005.

The above line designations (letters denoting thou­sandths of diameter size) are based on silk. With synthetic fiber fly lines, many manufacturers are beginning to use the new American Fishing Tackle Manufacturers Association (A.F.T.M.A.) standards based on the weight (in grains) of the first 30 feet of the line, exclusive of taper tip. The scale of measurements is as follows:

A.F.T.M.A. FLY-LINE STANDARD

WT. GRAINS* 60 80 100 120 140 160 185 210 240 280 330 380
NO. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

*Plus or minus .10

reels From a statement I made earlier you may have the impression that a fly reel is a matter of small importance and that one will do as well as another. Although the fly reel is not used in casting the fly, and the criteria for judging it are different from those used for other types of reels, it is often much more than a line-holder.

Fly reels fall into two main classes—single action and automatic. The single action is operated by hand; one revo­lution of the handle rotates the reel spool once. It is not a multiplier as are the bait-casting reel and the spinning reel.

A.F.T.MA CONVERSION (FLOATING AND SINKING LINES)

            KEY: F-floating L·level WF-weight forward

S-sinking DT·double taper

OLD    OLD

STANDARD   A.F.T.M.A.      STANDARD   A.F.T.M.A.

F          L3F      HDH    DT7S
E          L5F      HCH    DT7F
E          L6S      HCH    DT8S
D         L7F      GBG    DT9F
D         L8S      2LM,GBF        WF6F
C         L8F      4M,GAF          WF8F
C         L9S      4-M     WF9S
B          L10F    6MH,G2AF     WF9F
HEH    DT4F   6MH    WF10S
HEH    DT5S   8H,G4AF         VVF10F
HDH    DT6F   8H       WF11S

This type of reel is narrow but of rather large diameter; its design affords ample line capacity, yet retrieves line quickly.

Here's how an automatic fly reel operates: As you strip line off from the reel to make a cast, a powerful spring is wound. To retrieve your line, you simply depress the lever with your little finger and the spring operates the spool to take up the line. There is usually a friction clutch which prevents too much spring tension yet permits line stripping from the reel with ease, even when the spring is fully wound. To strip line from many reels it isn't neces­sary to press the operating lever. Others do not have "free-stripping," and the release lever must be pressed to permit the stripping of additional line when the spring has been fully wound. Should you need more spring tension at any time, all that has to be done is to wind the spring by turning the head cap. To release all the spring tension at the end of a day's fishing—this should always be done to re­lieve the spring—turn the knurled release ring partially. An automatic reel literally gives you a "third hand" when you will need one the most—as you're landing a fish or taking in line to shorten your cast.

For ordinary fishing—that is, for any fish that does not make long, powerful runs—the automatic fly reel is best for both beginners and experts alike. This means that for panfishing, bass fishing, and ordinary stream and lake fishing for trout, the automatic fills the bill most satisfac­torily. But when it comes to angling for big rainbows, salmon, bonefish, and similar fast and powerful quarry, the single action is more often used.

SINGLE-ACTION FLY REEL

PILLAR

HEAD PLATE

SPOOL CAP

TAIL PLATE

SPOOL

HANDLE

AUTOMATIC FLY REEL

STAFF SCREW

DRIVE SPRING I CAP

BRAKE LEVER

RELEASE RING

 RATCHET

FOOT LINE PROTECTOR SP00L

SAFETY LOCK

CROSS PLATE (FOOT)

The reason for this is that small fish may be played by stripping in line, using the hand alone, but the bigger game fish are usually played directly from the reel. A black bass —even a big one—rarely takes off more than 30 or 40 feet of line, and this amount can usually be comfortably managed by hand stripping. The mind boggles, however, at the prospect of hand-retrieving over a hundred yards of fly line and backing that a speeding bonefish can pull off a reel. You might be able to retrieve it all right, but the confusion that would ensue if the fish made a new run would be truly epical.

When selecting a single-action reel, check the following:

1. Look for solid, light-weight construction. Also make certain that rust-proof finish is used.
2. Wind slowly, then rapidly. Check for smooth action, a spool that does not touch the sides of the frame, does not wobble or make a grinding noise as it turns.
3. Check for a strong, permanent click.
4. Look for line guards of chrome or agate.
5. Look for a non-glare finish.
6. Make sure that there is sufficient spool capacity for the type of fishing you're planning to do. With most single-action reels you will need line backing to fill them.

