A very interesting piece Graham

  • Thread starter Ron 'The Hat' Clay (ACA-Life Member)
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Ron 'The Hat' Clay (ACA-Life Member)

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I have fly fished since my teens and I would be the last to say that I am a brilliant caster. But what is written here by Graham after having lessons from a master is spot on.

The hardest part of course is when one is faced with all sorts of obstructions such as a concrete dam wall at the perfect hight and distance behind you, or a bush; or a gale blowing from your right and you are right handed - and that's where all the fish are!

One thing I can say is that I have watched many different top fly fishers cast - some top names too and some of them have styles which look quite shocking. But they get the line out somehow and catch lots of fish.

One other tip that was given to myself many years ago was this.

If you hear the rod swishing in the air, your timeing is out. You should only ever hear the line in the air!
 
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Shrek

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Looking forward to seeing all this practice paying off at PM, especially from Mr Bibio!!!
 
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Ron 'The Hat' Clay (ACA-Life Member)

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I have never seen Hywell Morgan cast. But judging from the pictures I see on his website, Hywell could be a student of the Lefty Kreh style of casting - the open stance style which is far easier for a beginner to master than the closed stance styles taught by some British teachers.

Lefty Kreh has alway been my hero when it comes to fly casting. He has often been severely criticised by many other casting gurus.

But Lefty and Hywell are correct make no mistake.
 
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NT

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Ron, Hywell demonstrates both closed and open stance casting styles and their pros and cons...

Graham, good to see your praise after I raved on about him over in the game forum..

and Hywell is very nice man too (he gave some of his flies to one of our team).

Neil.
 
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What a great article!
Fantastic read Graham, Top Draw.

See you at Press Mannor and i hope you invited Hywell.
 
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Ron 'The Hat' Clay (ACA-Life Member)

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The reason why I have always advocated the open stance Neil is that often, in the real, world you need to look behind to avoid trees, fences, dam walls and people.

It's very difficult to watch your back cast if you have your right foot forward.
 
GrahamM

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What I should have stressed more in the article is that money spent on lessons from a top caster is always money well spent. If you only ever have one hour off one expert fly caster it will be well worth it. You'll learn more in that hour than you would in weeks of self-taught lessons from instructions you've read in a book.

And have those lessons early, before you get too entrenched in bad casting habits.

I fly fished for years before I gave it up for a few years, coming back to it about five years ago. I've always been able to get a fly out to over 25yds, which is good enough to catch fish from most waters. But it's only in the last five years I've had a lesson or two.

I wish I'd had them years ago. Not because I can now cast much further, but because I can reach my feeble distances much easier. I appreciate more the art of casting a fly line, and that alone gives me more pleasure every time I go.

Fly fishing really is a branch of angling where what you do to catch the fish is as much a pleasure as actually catching one.
 
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Ron 'The Hat' Clay (ACA-Life Member)

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Spot on Graham.

Many coarse anglers have asked me in the past just why they have to go through all the trouble of learning what is to many of them is a totally alien craft to catch trout?

Why can't they put a maggot or a worm on a waggler for instance and catch the fish like that?

The answer to this question is rather complex. Most anglers who have learned the art of fly fishing are most concerned that others learn it too. Because quite simply you get 10 times the enjoyment out of landing the fly caught trout than one hooked on a worm. Think of it as the supreme con. You have caught a fish by outwitting it with a bit of fur and feather on the hook that suggests something it eats.

In addition to that you have done everything right in terms of casting and presenting the ultimate deception.

Like a famous American Businessman said: "Fly fishing is the most fun a man can have standing up."
 
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Ron 'The Hat' Clay (ACA-Life Member)

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By the way, if you want to upset another fly fisherman, criticise his casting!

Many experienced fly fishers think they are wonderful casters.

However the top golfers spend hours with coaches who check out their swings and correct faults. They do this all the time and think nothing of it. A qualified instructor can spot faults in your technique better than you can!

Certainly I am thinking of having a couple of hours with a good casting instructor this spring. I realise I have developed a fault (probably old age) but I'm not sure
what it is. One thing I have noticed is that I am not casting as well as I did 20 years ago.
 
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Rasmus Keis

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Like a famous American Businessman said: "Fly fishing is the most fun a man can have standing up."

Thats only because he doesn't master the art of fly fishing lying down!
 
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Ron 'The Hat' Clay (ACA-Life Member)

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I do lots of it sitting down Rasmus, on my little folding seat or from a boat.

I think what the guy was getting at was the other things you do lying down.

Have you had much snow in your part of the world?

My friend in Italy - Milan, couldn't get out of her house on Friday.
 
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Rasmus Keis

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I guess we've had the same amount of snow like last year, not that bad - maybe 30 cm.

The worst thing is the cold. If it continous ice breakers will have to make way for the ships, and my fishing club just had an ice fishing session on a lake (19 cm of ice). Not my style of fishing. But if I can get the timing right, and be ready when the ice breaks in the inlets - trout will go mad...
 
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Ron 'The Hat' Clay (ACA-Life Member)

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So when is the best time to come to Denmark Rasmus?

Those sea trout sound great.
 
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Rasmus Keis

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When water temperatures rise to 10-12 Celsius. Probably around may.
Depends on which part of the country. On the Baltic coast the best time is the cold period, because of the low levels of salt. That is why a grest deal of people from Copenhagen fishes the south coast of Sweden right now - and the average size of baltic trout is much bigger because they feed with same intensity all year round.
 
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