Adjusting to a fast action rod

[speedbird]

I quite like my new Boost Blue. I can feel it load my rio outbound short much better than my Base, and while they still need improvement I am able to double haul, which i struggled to with the Base.

That said, I've noticed my casts have gotten a little shorter, from a 50-70 average down to a 40-55. Are there any specific considerations to keep in mind casting a faster rod?

 

[O' Clarkii Stomias]

Is casting off to my side a good idea? I tried that today and got substantially less wind/cast knots, and a better view of the line. I was getting decent distance (60ish feet with 2 false casts or 1 roll cast and 1 false cast) but wonder if that style is a little less efficient. I don't want to be too reliant on it as I bet it won't make me friends at a salmon beach

Whatever works for you when you're fishing is right, but when you practice, cast vertically.
The best practice for me is to get 30 feet of fly line outside the tip of the rod and throw tight loops with straight and parallel top and bottom legs of my loops.

 

[Long_Rod_Silvers]

I do love the responses that start off with "I'm no expert, but here's what you should do..." FWIW, that's exactly how I often reply.... what you guys giving advice should really be saying is, "I'm a god damn expert, so pay attention!...."

Or start with "pro tip:"

 

[clarkman]

Or start with "pro tip:"

oh, good call! I'm not sure how long it's been since I've used that one, but I think it's been a while. Gotta get it back in the rotation.

 

[skyriver]

PM sent. I agree with @ffb and @Kfish You arm is too tight to your body. You look like you're trying to hold something under your arm while casting. Like when you're carrying in groceries or something. Haha! This will lead to not much distance and probably back issues.
Unless you have a shoulder issue that is causing this you don't want to do that.

I love the fact you were brave enough to ask for help. Good work! Keep at it!

 

[speedbird]

PM sent. I agree with @ffb and @Kfish You arm is too tight to your body. You look like you're trying to hold something under your arm while casting. Like when you're carrying in groceries or something. Haha! This will lead to not much distance and probably back issues.
Unless you have a shoulder issue that is causing this you don't want to do that.

I love the fact you were brave enough to ask for help. Good work! Keep at it!

Thanks for the PM! One last question not really relevant to Puget Sound beach fishing: How do you cast out while wading in a river? Every time I have tried fishing in rivers, what inevitably happens is the 50ft of fly line I stripped out is floating downstream, and now I need to fight the current of the river when I want to shoot line

 

[O' Clarkii Stomias]

Thanks for the PM! One last question not really relevant to Puget Sound beach fishing: How do you cast out while wading in a river? Every time I have tried fishing in rivers, what inevitably happens is the 50ft of fly line I stripped out is floating downstream, and now I need to fight the current of the river when I want to shoot line

Carry loops in your non casting hand, or if you want to go old skool stealheader, put the loops in your mouth.

 

[skyriver]

Thanks for the PM! One last question not really relevant to Puget Sound beach fishing: How do you cast out while wading in a river? Every time I have tried fishing in rivers, what inevitably happens is the 50ft of fly line I stripped out is floating downstream, and now I need to fight the current of the river when I want to shoot line

Oh boy. Completely different environment, but same idea. You gotta strip line in until you can easily lift it off or out of the water to re-cast. Also...if you are swinging for steel or salmon, 50' is no big. That's a short line on many rivers. If you are nymphing or dry fly fishing for trout, 50' is probably WAY too much line out. Too much line out is 100% worse than not enough line out for beginner fly anglers. Too much line out leads to all sorts of issues.

This is where fishing Puget Sound is super easy compared to most fishing. In the sound, you're just throwing it out there, without any real target. Distance is the premium. In river fishing, accuracy and targets are the premium. So this is where I would say 20' is what you want to try for a long time before you try 50'.

Where are you fishing?

 

[clarkman]

pro-tip: fishing rivers is vastly different than fishing the Sound.


Sorry, I had to....

but listen to @skyriver above. accuracy/targets vs. distance.

 

[Pink Nighty]

Yep pretty much what Ffb said, open up your arm more and move your elbow out. Ok to rotate your torso a little bit but seems like your torso’s doing a lot of work here, use your arm more.
Also slow down to let the line straighten in front and behind you so it’ll load the rod. With each false cast you will want to feed more line so your rod is progressively loading more and more to its peak then you shoot it with the final forward stroke.

Yup, and with that feeding line the pauses ought to get more pronounced as the cast builds to its final forward cast.

Color me as another proponent of slowing down and keeping your body more still. You're primarily using your torso and wrist to achieve the rod loading, the body turns and at the end of the turn the wrist snaps.

Start with your rod tip down low, your arm slightly extended, elbow bent but open and your wrist straight (thumb up, knuckles down). Start bending the arm at the elbow to raise the line, and simultaneously pull back with your arm until the reel is by your ear, snapping your wrist to finish the energy transfer. The line should zip past, when it straightens out drive your arm forward, allowing your wrist to snap again at the ultimate extension of your forward cast.

Time your hauls to match your wrists snapping.

 

[Porter2]

My input and take with grain of salt. I take my opinion with no salt and I pay two cents to most to listen …..Master the Sage tcr ….and after your lessons in many sessions ….no fast action rod will shame you on the water ever again I still have met no rod faster in action than that tomato stick. But damn …it can fling a line when it’s done right.

