Distance casting

The other day a guy was watching me fish. He asked me how I was able to cast so far with just three false casts.

I told him it was 40 years of practice - nothing more.

Then I asked to see his own outfit. I could see his line was totally unsuitable - it was too light, and his rod was one of those cheap and nasty ones that felt like a length of sphagetti.

Distance casting means first of all having an outfit that is well balanced. You must feel the line load up the rod well. Secondly you must be able to impart energy and velocity to the line at the correct points in time. This also means being able to double haul!

I learned to double haul many years ago. It did not come as a result of casting instruction either, it came naturally as a result of a decent casting style and feeling the line pull in the air. You pull back at it.

Then there is the back cast. A lot of idiots will tell you that the back cast loads the rod in preparation for the forward cast. This might be correct if all you are going to do is cast no more than 15 yards on a river.

With distance casting the backcast sends the line out behind you and prepares the line in readiness for the forward cast! When the line is behind you, you drift the rod backwards slightly before you commence the forward cast.

And whilst you execute the forward cast you pull with your left hand and then release the line when the pull is at its greatest.

It's a bit like releasing an arrow at archery, and I did a bit of that over the years.

The big advantage with learning to cast distance is that you can fish in places on still water where the average guy can't by being able to cast into the wind. You can also cast shorter distances more easily with less false casting and less fatigue.

Take it you can chuck a line out then Ron.

I can put an extra 10ft on your cast with a little tip i picked up whilst competing in casting competitions, the lad who passed on this simple but effective technique was Howard Croston, who now is The House of Hardys full time rod tester he also says he has never been beaten in any fly casting competition, obviously likes to forget the day i beat him and took the Chatsworth Cup off him.

Billy Boy had his doubts about my claim but this year when i was up at the House of Hardy guess who was on the front casting a new rod only my old adversary Howard Croston,

"How you doing not seen you for ages i think it was the Chatsworth casting competition, i beat you that day if you remember?"

His face said it all, as we were never buddy's but he acknowledged i had out cast him on that occasion and beat him fair and square, Billy was pissing him self as he allways claims he is undefeated when he is testing rods at his lakes.

I will show you this little trick Ron as its Top Secret!

OK Shane, I'll book some casting lessons with you this spring.

I can't cast as far as I could when I was in my 30s. Perhaps your little trick might help my cast a little further.

Try shining your line [floaters only] with "Armour" dashboard wipes from Halfords.
You will be amazed!

Colin

I normally use the stuff you get from Snowbee in the little bottle.

But I'l try that Colin.

I've used armour all as well. I'd say its better than the stuff in the little bottles from Snowbee. How many people these days actually bother cleaning their lines. I know I should but I never get round to it. As most of my fishing is on rivers casting short distances its never really an issue

I normally clean my lines after every trip, but that was before I started using a line tray, now they don't get as muddy therefore I don't clean them as often.

granite juice, an exellent line prep,avadable from any carp fishing/specialist shop kryston make it.
also use a light gun oil in spray format which contains teflon,when oil evaporates it leaves behind a coating of teflon on line which makes the line as smooth as silk.

RON,cats one hell of a caster mate 40 yds no probs,diffrence from most people who can cast 40yds is cats accuracy mate!
he can put his fly in a 1ft casting ring at that range! I S**T YOU NOT!!

Then he HAS to be the best in the world.

I've seen some good casters in my time from Jack Martin, Joan Wulff, Peter Anderson to Lefty Kreh. But I've NEVR seen anyone who could do that.

I know what I could do in my 30s and early 40s and that was to cast a 9 weight shooting head just short of 50 yards. Not every time either. And I measured it not guessed it.

Don't ask me to do it now, my elbow is buggered.

I'm quite happy being able to cast a 7 weight foward taper 30 yards with 3 or 4 false casts. And on still water I catch lots of fish at that range.

However I can still get a shooting head out 40 yards when I get my timing right.

But never to that degree of accuracy.

well alright then Ron i may have exagerated a wee bit,but the kid is good!!!!lol

And I would certainly like to watch him.

By the way I don't want to include Cat here but some of the best casters I have ever seen have been lousy fly fishers.

It's perhaps because they put all their energies into casting and not enough into the fishing side of the sport.

I had a very good friend in South Africa who could chuck a shooting head 60 yards - measured!! In the years that I fished with him I never ever saw him catch a fish.

Poor old Rod is dead now - he committed suicide in Mozambique.

He could also make rods too.

