Instructions For How To Cast A Fly

Fishing Rod Essay, Research Paper

How To Cast A Fly Rod

Most people think of fishing as going down to the local creek or jetty and soaking a few prawns or throwing a few lures around. However there is a more fun and often more productive method called flyfishing.

To go flyfishing you need six things, a fly rod ( usually around 9 foot long ),

a fly reel ( a round shaped reel usually with a 1:1 retrieve ratio ), a fly line ( a round 90 foot long ), fly line backing ( fills up the reel and is spare line in case the fish takes a big run ), a tippet to tie to the front end of the fly line so it does’nt scare the fish( around 9 foot of clear line ) and a few flies ( lures made from winding furs, feathers, glitter and other things around a hook ).

Fly fishing is different to other types of fishing because it is not the sinker or lure that provides you with the weight to cast, the fly line gives you the weight to cast.

The easiest flyline to learn to cast on is a weight foward line. This means that most of the weight in the line is in the first ten to twentyfive feet ( this allows you to make short accurate casts )

The first thing you have to do to cast a fly rod is to get a nice firm grip on the handle. Hold the rod with fingers wrapped around the handle and thumb facing foward, like you would hold a golf club. The grip is very important and if you get a bad habit of holding the rod incorrectly or casting wrong it will take you a very long time to correct it.Run about ten to fifteen feet of line out of the reel and let it fall to your feet. Make sure there is nothing for the line to get caught on or around. Now flick the line out through the rod with small flicks of your wrist so the ten or fifteen feet foot of line is laying out in front of you. Now raise the rod and swing it back to about 1 o’clock, using your forearm and not your wrist. In about two seconds you should feel the line tighten behind you and the tip of the rod should bend back slightly. When you feel this push the rod foward and give a small flick of the wrist so that the rod ends up at about 10 o’clock.

The line should speed out in front of you and lay flat on the ground ( be careful not to hook youself in the back or ear ). You will soon find yourself doing trick casts around trees and mangroves and remember practice makes perfect.