 

When selecting an automatic reel, check the following:

1. Look for non-glare finish and sturdy construction.
2. Attach a short line to the spool, pull the line out and check the smoothness and the strength of the release or stripping operation. Make sure that it is "free-stripping"; that is, that it is not necessary to push down the take-up lever in order to pull off line.
3. Press the lever and look for a strong, lively pick-up and silent operation. Make sure that the spring is of high quality and is large enough so that it will recover the maximum amount of line before running down. Some of the newer reels are featuring a safety catch that prevents accidental activation of the line pick-up lever.
4. Be sure that there's some type of friction clutch. Such a device permits more line to be stripped off after the spring has been fully wound, allowing maximum freedom in play­ing a fish and preventing broken springs.
5. Look for line guards of wear-resistant metal.
6. Check to make certain that the reel can be taken apart easily for cleaning and lubricating.
7. Choose the reel position that suits you best. Many automatics are available in both vertical and horizontal models to meet your own preference. Vertical reels can generally be used by either right- or left-handers, while the horizontals are generally for right-handers.

 

leaders The purpose of a leader in fly fishing is to reduce the visible connections between fly and line. Obvi­ously, the trout—a fish credited with keen eyesight—is go­ing to be suspicious of his dinner if something is leading it around by the nose. While no leader can be completely invisible to the fish, it is far less conspicuous than the end of the fly line. Being somewhat translucent, the leader ab­sorbs and reflects the color of its background, whether you are casting under dark trees or in open sunlit water.

Today, nylon is probably more preferred than gut leaders, in either tapered or level styles. The use of nylon eliminates the necessity of soaking the leader before tying knots and has led to the development of no-knot tapers.

The 71/2, 9-, and 12-foot gut or nylon leaders, are stand­ard. For bass, panfishing, and wet-fly work, a 71/2-foot leader is usually adequate. For dry-fly work, a 9-foot leader is most generally preferred. For any sort of fishing, however, as much additional length as you can handle will probably contribute to success, and in many cases will be essential.

Usually, the tapered leaders are best for accurate, easy casting. The leader's diameter or the tippet diameter, should be as light as possible relative to the lure being cast and the fish being angled for. If you're casting a cork popper for bass, you must have a thicker leader than you would use for a No. 14 dry fly. In fact, the bass-bug leader won't go through the eye of the No. 14 fly. For heavy lures, a rela­tively heavy leader is necessary to toss the lure out ahead of the line; but with the dry fly, a fine leader is necessary for delicate presentation and floating qualities. A heavy leader, even if you could attach it to the fly, would kill the fly's lifelike qualities. So keep your leader diameter as light as conditions warrant.

lures More than in any other facet of fishing, the age-old axiom, "One man's meat is another man's poison," ap­plies in any serious discussion of flies. Certain schools of thought, certain firmly entrenched concepts have been de­veloped since the first fly was cast. There is no easier way to antagonize purists than by insisting on specific patterns. However, not wishing to author still another book on the subject of flies, I will dispense with the subject with an il­lustration of some of the basic lures. Your tackle dealer

NYLON LEADER CONVERSION TABLE LEVEL
            SIZE    DIAMETER     MIN. TEST
            6X       .0047               1.8 1b.
            5X       .0059               2.9 1b.
            4X       .0071               3.8 1b.
            3X       .0083               5.0 1b.
            2X       .0094               5.8 1b.
            1X       .0102               7.0 1b.
            0X       .0110   8.5 1b.
            8/5       .0126   10.0 1b.
            7/5       .0138   11.8 1b.
            6/5       .0150   14.3 1b.
            4/5       .0169   17.0 1b.
            2/5       .0185   19.8 1b.

TAPERED

            TIPPET            BUTT TIPPET
            SIZE DIAMETER DIAMETER           TEST
6X       .005     .0169   1.9 Ib.
5X       .006     .0169   2.91b.
4X       .007     .0185   3.8 Ib.
3X       .008     .0185   4.9 Ib.
2X       .009     .0224   5.7 Ib.
IX        .010     .0224   7.0 Ib.
OX      .011     .0224   8.51b.
8/5       .013     .0287   11.0 Ib.
6/5       .015     .0287   14.0 Ib.

will gladly recommend the specific flies being used success­fully in your locale.