I think if my name was Rod and i could comfortably chuck a 60 yard cast out and you never saw me catch a fish, the fact his name was Rod, means your named after the magic wand that propels the finely balanced tapered line complete with the fly 60yards out and within an inch of a moving fish with ease and never catch one, that would make me suicidal too mate, lol

Only joking of course Ron, im sure Rod had his share.

Rod was pretty good at catching tigerfish, catfish and saltwater species with the flyrod. That's probably why he became a master at slinging a heavy shooting head.

Not the sort of gear one would generally use for trout I must add.

A short 11 weight head attatched to flattened monofil. Coil the mono at your feet, extend the head beyond the tod tip, a nine foot poker, give it a couple of hauls and away it goes.

It's a bit like casting an elongated Arlesey Bomb!

And for retrieving the cast, try a belly winder!

Many SA saltwater fly fishers use a washing up basket tied around their waist.

I think distance casting is something the english seem to strive at needlessly compared to other contries. I'm not just refering to fly fishing, I'm refering to all aspects of our sport. Beach casting for example, the odds are stacked against making any distance from the shore, unless the water drops quickly away you're invariably fishing the shallows for relatively small fish (sorry if this generalises a little).

I've often wondered why the british angler doesn't consider using a boat more often. When I lived in the states everyone had a boat. it was part of the kit. Why strive for ridiculous distance when you can row out there and use lighter tackle and enjoy the fishing more. Rex Hunt epitomises this style of fishing.

Boats are so inexpensive on the second hand market. I really wish more people would realise that instead of puffing and panting from the bank with heavy distance tackle, you could buy a boat and get even more enjoyment out fo the sport.

Quite true Richard.

Casting records are interesting. Much of it started in Scarborough on the mere where they still have a number of international events.

Tournament casting is similar to Formula 1 racing. No one drives about in a Formula 1 car, just as no-one uses tournament casting equipment for fishing. The current world record for a single handed fly rod is 72 metres!!!

Anyone who can regularly achieve half of that distance with usable trout fly tackle is a very good caster indeed.

Wherever you go in The States, there are good boat launching facilities. Not so here. And I don't think boats are all that cheap here either. Due to the use size of the market in the USA, you can pick up a second hand boat for next to nothing.

Ron,

If you go down to any boat yard you'll find wooden or fibreglass hulled boats perfectly sufficient for freshwater available for as little as ?150. Failing that try adds in local papers or autotrader's boats section. A small outboard, electronic or otherwise will set you back another 150 and your good to go. failing that a pair of oars is quite sufficient on many waters. Allyou then need is a life jacket (inexpensive) and you can make any minor alterations to the boat yourself from timber. Kitting out and using your own boat is something I've always taken great pleasure in. It really adds another aspect to the sport and gives you access to water you couldn't cover otherwise.

Ron, Watch Hwyel Morgan at any of the shows. My understanding and casting has improved significantly! At the 2004 fly fair I learnt all about open & closed stance, double hauling, competative casting (easy without a fly on !).

To demonstate double hauling, he has someone hold the flyline after a back cast. He then pulled down on the flyline - this put more flex in the rod - ie loaded the road more... this is what you are trying to achieve.. (probably much easier to show..)

Distance casting does help in small heavily fished stillwaters. At elinor last year, you had to reach 40 yards to catch..
Then again, you can also catch in the margins sometimes - less than a foot away from the bank.

Fishing from a boat allows you to vary you position much more than from a bank.

Neil.

Yes Neil, it's easy to chuck 40 yards with a shooting head when you haven't any bankside restrictions like trees or a dam wall behind you and you are standing on a nice flat jetty like you do at Chatsworth.

Try doing that with a 20 foot leader with 3 flies too.

Personally I love catching in the margins. Last year I cought a few nice trout from Thrybergh from a seated position not 5 yards from the bank. I've just got myself a little folding seat carry bag which is going with me on all my forthcoming trips.

I often sit on a stool with the tackle made up watching the water and only cast when I see a fish move. It's a bit like the old chalk stream concept. Blind casting is just not done old boy what?

However when there are a lot of people on the bank you often have to cast a long way to catch fish.

Personally I love catching in the margins

I find that the margins is a brilliant and often overlooked place to catch fish.
Although as previously mentioned it is good to be able to cast into the wind.

However when there are a lot of people on the bank you often have to cast a long way to catch fish.

A problem I'm lucky not to experience as where I live you'll not see another soul in sight.