The essence of fly casting from a salty perspective

[Gogga]

Productive Practice

Earlier this year I had the pleasure of wading the surf with an old friend, who is also a snowboard instructor. We where fishing on a flat, down South in Texas, Casting at cruising red fish as well as the odd speckled trout. A blue (Shad) would mix it up every now and then, and usually bite our fly's off.

On our walk back to the parking lot, my friend made an observation that I felt should be the object of this brief article. After many years of involvement with both sports he saw the similarity in the lack of preparedness that often befalls snowboarders and fly-fishers.

In both sports, the problem is seldom a matter of not having the right equipment. In today’s consumer-orientated society, if we have the means to pay for it, access to the proper gear for practically any kind of activity is generally not an issue. Instead the problem lies in acquiring the knowledge and skills to use the equipment properly. There is no question for fly – fishers the number one obstacle is casting.

With that in Mind - I humbly submit the following;

Greater lengths.

Unfortunately, the matter of distance seems to be the overriding concern for most beginner casters, particularly where men are concerned. As many good instructors will tell you, however, while distance is certainly a consideration, it is accuracy that often spells the difference between merely making a cast and actually hooking up. You not only have to deliver the fly to the fish, but also put it in the fish’s strike zone – that’s where accuracy becomes paramount.

When blind casting or targeting likely holding areas, we don’t know where the strike zone is. We’re hoping a fish sees the fly and will be motivated to take it.

My personal fly-fishing preference is sight casting to individual fish; this can be very challenging, as this is where the fish’s strike zone comes into play. In most cases, presentation of the fly must mimic the predator – prey relationship. The fly is the prey, and this what we are trying to simulate in both appearance and behavior.

In terms of appearance, for example, you may have the hottest crab pattern to ever come off a fly- tying bench, but as far as behavioral characteristics are concerned, if it is presented in an unnatural manner, the predator (i.e. grunter) won’t be convinced. Presentation is both a matter of where (and how) the fly lands in relation to the fish and how it is manipulated. Here we will only be concerned with the matter of placement (see "The art of striptease" (salt section) for manipulation)

They eat from the other end

So what constitutes an unnatural placement? When you consider in most cases prey are trying to elude their predators, the answer is pretty dam simple. For example, prey items do not swim towards something that is likely to eat them. Likewise, they would not be inclined to approach a predator from the rear or swim at it from an angle. These ideas may seem very basic, but putting them into practice is not as easy as one might think. Next time you find yourself casting at a tailing grunter, or cruising leerie, think about it. The issue here is one of casting accuracy, and accuracy requires repeated practice.

As I have said, sight fishing is my favorite type of fishing, but probably just like many of you, my opportunities are limited in this respect. And even though I spend a great deal of time with a fly rod in my hands, when I’m about to embark on a trip, I spend a great deal of time practicing.

Now practicing can be a stack of fun, one can walk out into a park, and flick a line out for an hour so, but what I learned from Lefty Kreh a while ago has helped me really focus my casting technique: He uses a mouse trap for target practice.

A weighted fly like a clouser is necessary to spring the trap, and that makes for good simulation, because that is the type of fly that I most often fish, even is shallow water environments. For safety reasons, the only modification required is removing the point from the fly’s hook.

If you have never tried this before, you will be surprised (and maybe humbled) by how difficult it is to hit and trip the trap even at relatively close distance. Personally I start my sessions with only 15 to 20 feet of fly line outside the rod trip.

As you cast's begin to get more accurate, you can gradually increase the distance. However, similar to lefty’s experience, I found that even good casters may have to take up to dozen or so casts at 25 to 30 foot before successfully springing the trap. Even after repeated practice, if you find that you are seldom able to trip the trap, don’t get discouraged. Bear in mind that in order to activate the trap, the fly must land directly on the lever. That is a very small target, a mere inch to one side or the other will not bring results.

Mercifully, we seldom if ever encounter fishing situations that literally call for this kind of pinpoint precision. The point is that by striving to make such precise placements, your accuracy skills will improve dramatically, and you will have a ton fun in the process.

I don't suspect there will be a sudden rush for mouse traps in SA, but if you enjoy a real challenge give it a shot, and let me know how you get on



All the best
Mike