As I stated earlier, a dry fly is one which floats on the surface of the water. A wet fly is one which is fished be­neath the surface of the water. The original concept of a wet fly was that it was designed to resemble a drowned surface fly. Today, the theory behind wet flies is that they represent a pupa, an adult insect submerged to deposit eggs and other small marine life. Here's a brief description of some of the lures used with fly-casting tackle:

Fan Wing. A fly with wings of cupped, fan-shaped, waterfowl breast feathers tied in any position from flat to upright.

Variant. A fly tied on a small hook with large hackles and small, stubby wings. (A hackle is any feather that is wound around a hook shank.)

Spent Wing. A fly with wings so tied that they lie flat on the water. The wings are generally longer and narrower than most winged flies.

Hackle. A fly with a collar of hackle at the head, but without wings.

Divisible. A fly consisting of closely wrapped hackle over the entire length of the hook shank. They are made to represent a fuzzy caterpillar and can be either dry or wet.

Divided Wing. A fly with wings divided into two non-touching sections.

Nymph. Wingless, very sparsely finished with hackles, if any. Nymphs represent an underwater stage of certain insects important as fish food. They should be fished slowly, near the bottom.

Streamer. An elongated wet fly; specifically, a wet fly with feather wings. When wet, they take on the appearance of a small minnow and hence should be employed near the bottom for best results. In using the term streamer I am including all the various types of this lure such as the feather streamer, the hair streamer or bucktail, the feather and hair streamer, the squirrel-tail series, and the maribou streamer with its variations.

Hair Wing. A fly with wings of some sort of hair instead of feathers. This type of fly represents a drowning insect and is usually employed when the fish are close to the surface.

Standard. A highly ornate, streamer-like wet fly used for salmon fishing.

Caddis Larva. A fly tied to represent caddis insect lar­vae—an important fish food—which live on the bottoms of streams. For this reason, they are fished deep.

Spider. A dry fly consisting of extremely large hackles on a small, short hook; it may be with or without a tail.

TYPE-BASIC DRY FLIES

 

 

Popper and Bug. These fly-rod lures are used primarily for bass, panfish, and tarpon. Bugs are surface lures, usu­ally designed to imitate the big moths or millers that these fish like. However, so-called bass bugs are also made in many designs to imitate natural food—minnows, mice, dobson flies, dragonfiies, and the like. Poppers are also surface lures, and because of their hollowed-out heads, produce a popping noise when retrieved in jerks. They are very effective for game fish when you are night angling.

Combination Spinner and Fly. The fly and spinner combination used with a fly rod is one of the most effective means of taking panfish, bass, and large trout. The flies and spinners can be purchased in combination or separately. Separately, the spinners can be used with any fly in your tackle box. When employed with split shot, they can be used to lure trout and other game fish in deep pools or fast water. Spinners are generally retrieved with a start-and-stop motion.

The tackle assembly chart on page 82 is as close a guide as it is possible for me to give you. Estimating fly-fishing tackle is a difficult—almost impossible—task because of variations in rods and line weights. This line-to-rod chart is only an approximation of matched fly-casting tackle. Rod action and actual line weight will cause some variation. Fast rods (stiffer tips) might take one line size heavier; light-action rods (more flexible ones), one size lighter. As a rule, any rod will take several line sizes.

waders While not fishing tackle in the true sense of the word, waders and boots are almost essential to successful fly fishing. When you are able to wade out into large streams, you can cover a great deal more water than from the shore, and you can fish it better. Also, in lake fishing you are able to wade out on sloping bars and rocky shelves, and get your fly or lure into the deep waters that are denied the shore fisherman.