Posted this in another thread but true in my experience. Become smooth and comfortable in simple hauling and casting stroke. That saying poetry in motion comes true …. It needs to be natural and almost second nature in a way. As long as you feel robotic or forcing it …it won’t happen. ( and no rod slapping … hate seeing that). I find close tight precise required casting more difficult and this is the true art… because so much what you target is 60 feet minus. 80+ which I’m very confident and comfortable doing is not the real skill in fly fishing. I was reminded in Montana recently that the 30-40’ foot reach cast is deadly. Launching a line was of little value. On the salty beach yes… Why my TCR is a salt rod mainly.

Slow it down = smooth. Smooth = Fast line speed. Fast line speed = distance.

The rod not the arm.

 

[Zak]

My input and take with grain of salt. I take my opinion with no salt and I pay two cents to most to listen …..Master the Sage tcr ….and after your lessons in many sessions ….no fast action rod will shame you on the water ever again I still have met no rod faster in action than that tomato stick. But damn …it can fling a line when it’s done right.

Posted this in another thread but true in my experience. Become smooth and comfortable in simple hauling and casting stroke. That saying poetry in motion comes true …. It needs to be natural and almost second nature in a way. As long as you feel robotic or forcing it …it won’t happen. ( and no rod slapping … hate seeing that). I find close tight precise required casting more difficult and this is the true art… because so much what you target is 60 feet minus. 80+ which I’m very confident and comfortable doing is not the real skill in fly fishing. I was reminded in Montana recently that the 30-40’ foot reach cast is deadly. Launching a line was of little value. On the salty beach yes… Why my TCR is a salt rod mainly.

Slow it down = smooth. Smooth = Fast line speed. Fast line speed = distance.

The rod not the arm.

This post is pretty much poetry.

The only tip I have (60' is good for me, starting to hit that at will), is to try turning you head to see the backcast straightening out behind you. It builds in a pause.

 

[Porter2]

This post is pretty much poetry.

The only tip I have (60' is good for me, starting to hit that at will), is to try turning you head to see the backcast straightening out behind you. It builds in a pause.

You kill me. No poetry. But I agree many learn from watching their back cast which is probably the most important part of the cast. You can never go forward unless your back cast is clean. Life lesson … what’s behind must be clean or cleaned up in order to go forward

 

[O' Clarkii Stomias]

Watching your backcast is very helpful as long you can do it without opening up your shoulder. Also, the transition from the back cast to the forward cast, or visa versa, should take place a nano second prior to the fly line completely straightening out.

 

[Creatch’r]

I do not believe I’ve ever watched my backcast in 27 years of fly fishing. Does that make me weird?

 

[flybill]

I do not believe I’ve ever watched my backcast in 27 years of fly fishing. Does that make me weird?

YES! But in all seriousness it is helpful in diagnosing your cast. Video yourself and see what is happening behind you and see how your timing is..

 

[skyriver]

I do not believe I’ve ever watched my backcast in 27 years of fly fishing. Does that make me weird?

Signs of a fisherman! Some people fly cast. Some people catch fish. Some even do both.

 

[Jake Watrous]

Signs of a fisherman! Some people fly cast. Some people catch fish. Some even do both.

Sometimes I do neither.

 

[speedbird]

Oh boy. Completely different environment, but same idea. You gotta strip line in until you can easily lift it off or out of the water to re-cast. Also...if you are swinging for steel or salmon, 50' is no big. That's a short line on many rivers. If you are nymphing or dry fly fishing for trout, 50' is probably WAY too much line out. Too much line out is 100% worse than not enough line out for beginner fly anglers. Too much line out leads to all sorts of issues.

This is where fishing Puget Sound is super easy compared to most fishing. In the sound, you're just throwing it out there, without any real target. Distance is the premium. In river fishing, accuracy and targets are the premium. So this is where I would say 20' is what you want to try for a long time before you try 50'.

Where are you fishing?

Last time I ran into my line drifting downstream it was fishing large flies for cutthroat on the lower Hoh, trying to cast to the opposite bank under tree cover, but usually when I'm fishing the Skagit or Sky

 

[Creatch’r]

Whatever is happening behind me can just continue to happen without my knowledge. As far as I’m concerned it doesn’t exist back there until my fly tangles around a tree branch. And even after that happens my memory is shorter then it should and I will likely do it again. I’m looking at where I want my fly to go and I’m trying to stay tuned into the feel of the fly line and the rod working together. I can see the loop in front of me why do I need to turn around to see the same damn thing? I guarantee I’ve saved myself a future neck surgery by only focusing on one direction lol.

 

[krusty]

Every time I take a guided float on a river I'm grateful that I have good many trout lakes nearby, and very little convenient moving water to tempt me into dealing with the challenge of line and fly management. Even a well executed long cast on a river is a line mending nightmare.

On a lake, sitting fat and lazy in my kayak, short casts of 30 to 50 feet to trout completely unaware of my presence, or watching an indicator, and lack of anything to grab a fly on a backcast make a day on the water a rewarding and relaxing experience.