Now you have the right equipment, know where to fish, and the only thing left is to catch the fish. First thing to catch the fish is to get the fly to where the fish is feeding. If you already have taken some lessons from fly fishing guide, you probably already know not to stay too close so as to spook the fish or not too far which make casting unrealistic. With accurate and delicate casting, your investment on equipment would be wasted. Even with mediocre equipment, you will still be able to catch fish if you can present and retrieve the fly in an appropriate manner.

 

Reading books and taking lessons from the experts are helpful but what makes you a real fly fisherman is practice. Like other sports, you need constant practice, put your time on the water, and learn by your mistakes.

 

The fly should be delivered to the right place and with the right amount of noise. Usually this means as little splash as possible. To achieve that, you will need to get the rod tip and line to travel a straight line, parallel to the water. In practice, that straight line should be tilted forward so that the rod tip and line start out over your head, with the line, leader and fly ending up about 1-2 feet above the water surface. This way, the leader fully straightens, the fly suddenly stops and lightly drops a short distance to the water surface, creating little disturbance.

 

The next question is how close to the fish you place the fly. It depends on the situation. In clear water and the fish is not moving much, you might try to put the fly about 5 feet in front of it with as little splash as possible. If the fish is moving towards you, then you may place the fly 8 feet in front of it. The idea is you cast the fly far enough so the fish can see but not scare it away.

 

Here are eight steps for casting in general:

 

      1. Hold your rod at waist level and parallel to the ground, and let out or wind in your line until you have between 12 to 16 inches of line out from the rod tip.

 

      2. Hold the rod in your casting hand with two fingers either side of the reel foot.

 

      3. Bring the line roller around into a position directly under the rod.

 

      4. Hold the line against the rod with your index finger, slightly down from the spool.

 

      5. Keep holding the line and open the bail arm with your free hand.

 

      6. Look behind you to make sure that the area is clear and bring the rod back to a 2 o’clock position. Make sure the line isn’t tangled around the rod tip.

 

      7. Looking forward at the area that you wish to cast to, bring the rod forward in a smooth movement, releasing the line from your index finger at a 10 o’clock position.

 

      8. Close the bail arm by turning the handle of the reel, and winding up the slack line.

 

 

 

When you are casting, remember that it is not about strength, but about timing and requires a lot of practice. Here are a few things to keep in mind:

 

     - Focus on the line not the fly at the end of the line and the line will go where the rod tip points.

 

     - Using the correct grip on the rod is critical to casting success. Hold the rod on the grip above the reel with the reel hanging beneath the rod. Your thumb should be on top of the grip pointing down the rod shaft toward your target. Keep the rod butt under, and in line with, your forearm so the rod becomes an extension of your arm. Lock your wrist and bend your arm at the elbow. Strive for all your movements to be smooth.

 

     - Stand with your feet shoulder width apart with the foot on the same side as the line hand slightly forward, aiming at your target. Always look at the place you want the end of your fly line to go. Don’t hold the arm too high then you will be tired quickly and always keep your arm in an even plane or the rod tip will not move evenly.