Wendy,
Regarding casting.
You will find that this is a bit of a mind set.
Get it into your head that you are casting the line not the fly. Remember that it is impossible to cast the fly, it's too light. You are casting the line and the fly goes along for a ride.
It does not require a great deal of force to throw out the line a considerable distance provided that force is applied to the line at the correct moment in time.
You must also concentrate on your back cast far more than your forward cast. The reason for this is that it's a heck of a lot easier to execute a forward cast than a back cast and you cannot perform a good forward cast without making a good back cast.
And I hope you wear specs and a decent hat to protect the back of your neck.
Try practicing the roll cast first. This is dead easy. When you can get 10 or so yards out on the water with a roll cast, go into a back cast by sliding the line of the water and gradually accelerating it into a back flick. Watch your back cast all the time. When it fully extends behind you, give it a forward flick and then a steady follow through. It does NOT take a great deal of strength, just timing.