FLY-FISHING TACKLE ASSEMBLY GUIDE FLY LINE
type of double weight
fishing reel      rod       leader  level    taper   forward
Bluegills, sun-   Auto-   7' to     2Y       D         HDH    4M
fish, crappie,     matic    8', (3                                                   
perch, rock                   to                                                        
bass, brook                  4 oz.)                                                  
trout                                                                            
Spotted, white  Auto-   7'9" to  0X       C         HCH    6MH
smallmouth,      matic    8'6"                                                     
largemouth                    (3.5 to                                                 
bass; brown,                 4.5 oz.)                                                           
rainbow trout;                                                                          
grayling                                                                        
Large bass;       Auto-   8'6"      8/5       C         HCH    6MH or
snook; steel-     matic    to 9'                                         8h
head, cutthroat  or                                                                    
trout; walleye    single                                                               
            action                                                              
Atlantic Single   9'         4/5       B          GBG    8H
salmon, bone-   action
fish, tarpon                                                                              

While hip boots were conventional equipment for many years, they have several disadvantages. They are good only in shallow water and their rubber soles may slip danger­ously on rocks. In their place, most fishermen are now using the waders which are available in lengths coming above the waist or to the armpits. They often come equipped with heavy suspenders and a drawstring which, when pulled tight, will prevent leakage of water at the top should you go too deep. Also the imprisoned air will help you to float if you should step into a deep hole.

Waders are now being made of several lightweight, thoroughly waterproof materials with comfortable boot feet, replacing the older "stocking foot" wader with which a heavy brogue was worn. The soles of these new waders are covered either with felt or hobnails. The hobnails offer greater security on mossy rocks and logs than felt, but felt is more serviceable for all-around use. Choose the sole best suited to your favorite waters.

HOW TO FLY CAST

To derive the greatest pleasure from a fly rod, the angler

BASIC FLY-FISHING KNOTS

DROPPER FLY          JOINING LEADERS

LEADER LOOP. Commonly used to make end loop in leader. Double leader end on itself¡ tie a single knot with strands. LEADER TO LINE. Tie to leader loop shown at left. Make knot at fly-line end which jams when knot is pulled tight. FLY TO LEADER. Thread through eye; twist around 2 times-, pass end back through. DROPPER FLY. Make a circle with middle of leader. Roll adjacent strands 3 turns; run center loop through middle. JOINING LEADERS. Hold strands in middle; wrap each around other; bring ends back. Tuck in¡ pull into knot. Snip ends.

should know how to cast properly. Though it takes more skill and concentration than most other kinds of fishing, fly casting offers unusual rewards. Remember that good fly technique is something to be proud of.

Before you can practice fly casting, you must "string up" your fly rod. When assembling the three-section rod, join the middle and tip first. Then match the butt joint. Be sure that all guides are in line. If the ferrules are hard to fit, you can rub the male portion in your hair or on your nose to lubricate it. Now set the reel on the butt of the rod in its proper position and lock it in place. When using an automatic reel, strip off the necessary amount of line to go through the guides of the rod. Now release all spring tension on the reel by turning the knurled release ring counter-clockwise on the drive spring housing. As you strip off additional line for fishing, there will be enough spring tension to retrieve the amount of line stripped off; friction prevents overwinding. Of course, the line stripped can be fed through the guides and the tip of the rod. For the initial casting practice it isn't necessary to have a leader on the line. Snip off the hook on a white bass fly— it will show up well on green grass—and tie this directly to the end of the line.

It is important to remember that in fly casting it's the line that must be cast, and that the fly simply "goes along for the ride." In other words, as your line is thrown back, its weight pulls the rod back and gives it the spring that impels it forward when the cast is made. It can readily be seen that if the line is too light to pull the rod back and give it this spring, it will fall flat and will have no energy running through its length. For this reason I stress again the fact that the fly line must be of sufficient weight to utilize the action built into the rod by its maker.

overhead cast Have someone hold the rod for you while you draw off about 20 to 30 feet of line from the tip of the rod. After a few minutes practice you'll be able to work out the necessary length of line by making short, false casts while stripping line from the reel.

STEPS TO SUCCESSFUL FLY CASTING

SNAP

SNAP

With the line lying straight out in front you on the casting surface, hold the cork handle firmly—with the reel underneath—in your right hand with four fingers gripping it below and the thumb extended flat atop the rod. The fulcrum is in the center of the palm of your hand. (If you're a southpaw, do exactly the same thing with your left hand. Either way, the hand you cast with is your rod hand and the other is your line hand.) With the thumb and forefinger of the left hand (the line hand), grasp the line between the reel and the first rod guide, hold the line coiled in the left hand, and point the rod tip to a position ap­proximating 2 or 2:30 o'clock. Now you're ready for the pick-up and the back cast. It is the back cast that is the mark of the expert angler, so pay particularly close atten­tion to perfecting it.

