I cannot ever claim to have seen it all but, having taught over 4,000 flyfishers of all abilities, I am able to identify the more common casting faults.
I have selected a few and sincerely hope my responses will be of good use to you.
"The fly line is landing in a heap at my feet.”
The main reason for this is that too much line has been aerialised; it is all about the length of line which you and your rod can manage comfortably.
To help with this we have made the Javelin fly-lines two-toned. The last few inches of the belly-white forward head must be kept within the end ring; allowing it any further means the line will hinge and there will be loss of control.
"After I have made my forward cast the line is in a wiggle. I cannot seem to cast a straight line."
This is primarily caused by your wrist 'breaking'. The rod and the forearm must work as one so that the flex of the rod is not lost and the power is transmitted from your hand to the rod and through to the fly line. When you 'open' your wrist and the butt is clearly a few inches from your forearm you have lost the flex of the rod. I always use a velcro strap with beginners so that it keeps the butt and the forearm together; when this procedure is 'learned' and becomes automatic, the velcro strap can be discarded.
"I can never seem to cast into the wind. No matter how much power I use, the line only seems to blow back to my feet."
The answer to this is really quite simple. A useful exercise would be to take your thumb and forefinger. Position your thumb at 10 o'clock and your forefinger at 12 o'clock; this enables you to visualise the casting power arc.
This power arc, or the moving of the rod from 12 o'clock on the backcast to 10 o'clock on the forward, is the total amount of movement needed to create a tight loop that will aerodynamically cast into the wind and give you distance and accuracy. When you open the casting arc from 2 o'clock behind you to 9 o'clock in front, the loop is no longer tight but very open and the wind will blow your line wherever it wants!
You must also remember that in strong winds you cannot aerialise the usual amount of line, so keep it short and shoot for distance.
"I often get hit on the back of my head with a fly and a goldhead really hurts!"
The reason for this is a combination of the above two faults; you have broken your wrist and have also cast too far backwards. The result of casting back further than 12 o'clock is that you are, in fact, casting downwards, (often known as gardening due to the amount of weeds and grass that you will collect!) Because you have lost the power by opening your wrist, the line and the fly are down behind you, often below your waist. Consequently, when you do the forward cast, the fly hits the back of your head. Try to visualise throwing the line back over the rod top when doing the back cast. A good reference is to think of putting your rod-thumb to your forehead, or at most to your ear; that way you will not be casting down behind you.
“When saImon fishing I always stop the rod at 11 o'clock in front but I never seem to be able to cast much further than 20 yards, no matter how much effort I put into it.”
This is very common and easily corrected. In the forward stroke you are, when right hand up on a double handed rod, pushing with your right arm and straightening it. Two things are happening; you are very heavy on your right hand and little use is being made of your left hand at the butt of the rod. Secondly, by extending and pushing your right arm forward you have not stopped the rod, losing the power needed to shoot the line forward over the rod tip. To retain power you must stop the rod at 11 o'clock, leaving your right arm crooked at the elbow. Now your left hand at the butt of the rod will come into play, pulling the rod sharply into your chest. This causes the rod to flex and stop, creating power at the right time and place. Remember the top hand and arm is there to guide and stop, whilst the bottom hand creates the power by pulling the rod into the body. Once you have mastered this, casting with a salmon rod becomes a joy.
“When salmon fishing I am not able to cast very far and the line just skitters and splashes along in front of me”.
There are two faults here. You have not made a good loop behind you, therefore there is not enough line to effectively load the rod. Look where you are placing the line to make this loop; there needs to be at least 10 ft. of line behind you within a rod's length.
Do not swing the rod away from your body and down behind you as this will cause an open loop. Instead bring the rod up to 1 o'clock behind you, the reel level with your chin; this is called the launch position. Then pull with the butt hand into your body and guide and stop at 11 o'clock. You will have performed a good roll cast and the line will fly over your rod tip then over the water before turning over and falling lightly in a straight line.
The other probable cause for this is that you have stopped the rod at about 9 o'clock, which further opens the casting loop, and the line is propelled downwards into the water. The line has no chance of turning over.
By now you can see there is no getting away from the casting arc. Whether with a single handed or double handed rod this "stop" at the forward cast propels the line neatly over the rod tip.
This is the hallmark of good casting.
These are just a few common problems most people experience with casting. It is always best policy to have at least two hours with a professional instructor rather than trying to teach yourself. Bad habits, once formed, can be difficult to put right and professional tuition will enable you to experience the true joy of flyfishing.
If you are experiencing casting problems that are not mentioned here, please feel free to contact me and I will be only too pleased to help you.
Tight Lines,
Trevor Morgan.
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