Starting the cast

[GEK79]

Most of use are visualising where you fish, however I just pull some line off and wave the rod about until I get enough line into into the air to get past the weed growth and then cast out. I'll fish this bit, gently retrieving while pulling some more line off the reel and then cast again, gently retrieving again while pulling line off the reel etc etc, until I feel I'm at a comfortable casting distance.

When I get to comfortable stage I'll start to move closer to the water.

I find that standing back and doing things gently at first catches more fish than paddling into the water and thrashing it with the line until the fish have all been spooked away

This is low water... Not sure if it helps its like this the whole way round.

 

[Tangled]

This is low water... Not sure if it helps its like this the whole way round.

That's overhead cast territory

If you watch other people you'll see most of them casting out, retrieving until they've got a comfortable amount of line left, rip it out of the water then give it between 2 and 25 false casts and start over.

Some will substitute a roll cast to get the line off the water and a short distance out, then go into overhead mode. I've seen one guy do this smacking the water with the roll cast then ripping it off straight away. I gave him a wide berth.

I've only seen one guy exclusively use a roll cast on a lake, he was doing a version of short-lining, roll cast, short retrieve, roll cast. Probably fishing through only about 15’ of water. It seemed to work for him.

Personally, I want to do everything with as little effort and water disturbance as possible. Fish the fly right in to my feet and let it hang there - I can't tell you how many times that's resulted in a fish frightening the life out of me. They follow it all the way in then take it just as it looks like they're going to lose it.

But doing that means I've got very little line out to load the rod for the next cast so I have to wave it around a few times to get enough to recast. In real life we use all manner of casts and bastardised versions of them. My first move from the retrieve is a half an aerial roll cast followed by an overhead. But whatever works is fine.

 

[GEK79]

That's overhead cast territory

If you watch other people you'll see most of them casting out, retrieving until they've got a comfortable amount of line left, rip it out of the water then give it between 2 and 25 false casts and start over.

Some will substitute a roll cast to get the line off the water and a short distance out, then go into overhead mode. I've seen one guy do this smacking the water with the roll cast then ripping it off straight away. I gave him a wide berth.

I've only seen one guy exclusively use a roll cast on a lake, he was doing a version of short-lining, roll cast, short retrieve, roll cast. Probably fishing through only about 15’ of water. It seemed to work for him.

Personally, I want to do everything with as little effort and water disturbance as possible. Fish the fly right in to my feet and let it hang there - I can't tell you how many times that's resulted in a fish frightening the life out of me. They follow it all the way in then take it just as it looks like they're going to lose it.

But doing that means I've got very little line out to load the rod for the next cast so I have to wave it around a few times to get enough to recast. In real life we use all manner of casts and bastardised versions of them. My first move from the retrieve is a half an aerial roll cast followed by an overhead. But whatever works is fine.

That's it I can overhead when she's half empty but now she's full and there isn't much embankment.. I'll see what messes u get into next week.. Thanks as always..
Gary

 

[BobP]

to each his own, I try not to use more than 2 false casts, which is why I tend to roll cast first, and then lift off, some writwer once said when the flies are in the air the fish wont see them, I was in a boat with a guy who insisted on 6 or 7 false casts, there was no way I could convince him not to do it, I don't fish with him much now, easker1

Likewise. I tell the beginners and novices that the more times they waggle that rod backwards and forwards the more fishing time they waste and more chances they have of getting into a mess with it and the more fishing time they will waste and so on..........

Off the bank at Farmoor I like to fish the cast right out. I'll have maybe two yards of flyline out of the rod tip and given that the leader is around 6 yards long plus the length of the rod that means the point fly is around 10 yards away from me when I start to lift off. Actually it is a lot less given the curve due to the surface drift. My process then is to roll the line, leader and flies off the water releasing a couple of yards of line as I do so and then go straight into a back cast without anything touching the water. One forward cast to extend more line. Back cast and let it go. 23-25 yards with a 5 weight consistently given reasonable wind and weather conditions.

 

[Paul_B]

This is low water... Not sure if it helps its like this the whole way round.

It looks like a good bit of water and would expect to find fish in the margins, don't worry too much about getting a long cast, I'd think more about catching those close by and try not to spook them.

A long cast can be beneficial in certain circumstances but with water like that I sooner practice on a local football pitch or play area, a park type maybe

 

[GEK79]

×

It looks like a good bit of water and would expect to find fish in the margins, don't worry too much about getting a long cast, I'd think more about catching those close by and try not to spook them.

A long cast can be beneficial in certain circumstances but with water like that I sooner practice on a local football pitch or play area, a park type maybe

The fish I have taken have been in the margins...cruising and taking flies.. As for the cast I practice in Garden alot and just was unsure about the initial set up of taking the line out and how much.. Thank you all

 

[PaulD]

The fish I have taken have been in the margins...cruising and taking flies.. As for the cast I practice in Garden alot and just was unsure about the initial set up of taking the line out and how much.. Thank you all

Something to remember is that you are not obligated to fish out at 90 degrees to the bank. If fish are cruising and feeding in the shallow water of the margins then walk further along the bank and fish towards them parallel with the water's edge, often no need to get your boots wet.

