The Orvis Guide to Beginning Fly Fishing Page 5

  There are as many styles and opinions on how much to haul and when to do it as there are casting styles. It often helps to haul on the back cast and let the line fall to the ground behind you. Then take a look at your hand position (hands should be together as the back cast straightens) and make the forward cast with a haul.You’ll be amazed that even with the line on the ground behind you, a decent forward cast is possible because of the increased line speed you generate with the double haul. Keep practicing it until you suddenly feel the fly line try to jump from your hands—then you’ve got it.

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  How should your leader, line, and fly land on the water?

  SOMEWHERE, SOMEHOW, A SUPPOSED EXPERT TOLD NOVICE anglers that their fly should land on the water before the line and leader. I know this because year after year, when teaching in the Orvis fishing schools, I’d have students ask me how to make their fly land first.You can do it, but I’ve never figured out why you’d want to.

  In order to slow down the tremendous forward speed of your line and leader so your cast does not slam on the water, you must take advantage of their air resistance. The best way to slow down the cast and present the fly with accuracy is to be sure the line, leader, and fly all straighten above the water at the same time. Two feet above the water is about right. The key to accomplishing this is to get a nice straight back cast, a quick power stroke that drives the tip of the rod forward, and then a seamless follow-through with the rod until the tip of the rod is parallel to the water.

  With this nice loop straightening above the water, the line, leader, and fly will all land at about the same time, taking advantage of their air resistance.

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  Keeping your fly line slick

  SMOOTH, SLICK FLY LINES CAST BETTER, SHOOT BETTER, and float better. Lines pick up dirt and algae when used, and they simply have to be cleaned. Commercial line dressings make them feel slicker at first, but these concoctions end up attracting more junk to the line’s surface and defeat the purpose. Some people clean their lines after every fishing trip, while others do it once a season.The ideal frequency depends on how much algae is in the water you fish and how much you drag your line along the ground. But cleaning a line is so simple that most of us should do it more often.

  Simply take a soft cloth or paper towel and wet it with warm water to which you’ve added a small amount of dish soap. Now strip the line off your reel in nice loose coils in a room free of cats, dogs, and small children, or outside on the lawn. Once all the line is off your reel, run it through the cloth, applying enough pressure to make the fly line squeak a little. Then work back the other way with a clean, dry cloth. You may find that once you strip off half your line it already looks slick and pristine (unless you cast the whole fly line when you fish), so you may be able to stop after about forty feet.

  Dirt collects on the surface of the fly line and keeps it from floating and shooting well. All you have to do is wash the line in warm soapy water and run it through a paper towel to remove it.

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  How to keep from hanging up in trees and brush—and what to do about it

  OKAY, LET’S FIRST ESTABLISH A FACT OF LIFE. EVERYONE gets hung up in trees or streamside brush. Everyone. Fly fishers who tell you different are either lying or never fish in those tricky places where the best fish lurk. All you want to do is minimize your hangups.

  Keeping a few points in the back of your mind will help. For instance, the best place to position yourself in brushy streams if you are right-handed is from the middle of the river to the left bank (looking upstream) if you have the option, because most right-handers cast a little off to the right. Always look behind before you cast and make a few practice false casts. This is not just a rookie move—everybody does it. Don’t forget that the longer your cast, the harder it is to control, especially on windy days, so if you keep getting hung in the trees shorten up a bit.

  If (sorry, when) you get hung up in a tree, the worst thing you can do is to yank on your line with the rod.Yanking on a fly caught in a tree often puts a severe strain on a fly rod—one it was not designed for. Either carefully lay your rod on the bank and then pull on the line and leader with your hands, or point the tip of the rod directly at the fly and walk backward.

  Everybody gets hung up in trees. This, however, is not the best way to retrieve a stuck fly. It’s much better to back up, keeping the rod tip pointed directly toward the fly.

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  What rod action do you need?

  I HESITATE TO OPEN THE MESSY BOX OF JARGON THAT FLY fishers use to describe rod actions, because few people understand what a fly rod really does. But in the convoluted world of choices in fly rods today, we all need guidelines besides just length and line size.You’ll hear the words fast, medium, and slow to describe rod action. To one person, fast means a rod that bends more close to the tip than it does down into the middle of the rod. To other anglers, a fast rod is one that’s stiffer than others of the same configuration. Or you’ll hear rods described as “still” or “soft.” Orvis uses a standard that, I believe, is less confusing because it describes exactly how a rod bends under a given load, and can be measured and duplicated from one rod to the next. This system uses the terms tip-flex, mid-flex, and full-flex. A tip-flex rod bends mostly at the tip and a lot less in the middle, mid-flex bends down into the middle of the rod, and in a full-flex action, the rod bends right down into the handle.

  In a small mountain stream like this, a full-flex action will load the rod better on short casts.

