You should now have a healthy understanding of both the basic overhead (pick up and lay down), and roll casting techniques. It is now time to go back to the overhead cast, and build on this basic movement.
FALSE CASTING
We have practiced the basic pick up and lay down cast and are now proficient in this. It has been practiced time and time again, and is well and truly ingrained in our ‘muscle memory. We will now endeavor to keep the line in the air, by way of ‘false casting’. This simply means, once the loop has straightened in front, smoothly accelerate into the back cast once again. We will now cast both backwards and forwards utilizing both a small casting arc (The casting arc is the angle at which the rod butt rotates throughout the casting stroke) and minimal power. Be sure to let the line straighten on both the forward and back casts. Both should be symmetrical in power – you are essentially making the same cast, albeit in opposite directions.
Remember, we are still casting single handedly, and our non casting hand is still in our pocket!
HERE’S A LITTLE DRILL…
Use a short length of line, say several yards. Flick it backwards and forwards using the minimum of power you can get away with – so little that the loop fails to unroll and barely passes the rod tip. Now stop with a slightly crisper movement and your loops will unfurl. Perform this with a minimum of movement (small casting arc), and a relaxed hand, squeezing into the stop on both the forward and back cast. If your line collides with the rod tip whilst false casting, try dropping your hand slightly on the forward cast. You should now be false casting with very tight, efficient loops!
Now, just when you think you have mastered this drill – USE LESS POWER!
Once control and smooth, tight loops are attained consistently, try extending the ling one foot at a time. If you lose it, shorten up. Soon you will be throwing good loops at ‘fishing’ distances.
SHOOTING LINE
Now that we are familiar with the concept of both the pick up and lay down (overhead) cast, and false casting, we will endeavor to make your cast travel a little further. This involves shooting line.
Prepare for the standard pick up and lay down. Rod tip to the ground, 10 yards of line out in front, correct stance and grip, with the line trapped under your index finger. Now, strip another three or four yards of line from your reel, and let this fall to your feet.
Make your overhead cast, concentrating on a crisp, abrupt stop on the back cast. On the forward delivery, after the stop, release the index finger. With the right momentum, the loop traveling forwards will pull the extra line out through the rings. If you release the line before the stop, the line will snake up through the rings, the rod tip will spring up, and you will end up in a mess. If you release too late, nothing happens. Think ‘Stop/release’. Follow through with the rod tip to complete the presentation, and you have it!
Practice this for a while, pulling the extra line back in through your rings before repeating.
SHOOTING LINE ON THE FALSE CAST
I want you now to go from trapping the line between your index finger and the rod, to holding it in between the forefinger and thumb of your free hand. The position to keep your free (line) hand is in front of your chest, not down by your side. When beginning the overhead cast, both your rod hand and line hand should be together. For now, as you make your cast, your line hand should remain in front of your chest.
Practice the pick up and lay down cast, shooting line as before, letting line slip through the fingers of your line hand after the forward stop. Do not let go completely of the line. Just as the shooting line loses momentum, clamp down on the line with the forefinger and thumb. Think of it as a switch; By opening your finger and thumb, you are opening the switch, allowing line to slip through. By closing your finger and thumb on the line, you are closing the switch.
Now false cast, whilst holding the line with your free hand. At the completion of each forward stroke, after the stop, I want you to allow a small amount of line to slip through your fingers, clamping down on it (closing the switch) just as the loop straightens. On the final cast, shoot the remainder of the spare line forward.
You are now false casting and shooting line effectively.
Note: When casting, the more line you have outside of the rod tip, the wider your casting arc must become, otherwise your loop will tail, and your leader will tangle.
DISCUSSION
When thinking of fly fishing, many people envision the angler waving his rod in the air, false casting innumerous times creating all sorts of sexy patterns with his line. This is not what we do!
Limit your false casting to one, two, or three at the absolute maximum. Use the minimum number required to get your fly to the target.
False casting has three main purposes:
- To lengthen line
- To dry off floating flies
- To gauge distance and accuracy to the target
When lengthening line in normal fishing conditions, one false cast (shooting line) and the final presentation shoot is all that is required to attain required distance. The more time your line is in the air, the less time your fly is in the water, the more likely you are to spook fish, and tangle.
A common fault when false casting is to tilt your casting plane backwards, so that your backcast is sent low, whilst your forward presentation is angled high. What we want to achieve is the opposite. Be conscious of stopping your backcast a little higher than your forward stroke, effectively tilting your casting plane forward.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Chris Dore is a battle-tested fly fishing guide with over 15 years of professional guiding experience, battling the demanding, ever-changing conditions that our New Zealand rivers throw at us.
In 2006 Chris became one of the first New Zealanders to successfully pass the internationally recognized Federation of Fly Fishers Certified Casting Instructors examination and has since taught many thousands of anglers to up their skillset.
For more in person and on river fly fishing advice and upskilling why not book Chris for a day or three?
