# Practice casting



## Jmsteele187 (Dec 22, 2011)

I'm pretty new to fly fishing, maybe 3 hours since I got it three years ago, and I am absolutely miserable at it. I'm not giving up though, I just need a lot of practice. My question is, should I be tying a fly on to practice, or am I just as good without one tied on?


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## fishinnick (Feb 19, 2011)

You don't need to, but it is better. Either a fly or some people use a piece of yarn or something. It also helps to make sure you see how your leader straightens out on your casts.

What's more important is make sure you're casting with a leader, as casting a fly line without a leader is much different than casting one with. 

Just keep on practicing. Watch videos(youtube is good), read books, etc. And also watch other people on the water. Once you get the hang of it you'll be addicted to this whole fly fishing thing like the rest of us I'm sure. Don't give up!


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## Jmsteele187 (Dec 22, 2011)

I don't plan on giving up any time soon. I just caught my first bass the other day and now I want a bigger one. I've been watching videos the past couple of days and learned that I have everything set up WRONG. So I need to make some adjustments before I try again.


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## Flymaker (Jan 24, 2013)

when casting alot of people make the mistake of not letting the rod do the work.....start out with maybe 40ft of line ...make a back cast wait till you feel the rod load before starting the forwars cast.....or better yet look over your shulder and watch it happen....now your forward cast shouldnt just slam forward rather it should be a graduale increased in speed.....and at the end a slight wrist snap can help......things too remeber...when you are casting imagine you have a ceiling above you try and keep the rod tip on the ceiling for the entire forward cast......too make the stroke longer put your arm into play and reach backward then forward while keeping the rod tip on the ceiling........if you just waveing the rod back and forth ....you loop will be big....and the rod will not load....and other issues......the rod tip should travel in as flat of a plane as you can manage......the rod tip shoul only go from like 11;00 to like 1;00 during the power part of the forward stroke....one thing you can do is took your elbow into your side and you should feel what Im talking about........


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## ARReflections (Jan 7, 2011)

As you bring the fly rod back, say to yourself, "Wait one second big dummy" and then move your arm for the forward cast. Really helps to slow the cast down. Of course you may get some looks on the water when people think you are talking to them


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## ejsell (May 3, 2012)

Bass Pro shop offers free casting lessons. I only went to one but he helped improve my cast and really helped me with my roll cast. He had the same advice as above, slow down.


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## Jmsteele187 (Dec 22, 2011)

Thanks for the tips guys. I'll try to put the info to good use. I hope my back yard is big enough to do some practicing, otherwise I'll be in the open lot across the street making a fool of myself for a while till I figure it all out.


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## rickerd (Jul 16, 2008)

when you are learning and just practicing, I would start with 25 feet of line or even a little less. Go to a field and place a hoola hoop about 30 feet away from you. Place the yarn in the hoop and walk away from it in a straight line allowing the fly line to feed out in a straight path. Then when you are 30 feet away, turn around to face the hoop. Now pretend you are on a stream. Take out your wallet with $100 in it and place it under your casting arm and hold it there with your arm during casting. If you drop your wallet, you are doing it wrong. You will drop your money in the stream. I have heard of old teachers having people do this on the stream. Pick the line and yarn up quickly to create a backcast. This should be as quick and powerful as possible. Your line should extend behind you into a straight line in the air. When you feel the line pulling your rodtip, it is time to cast forward, start with a quick and powerful pull but slow it down when the rod gets to 10 o clock. From 10 down to 8 o clock or so should be slooower. Your yarn will float down to the ground. If you do this right you can land in or on the hoop 7 out of 10 tries. While you are watching your fly line in the air, it is vitally important to imagine the clock numbers. 12 o clock is straight overhead. 1 oclock is behind you and 10, 9, 8 oclock in front. Your rod butt should stop at about 1 oclock, your tip will bend further and this is your rod loading. 

It is vital for you to understand your backcast is more important than your forward cast for a while. If you have a powerful backcast, you stop your rod butt at 1 o clock, you cannot help have a decent forward cast. 

If after trying a few things, you still cannot feel the rod load, have a friend grab your yarn and walk behind you 30 feet while you hold the rod at 1 o clock. Your friend can stop just short of pulling the rod out of your hand. This is the feeling you will get when the rod is loaded and ready for a forward cast. This is what it took for me to get it 20 or so years ago. I still use the wallet under my arm if I am on the stream and need to improve my stroke. It will motivate you.

Let us know how you are doing.
Rick


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## Jmsteele187 (Dec 22, 2011)

I was practicing for a bit yesterday in my back yard. I did notice that if my back cast was good, my forward cast be good as well. But when it was sloppy, the forward cast would be all over. I think I practiced for about an hour and by the end, I felt like there was quite a bit of improvement. I still need to work on it quite a bit though. Hopefully I'll be able to meet up with a couple of guys some time this week at put the practice to use.


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## ducman491 (Oct 31, 2011)

I was practicing with my 5wt in the yard today too. Wanted to go and fish it but my wife needed me to stay home with the kids so it turned into a practice day.


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## Jmsteele187 (Dec 22, 2011)

Yeah, I wanted to fish for a little bit after work today, too. But, I ended up having to work late to finish a job that I need ready for tomorrow. So no fishing tonight, but my customer should be very happy tomorrow.


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## Jmsteele187 (Dec 22, 2011)

I went out with another OGF'er today. He gave me a few good tips, a little bit of encouragement and reassurance. My cast improved greatly in the hour and a half we were out there, and I feel confident enough to pull out the fly rod a lot more often. I guess I'm just another addict joining the club.... I'm not giving up my baitcaster though.


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## rickerd (Jul 16, 2008)

That's it just keep at it.
It took me about a year of steelhead fishing to stop thinking about my cast all the time. At that point you can think about the more important aspects of fly fishing which is catching fish. Remember to fish the fly once it lands. The cast will become natural and you can spend your thoughts on how to bring in the fish.
Rickerd


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