Fishing Forum

Hiya Guys ive looked thru the links here and couldnt find anything that would answer my problem. I am very new to the art of fly fishing and ive done alot research on casting but i am learning how to cast by myself with no actual person to physically show me the process. I've watched a bunch of videos and ive got the hang of it basically. But when i do the False cast i cannot figure out were im supposed to stop the rod to get that perfect "roll out of the loop" onto the water usually the line hits before the leader and it does a kind of snake coil in the water about 12 feet out. So my question is were is a good stopping point with the rod to get that loop to come forward like its supposed too. Ive been praticing the 45 degree angle
between the rod and my fore arm but i guess my "stop" is too weak. any ideas? Besides going to take lessons lol
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First of all, I would like to welcome you to Big Fish Tackle and thank you for your question.

Second of all, i would be the worst one to try and teach someone how to do the perfect cast on a 5wt since I have difficulty with 5wts myself.

I mostly fish saltwater so I am in the 9 to 11wt category. The technique is pretty much the same but I have a few unorthodox techniques that I use effectively to make the art of Flyfishing work for me.

Furthermore, we do have some other members here that can be of great help in guiding you through the proper principals as well as possibly giving you a refference to a better video to view.

One of our best on the site (no offense guys) is a wonderful lady named Flygoddess. She can really give you all the better ins and outs, do's and don'ts of making that 5wt your best friend.[cool]
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Ill second the welcome to the BFT and your question.. its always good to review the basics and that is what your querstion will do..

in my limited experience Id have to say to concentrate on the "clock"... on the backcast you want to stop at about the 1 oclock position (but more importantly is to let your hand feel the tug on the rod as the line straightens out... a good tip here is to stand sideways and practice the cast and watch your line/rod at the same time.. you will see/feel the line play out and give that tug on the rod..

at this point you want to start your forward cast.. the area between the start of your forward cast and your stop point on the cast is referred to by some as the power stroke.. this is where you want to try speep up the rod and push it to the stop point..

normally the stop point of the forward cast is the 11 oclock postion .. you she see/feel the line fly out in a long loop to straight out .. again at this point if you are going to backcast again you should see/feel the tug on the rod tip..

as our sis the FG and others will tell you .. its all practice.. and feeling what the rod and line are doing..

one video I would recommend is the one called the basics of fly fishing by Joan Wulff.. she gives great demons and explains things in very simple.. easy to understand way.. just do a search on the internet for her name and I am sure you will find it..

.. lastly.. a good source for help on casting and anything else you need by going to your local fly shop.. or if you happen to be lucky enough to have a fly club in your area they are an xcellent source of help to the novice as well as experienced angler..

I am sure Dr and FG will post on this one.. they are more experienced than I am and both are willing to help in any way they can

.. good luck... and please keep us up to date on your progress.. and fishing adventures..

MacFly [cool]
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Thanks for the help! Im going to look up that video if i cant find it online i will go ahead and order it. There is a Local Middle Tennessee fly fishing club here they meet kind of often i may have to just go join up in the fun one of these days! I guess im just going to have to practice some more. The videos i watched mainly to learn were the Dusty Wismoth(believe i spelled his last name wrong) he is a pretty good teacher its just figuring it all out that is the hardest part. especially after years of spin casting! I went fishing with my buddy the other day and took the spin set up and the first few casts were very strange feeling because i had gotten used to the fly set up. Cant wait to get out there and go at it again.
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[center][font "Garamond"][#008000][size 4]Hi there TNFloater and welcome to the Fly Fishing forum. Joining a Fly Fishing club would be a good move. Most offer free hands on casting instructions at a local pond, monthly tying classes and monthly meetings which may include a guest speaker with professional guide experience. Check out this club's site in TN. Good luck.[/size][/#008000][/font]
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[center][url "http://www.msff.org/"]http://www.msff.org/[/url]
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I am no pro...
But the number one common mistake of people
and there false cast is one there false casting way to much.. Too much time in the air and anyones bound to screw up.

Number two they have not learned the how to control there cast in the first place.
Buy Lefty Krehs dvd.
He has a section on his dvd that will explain it to you and how to get past it.

Number three beginners using fast action
fly rods = bad casting habits.
I tell beginners to go to a moderate rod or moderate fast.
It makes casting so much easier.. A fast action fly rod will out cast a moderate rod or moderate fast but a beginner will almost always will be able to cast further and learn to cast cleaner and faster with a moderate rod or moderate fast rod. I have never met a salesman though who will say this or understands this.. Maybe I am crazy..


I like Lefty Krehs on fly casting dvd its nothing fancy just good clean arts of basic and semi advanced casting.
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Welcome!
I am going to echo Warchild 100%.
One other piece I want to add. I had the pleasure to work with a Local Fly Casting expert "Eddy Robinson".
He put on a seminar and put it in such easy terms.
Think of it as throwing a Ping-Pong ball. You want to throw it 5 to 10' in front of you requires very little arm movement. But, now you want to throw it 50', you will have to open up the arm movement (A GREAT BIG CLOCK[])
If you get a chance to watch a distance caster you will see that.

But for normal fishing, a book under the arm is good practice also.
How your line lays out in front of you will depend on TIMING. You have to wait for the back cast to totally straighten before starting the front cast. THIS IS THE ONLY WAY TO GET NICE TIGHT LOOPS.
Too many people rush it. Try standing slightly sideways and watching your forward and back cast.
Now in answer to your question. around the 10:00 spot, stop then drop the tip slightly to lay the line down. I say the 10:00 stop, because this gives you time to add any special mends or whatever to your line.
I am going to recommend ANY Joan Wulff videos. Not because she is a woman, but in my opinion THE BEST. Then Lefty. Lefty is awesome and has some really cool solutions, but Joan teaches the STARTER, and Lefty shows how to fine tune.
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Thanks guys that really helps alot. Flygoddess im pretty sure i was rushing it like you said i bet it wasnt stright behind me before i started the front cast. I will be ordering those Dvds this week. Thanks again for the welcomes and Info!
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