As Ohanzee says, the best way to extend line is to drop a short length onto the water in front of you, strip some line from your reel and wave your rod tip from side to side. The water tension will pull the line through your rod tip onto the water in front. Pull some more line off the reel and repeat. It is then an easy matter to form a D loop and roll cast the 'line pile' into a straight line. Simples.

 

[GEK79]

×

Something to remember is that you are not obligated to fish out at 90 degrees to the bank. If fish are cruising and feeding in the shallow water of the margins then walk further along the bank and fish towards them parallel with the water's edge, often no need to get your boots wet.

As Ohanzee says, the best way to extend line is to drop a short length onto the water in front of you, strip some line from your reel and wave your rod tip from side to side. The water tension will pull the line through your rod tip onto the water in front. Pull some more line off the reel and repeat. It is then an easy matter to form a D loop and roll cast the 'line pile' into a straight line. Simples.

I have a date with the lough Wednesday.. So all advice given here will be used thanks to all..

 

[ohanzee]

Have you ever seen a distance caster use a roll cast? Of course a roll cast is less powerful!

Yes, three world champions, to illustrate a point that is well off topic.

 

[ohanzee]

This is low water... Not sure if it helps its like this the whole way round.

I fish similar lochs where low summer levels make it easier, the same lochs with high water can be frustrating especially if you are down at water level with a bank behind and another level of brush growing on that, and if you stay back up on the bank your cast shortens, its actually quite good one to pose on the forum because I don't think there is one single solution.

There will be bits where a higher back cast helps, and if you can wade in a bit but have too high a bank behind a spey cast will work there, but the one not to miss is Paul's working at an angle, this does a lot to get further out with a blocked back cast too, just turning at 45 degrees increases the distance to anything behind you.

 

[taffy1]

It may well be worth checking out two dignified casting geniuses, Goran Andersson & Henrik Mortensen. The first developed the underhand cast while the second did his best to improve on it.

 

[GEK79]

I fish similar lochs where low summer levels make it easier, the same lochs with high water can be frustrating especially if you are down at water level with a bank behind and another level of brush growing on that, and if you stay back up on the bank your cast shortens, its actually quite good one to pose on the forum because I don't think there is one single solution.

There will be bits where a higher back cast helps, and if you can wade in a bit but have too high a bank behind a spey cast will work there, but the one not to miss is Paul's working at an angle, this does a lot to get further out with a blocked back cast too, just turning at 45 degrees increases the distance to anything behind you.

Its been raining hard again so I'm sure the level will be high. Thanks for the advice so a jack of all trades and a master of none I will try... The wading is troublesome as I can see the shallows then gone very quickly.. Thanks to all will update with some pics on Wednesday..
Gary

 

[Tangled]

Yes, three world champions, to illustrate a point that is well off topic.

So let's be clear, you think that a 9' #5 rod can roll cast further than an overhead cast?

 

[bobmiddlepoint]

I see the willy waving has started

 

[Tangled]

I see the willy waving has started

No, I'm genuinely confused. I made what I thought was an obvious comment that a roll cast is not as powerful as an overhead cast and I got a lot of push back. I now need to know what I'm missing.

 

[GEK79]

No, I'm genuinely confused. I made what I thought was an obvious comment that a roll cast is not as powerful as an overhead cast and I got a lot of push back. I now need to know what I'm missing.

Its possible that on here a difference of opinions.. Lol I'm not yet a big distance caster. Maybe one day but I've used roll casting on the river.. And had used roll casts to get line out on the Lough.. Now after all your help I have a few options to getting the line out.

 

[bobmiddlepoint]

No, I'm genuinely confused. I made what I thought was an obvious comment that a roll cast is not as powerful as an overhead cast and I got a lot of push back. I now need to know what I'm missing.

You are always genuinely confused but you generally don't realise it


Tis going to be a long winter!

 

[Paul_B]

Its possible that on here a difference of opinions.. Lol I'm not yet a big distance caster. Maybe one day but I've used roll casting on the river.. And had used roll casts to get line out on the Lough.. Now after all your help I have a few options to getting the line out.

Most lines used to have little bumps in the line, they looked like a line fault but they were there to let you know the optimum line needed to cast and you could feel them them between the fingers when pulling the line back.
If your line doesn't have them and not many do lately, you can mark the line with a marker pen so you notice it in your peripheral vision when you find the amount of line that you need to cast.
Eventually you do it by the feel of the cast.

You can get some line by roll casting or by waving the rod in the air (false casting) I'm not a fan of waving the line in the water to get more out as it scares the fish, in my opinion.

heres a video on starting to cast

 

[Tangled]

You are always genuinely confused but you generally don't realise it

So why not end my confusion by answering my question?

 

[Paul_B]

Heres a lady who can use a rod