  Obviously there are degrees of each action, but putting rods in those broad terms is enough. So what do these terms tell you about what the rod will do for you? A tip-flex rod develops higher line speed and tighter casting loops, which means it is a rocket ship that will shoot a lot of line. It also has more reserve power for long casts, and most anglers feel this action has better accuracy on long casts. A full-flex rod is great for short casts and light tippets; because the rod bends so much it acts as a superb shock absorber. It’s also more fun with small fish because the rod bends so easily. A mid-flex rod, naturally, is somewhere in between and is a great compromise between close-in accuracy and power for distance.

  You might find you like one action type for all your rods.That’s fine; one of the actions just might fit your personality and casting style. For instance, if you are a type-A person you might always want a tip-flex rod, and if it takes a life-threatening situation to get your pulse going, you might want a laid-back full-flex rod all the time. I prefer a tip-flex for saltwater fishing where I know I’ll have a lot of wind and will be forced to make frequent long casts. For small-stream trout fishing I like a real full-flex action. For basic trout fishing I like a mid-flex. Fortunately, reliable fly shops will let you “try before you buy” so if you’re not sure, you can experiment with different actions before you decide on the right one for you.

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  When you need a roll cast

  WHENEVER POSSIBLE YOU SHOULD USE THE STANDARD overhead cast. It’s more accurate, you can cast farther when you need to, and it lands on the water more softly. However, you will encounter times, especially on small streams or on bigger rivers where you can’t wade out very far, when streamside brush makes a back cast impossible.

  Getting ready for a roll cast in a tight spot

  Also, because the roll cast does not require an existing bend in your rod in order to propel the line forward, as an overhead cast does, it’s perfect for those times when for some reason you’ve ended up with a pile of line at your feet.You can start with a quick roll cast to get the line out on the water in front of you. Then you’ll be able to develop a bend in the rod for an overhead cast because the straight line, without slack, will begin to bend the rod immediately and will build up enough energy to flex the rod and drive the line behind you for a back cast.

  The roll cast is almost intuitive and takes about five minutes to learn. Just move the rod tip back slowly until you get a semicircle of line behind the rod a
nd slightly off to the side. A quick point with the tip of the rod will drive the line out in front of you with no back cast.

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  Why does your fly keep hitting your line?

  FLY CASTERS OFTEN GET FRUSTRATED WHEN THE FLY catches the rod, fly, or leader on its path, and this happens most often on the forward cast.The first thing to check is the wind—make sure you don’t have a crosswind blowing the fly into your rod. With no wind to blame, the most common reason for this problem is a closed or “tailing” casting loop.

  A nice loop like this one won’t catch on itself.

  To understand what happens on a bad loop like this, you have to first see what happens on a good loop. Examining your own casting loop is tough. You’re not at a good angle to see what’s happening. My advice is to watch a good caster in action, either live or on a video.You see that a good casting loop on the forward cast looks like the letter J turned on its side, or a candy cane. As the forward cast unrolls, the bottom of the loop gets longer and the top gets shorter. In a good cast, the top loop always stays above the bottom loop. A tailing loop happens when the top of the loop drops below the bottom, and the fly catches on the line.

  Tailing loops can be tough to correct, and the only therapy is practice. Some casters respond better to knowing what their hand and arm are doing wrong, and others find it easier to correct problems just by thinking about the rod and line. A tailing loop is usually caused by the caster using too much wrist on the forward cast, too soon. The weaker wrist muscles are better at giving the forward cast that final crisp snap, so when you make a forward cast, try to initiate the cast with your forearm and follow up with a wrist snap. If you find it easier to relate to what the rod and line are doing, remember that the tip of the rod has to get out of the way of the line quickly, and the best way to do this is to concentrate on pointing the rod straight out in front of you, at waist level, as quickly as possible.

  A good tight loop

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  Why does your line pile up on the water?

  THE FLIP ANSWER TO THIS QUESTION IS, “YOU ARE DOING something wrong on your cast,” but, truly, almost anything you do wrong will give you puddles of line instead of a nice straight cast. However, two errors are the most likely suspects. First, examine a bad cast and determine if the line is piling right in front of the rod tip, or if it’s slamming on the water some distance out from your position.

  Line piling right in front of you is almost always caused by a poor back cast and then not putting enough quick power into the forward cast. When you practice casting, turn around and watch your back cast every time. Not putting enough power into the back cast, or dropping the rod tip too far behind you, dumps the line below the tip of the rod so that it can never form a good casting loop on the forward cast. Once you are able to drive the line up and behind you so that the line at the end of the back cast is straight and parallel to the water, it’s a simple matter to point the tip of the rod quickly in front of you. It’s hard to make a bad forward cast with a great back cast.

  Great casters make full use of the rod’s bend to develop casting energy.

  Line slamming into the water, surprisingly, does not come from too much power on the forward cast. It comes from aiming the tip of the rod at the water rather than straight out over the water. If the tip of your rod never drops below a horizontal angle on the forward cast, you can put as much power as you want to in the cast—your line will never slam on the water.