By a smart upward twitch of the rod, the back cast picks up the line lying out in front of you up and propels it up­ward and backward over your right shoulder. To accom­plish this, draw in the slack line with a rearward motion of your left hand until you can feel a tension on the line. Then start the rod tip in an upward arc of travel with a sharp upward motion of the forearm that is fast enough to bring the line into the air and to whip it upward and to the rear. During the upward snap, the weight of the rod will be felt in a pressure against the two first fingers of your right hand, curled underneath the cork grip, with a downward pressure exerted by the heel of the hand. Keep your wrist and forearm rigid during the back cast. Then check the wrist and rod travel as the travel of the rod tip reaches a point at, or slightly beyond, the perpendicular. The power of the rod will propel the line upward and back­ward.

Now pause momentarily and permit the rod tip to drift backward to approximately an 11 o'clock position as the line straightens out horizontally behind you. (If you bring the tip of the rod back too far, the line will hit the ground in back of you and spoil your cast.) Then, at the precise moment that the line straightens out behind you and a slight tug is felt on the rod tip, start the forward cast with a smooth, decisive forearm-and-wrist motion that is much like the slow, powerful swing you would use to hammer a nail into a wall at shoulder height. Holding your elbow close to your body, terminate the forward cast at the 2 or 2:30 o'clock position—the same point from which the pick-up was made and the back cast started. (When you are fishing with heavy lures, such as bugs and poppers, which offer considerable wind resistance, the forward cast should be terminated with the rod tip pointing at approxi­mately a 3 o'clock or nearly horizontal position.) As the rod is checked, the line continues on its own momentum the straightening of the rolling loop it has described in the air. While the line is still "live"—that is, pulling forward— release the left hand entirely from its grip on the line; the extra line between your left hand and reel will shoot through the guides while the line falls gently to the surface of the water or the grass. (In actual fishing, never release the line entirely from the line hand because you're likely to get a strike when the fly lands. You will want to have the line in your hand to hook the fish.)

Now, repeat the cast. Remember the importance of blending all the phases of the back and forward cast to­gether so that they flow in one continuous pattern of mo­tion. If your cast is accomplished in stages it will never achieve the smoothness that is absolutely necessary in fly fishing. For instance, if insufficient time is allowed for the line to straighten out in back and the forward cast is made too quickly, you will get a whip-cracking effect which is apt to snap off the fly.

Counting while practicing will help to develop good timing. Synchronize each cast to a count of "one-two-three-four" by counting one as you take up the slack on the line; two as you make the sharp high upward-and-back-ward cast; three as you permit the line to unroll and straighten in back of you; four as you start the forward cast. Don't rush the count. As you increase the distance of your casts, you will necessarily have to increase the time interval between each count to allow for the slightly in­creased length of time that will be required for the longer line to straighten out in back of you at the end of the back cast. Remember: don't try to control the line; learn to control the rod and it will control the line.

On the water you can follow this fly-casting procedure exactly, except that you will make several backward and forward casts in the air without letting the line touch the water. These are called false casts and are employed to help you measure distance, to dry the fly, or to extend the line and give longer range to the final cast. To extend the line in a false cast, strip off six to eight feet of line from the reel and hold it in your left hand. On the first forward cast, let it go and strip off additional line to be released in the next forward cast. Repeat until you have extended as much line as you want. For additional line control during a false cast, hold the line against the rod handle with the first two fingers of the right hand.

The impulse of the beginner is to spot a good fishing target and aim his fly at it immediately. This is wrong. In­stead of casting directly at the spot, cast at an imaginary point about two feet above. There are several methods of dropping the fly naturally:

1. As the line shoots forward to the imaginary mark, two feet above target, raise the rod tip about a foot and at the same time draw  backward a foot or so with the casting arm. The upward impulse of the rod will check the line, while the backward movement of the arm will extend to the fly and pull it down to the water.
2. Another method of accomplishing an easy dropping of the fly to the water is by shooting the line, held in coils in the left hand, at the moment when the forward cast reaches its termination and exerts a pull on the line in the left hand. When this pull occurs, a little line is fed out, which puts a damper on the energy in the line and slows it
   up.

