Casting
THE MECHANICAL PROCESS OF "THROWING THE FEATHERS"
LEARNING TO CAST
THE best way to learn how to cast a fly is to go a-fishing with some experienced fly fisherman and follow his instructions and example. Next best is to join a casting club and learn how from the "old hands" always found in such organizations and who are always glad to help a beginner. The least desirable way to learn is from printed instructions although they will help if the novice is so situated that he cannot secure the services of an instructor.
A stretch of clear water with ample room for a good back cast is the place to learn fly casting but a lawn without obstructions will do. Do not cast on a road or other bare ground or you will ruin your line.
THE THEORY
The theory of casting a fly is simple. One has a long, more or less pliant rod to act as an instrument of propulsion to throw out a line, leader, and fly or cast of flies. The motive power is furnished by the caster's forearm and wrist, aided by the spring of the rod and supplemented by the weight of the line passing backward and forward through the air. Reduced to mechanical terms the rod is the lever, the fulcrum being the hand and the counterweight the reel and reel seat.
GRASPING THE ROD
The way one grasps his rod has more to do with good casting than the beginner would believe. The natural way would be to wrap the fingers around the handle with the thumb over the fingers; the correct way is to have the thumb pointing along the rod. This is more important than it seems because it gives the muscles of the wrist free play and the thumb serves to give both force and direction to the cast. The first or index finger is sometimes used the same way to give the thumb relief after much casting.
THE OVERHEAD CAST
The overhead or over-the-shoulder is the cast most often used, the others being modifications of it improvised to meet extraordinary conditions. It is the cast for everyday fishing and for accuracy. In learning this cast the novice should anchor a barrel hoop or other target in the water, or if he is learning on the lawn, spread out a newspaper, about twenty feet away. The target should be kept at this distance until he can hit it regularly. Then it may be moved forward five feet at a time. Distance in casting comes naturally; accuracy can be learned only by practice.
The overhead cast consists of three distinct parts:
the back cast, the pause and the forward cast. Let us consider them one at a time.
Click here to learn about the back cast
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