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  Casting from a boat

  IN ONE RESPECT, CASTING FROM A BOAT IS EASIER, especially if the boat is stable enough for you to stand in, because you have more elevation above the water, so it’s easier to pick up line and it’s easier to keep your back cast high. However, boats present their own challenges, and if you’re prepared to deal with them your time on the water will be easier.

  First, most boats are full of cleats and seats and other gear that can grab your fly line when you make a cast. Try to remove as many obstructions as possible around your feet, or cover them with a wet towel or a piece of mesh if they can’t be moved. Whereas most of us are pretty casual about where we strip our line when wading, when casting from a boat it helps if you pay more attention to where each length of line is placed when you’re stripping it in. Some anglers like to use a stripping basket in a boat, which is a device used to catch all your excess line after stripping it in. A plastic trash bucket can be used as a stripping basket in a pinch—just fill it with a little water to keep it weighted down and to keep your fly line slick.

  You must also pay attention to the living obstructions in a boat. For instance, in a drift boat, where there is typically an angler in the bow and one in the stern with the guide sitting between the two, the territory over the length of the boat is a forbidden land—in other words, never cast straight in front of or straight behind a boat unless you want a very unhappy guide. And with two anglers casting at the same time, even if they are casting to different sides of the boat, it’s very easy to tangle the back cast of one angler with the forward cast of the other. It’s always the responsibility of the caster in the stern to watch out for trouble because the angler in the bow can’t see what is going on behind him.

  Ordinarily, the right-hander in the stern of this boat would be casting in the other direction so he could watch the other angler’s back cast and not cast over the head of the guide in the middle. But all three of these guys are guides so they’ll probably be OK.

  PART IV

  Techniques

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  Which direction should you move when fishing a stream?

  BEFORE YOU DECIDE WHICH DIRECTION TO FISH, YOU should have a basic strategy in mind. Will you be fishing primarily with a dry fly, nymph, wet fly, or streamer? Dry flies are best fished at an upstream angle to prevent drag, and because dry-fly fishing is usually practiced in shallow water where fish can see the surface, working against the current keeps you behind the fish, in the blind spot in their rear quarters. Swing a wet fly or a streamer on a downstream angle, and by working slowly downstream, you can cover all the likely water by swinging the fly across the current, taking a few steps downstream, and repeating the process.

  This angler is swinging a wet fly downstream, making a few steps between each cast so he covers all the water.

  You can fish nymphs at almost any angle you can think of, depending on water conditions and the rig you’re using. The most popular way to fish nymphs is across-stream, casting on a slight upstream angle, so when fishing them you can move either upstream or downstream. If the water is shallow it’s a good idea to work upstream, as you would with a dry fly, so you can sneak up on the fish. If the water is swift and it’s too much work to constantly fight the current, you may prefer to move slowly downstream.

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  Do you need a net or can you use your hands?

  NETS CLUTCH AT BRANCHES AS YOU WALK THROUGH THE woods and are just another piece of gear hanging from your fishing vest. Do you really need one? If all the fish you catch are smaller than twelve inches, it’s probably just as easy to land the fish by hand, cradling each fish gently in the water while holding the leader and freeing the fly with a pair of forceps. However, this gets tougher as the fish get bigger and friskier, as once a fish gets close to you it takes about twice as long to maneuver it to hand as it does just to scoop it up in a net. You’ll also lose more flies and more fish because of last-minute headshakes that wouldn’t have occurred if the fish was already safely in a net.

  Small trout can be easily handled without a net.

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  How to land a fish without losing it

  MOST FISH ARE LOST AT THE STRIKE OR DURING THE FINAL moments of landing. The rest of the stuff in between might be exciting, but it’s not where many fish are lost. To be sure of landing a fish, the best approach is to have a buddy with a net, preferably the long-handled variety so your assistant doesn’t have to get so close to the fish or swipe the water for the fish. In a current, get your buddy
downstream of your position, and once the fish gets in close, move your rod tip off to the side and downstream while the net handler holds the net under water. As soon as the fish passes above the net, a quick upward sweep captures it with a minimum of fuss. Swiping at a fish with a net is a quick path to a broken leader.

  The best way to land a big fish in fast water is to have someone hold the net underwater and lead the fish over the top of the net.

  Without a friend with a net, assuming you have one yourself, try to lead the fish upstream of your position with the tip of the rod, reach out and place the net under water, and then let the fish drift back in the current and lift the net under the fish. If you find yourself without a net and connected to a very large fish (or a fish that won’t fit into the puny net you’re carrying), the best approach is to beach the fish. Scan the shore for a shallow beach where you can lead the fish until it gets into water so shallow that is has to turn on its side. Once it does, you can back up and slide it easily into shallower water where it can’t move at all.