# Casting in the wind



## BassAddict83 (Sep 21, 2010)

Went out this morning to little park to see if I could get some bluegill to take a fly. After presenting a number of different flies to them I finally found one they were interested in. It was a small yellow fly (not sure of the name or even the size as I'm still very new to the fly fishing sport). I ended up with 4 total. Might have been able to keep pulling them in but the wind picked up and I started having a hard time getting my leader to extend all the way when I would cast. It would usually ball up and all hit the water at the same time. Is there any trick to casting in the wind or is this just the nature of the beast? Any help would be greatly appreciated!


----------



## toobnoob (Jun 1, 2010)

I don't know what weight rod you're using but since gills were the target, i'll assume it was on the lighter side. The lighter the rod the more difficult it is to cast in the wind. I find it's easiest to have the wind at your back and just roll cast with it.

For conventional casting into a wind it's all about line speed. You need to really fire the line out with a nice tight loop to get it to punch into the wind. Being able to single haul and double haul will up your line speed tremendously.

It's not easy, so don't be discouraged.


----------



## ledslinger (Aug 24, 2006)

toobnoob said:


> .
> 
> For conventional casting into a wind *it's all about line speed. You need to really fire the line out with a nice tight loop to get it to punch into the wind. Being able to single haul and double haul will up your line speed tremendously.*


Yep----that sums it up---do that and you will be casting like a pro---taking some lessons will speed up the process


----------



## Rockyraccoon (Jun 19, 2012)

As mentioned, Hauling your line on both your back and forward cast will help speed up your line. There's really no easy way to explain the haul....it's just a slight pull of your line with the line hand as your rod loads on both the front and back cast. Youtube double haul and you can see some double hauls in action.

Another tip would be using a stiffer leader butt section, with only a few feet of terminal tippet. This will help force your leader to roll over.

Another tip is to use a steeple cast. When you start your back cast from a low rod position, raise your rod tip on a steep angle and stop the rod at the 12:00 position. This will force your line to travel almost vertically over your head and allow you to punch through the wind as opposed to straight into it.


----------



## fishinnick (Feb 19, 2011)

Lots of good suggestions. Yep double hauling definitely will help out. 



> Another tip would be using a stiffer leader butt section, with only a few feet of terminal tippet. This will help force your leader to roll over.


And if ya want to get fancy furled leaders can help, but they aren't really neccesary and you can do fine without them, but they roll over easily.


----------



## BassAddict83 (Sep 21, 2010)

Thank you guys for the suggestions! To answer the question about my rod it's a Phlueger starter rod (the kind that comes with the whole starter kit). It says it's a 5/6 wt. I've been watching some YouTube videos on the double haul cast. Went out this morning and practiced it for a bit. The timing is a little tricky but I'll get it. Thank you all again!


----------



## fallen513 (Jan 5, 2010)

_____________________


----------



## ledslinger (Aug 24, 2006)

This is one of the better sites that you can go to hone your casting skills---

http://www.sexyloops.com/flycasting/contents.shtml

The videos by Mel Krieger (and even the youtubes) are some of the best


----------



## zachxbass (Jun 23, 2011)

ledslinger said:


> This is one of the better sites that you can go to hone your casting skills---
> 
> http://www.sexyloops.com/flycasting/contents.shtml
> 
> The videos by Mel Krieger (and even the youtubes) are some of the best


+1 for sexyloops.com

Outdoor Hub mobile, the outdoor information engine


----------



## toobnoob (Jun 1, 2010)

ledslinger said:


> This is one of the better sites that you can go to hone your casting skills---
> 
> http://www.sexyloops.com/flycasting/contents.shtml
> 
> The videos by Mel Krieger (and even the youtubes) are some of the best


Wow that is an awesome site! Tons of information.

It's funny how you can see things on there that you worked out on the water over time. One in particular is the roll cast into forward cast. I started doing this when learning to cast sink tips, it gets the tip and the fly out of the water so you can get line speed on your back cast and not have to false cast. Now I just do it with my normal casting. Strip the fly in, fire out a roll cast, pull it straight into your back cast and shoot the line out. No false casting is needed.

great post ledslinger!


----------



## ledslinger (Aug 24, 2006)

zachxbass said:


> +1 for sexyloops.com
> 
> Outdoor Hub mobile, the outdoor information engine


Yep---I've been going there for a couple years---i still havent been everywhere---its good for the rank beginner and the seasoned veteran---one of 2 places that discuss vee shaped forward loops---its a great site


----------



## TheJGRDispatch (Jun 15, 2012)

The easiest way to cast in wind is to use it to your advantage. If it is blowing at you, let the wind load the rod on your backcast and then use your wrist to power the rod forward, driving your thumb into the handle. The opposite happens if the wind is blowing at your back, hard backcast, soft forward cast. Don't fight the wind, let it work for you. 

Double hauling in theory works against wind on long distances, but are you really trying to cast across the lake? Probably not if you're fishing for panfish right?


----------



## fallen513 (Jan 5, 2010)

"Just cast really hard"

meh.


Double hauling works any time, any distance.


----------