The line should be a little slack or wavy as it lands on the water. This slack will compensate for conflicting cur­rents on the surface and help prevent the line from drag­ging. Too much slack results in the loss of line control when striking fish or picking up the line for a back cast.

When the fly is in the water, it should be moved with twitches of the rod tip to give it the desired animation. As you are twitching the rod, you should be raising it grad­ually. At the same time that you are twitching the rod and raising it, your left hand is working the line toward you, down and off to the side. Then reach forward toward the guide of the rod and take a coil of the line. As shown in the illustration, the line can be retrieved in the left hand, giving you positive control the instant a fish strikes. This also enables you to pick up the line for a new cast at any moment. The rod should be pointed at the fly, but with the tip slightly elevated. In this position, the tip will offer shock-absorbing spring if a fish is hooked.

HAND RETRIEVE

THUMB AND FIRST FINGER

HOLD WITH LITTLE FINGER PLUS INDEX-TURN HAND DOWN

PICK-UP

FOLD IT UP IN YOUR PALM

The hand retrieve is started by taking the line—about halfway between the reel and stripping guide—between the thumb and first finger of your left hand. Then tip the hand up and back; pass the last three fingers above the line. Hook them over it and turn your hand down, making an S bend in the line. Withdraw them from the loop and, at the same time, pick up the line between the thumb and first finger again. You now have both ends of a three-inch loop between your thumb and finger. This process is re­peated until the retrieve is finished. The short loops of line, each containing about six inches, can be dropped or folded up in the palm of your left hand.

side cast At times a screen of trees or bushes will pre­vent the backward extension of line necessary for overhead casting. Or your target may lie under a screen of trees, preventing forward extension of the line. In either case you have a problem. If you can't change position, and there's enough open area between the water and the branches to extend a proper length of line, you can use the side cast. (A side cast is really only an overhead made on a horizontal plane.)

Simply make your cast parallel to the water, facing the direction of your target. It can be executed to the left (across the body of a right-handed caster), or to the right. Obviously, the same cast can be made in any intermediate plane between horizontal and vertical that will utilize the back cast to its best advantage. Line speed is the main trick in this cast. Considerable velocity is needed to keep the low-flying line from sagging into the water. Otherwise, the cast is much the same as an overhead throw.

roll cast Often there are places along the stream where obstacles such as brush, trees, or high banks are too close to prevent a normal back cast. In a roll cast, the line does not travel more than a foot or two behind you, if at all. Keep in mind that you are not to lift the back cast into the air. First, work out about twenty feet of line by using a horizontal cast; then pull more line through the guides by hand. Permit it to drop on the water in front of you. The rod should be pointed forward and nearly horizontal (3 o'clock position) as you begin the cast. Strip a few addi­tional yards of line from the reel and raise the rod slowly until it is just a little past vertical (12 o'clock position); that is, point it back slightly over your shoulder. When the line has assumed this position, with the belly of the curve slightly behind the right elbow, the forward cast is made immediately by driving the rod sharply downward. The impulse given the line immediately beyond the rod top causes it to travel forward before the leader and fly have entirely left the water on their backward movement, with the result that they are pulled after it in a big loop and unrolled on the water. You can get more distance by work­ing out slack, repeating the rod movements described here. Remember that as more line is worked out it is necessary to put additional power in the forward stroke, and to make sure that the line is moving toward you on the water when the forward stroke is started.

In other words, you retrieve the lure until your rod is pointing upward and behind you at about a 45-degree angle (1) and the line droops beside you, as shown here. Bring the rod over and down smartly (2); the line will sail up behind you and forward in a perfect loop. End by lifting the rod top (3), and your fly will hit the water first.

In fishing a quiet stretch of water, the dry-fly angler can use the roll cast to considerable advantage in retrieving without making a disturbance on the water. However, in­stead of making a complete roll, snap the rod forward only partially, pick the fly out of the air with a back cast, then make a regular forward cast. These motions blend smoothly, and should keep you from spooking nearby fish if you are casting a short line.

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