The Tailing Loop The Federation of Fly Fishers Newsletter for Casting Instructors Fall 1995 KEEP IT SIMPLE! by Leon Chandler I am bothered with the knowledge that a lot of folks out there are not fishing with a fly rod because of the perception that the skills required to cast a fly line are too complex for them to possibly learn. I think this unfortunate atmosphere has been created by well-meaning “experts” who are oftentimes inclined to get carried away with their own expertise and talk and write in a manner that has a way of intimidating the novice beginner. As FFF Certified Casting Instructors, oftentimes the first important step is to put the student at ease by explaining that all the experts once began as novices and developing casting skills is a learning process - one step at a time. If the student is a golfer, it is unlikely he or she shot par the first time out. Neither can they expect to become expert fly fishers at the very beginning. But for many of us, hitting a golf ball straight and long is a heck of a lot more difficult than casting a fly line far enough to catch fish. My experience has been that most beginning fly fishing students already have some angling experience, probably as a result of fishing with either an open-face or closedface spinning reel. Therefore, I feel my first obligation is to make certain they understand the differences in the technique of casting a weighted spinning lure versus that of casting an almost weightless artificial fly. They should comprehend that with a spinning rod, the weight and momentum of the lure pulls the line off the spool of the reel. However, because the almost weightless artificial fly is not heavy enough to cast with a spinning rod - in fly casting, we use a completely different principle, and that is to cast the line. Wherever we cast the line, the fly is sure to follow. Forget about the fly - concentrate on what the line is doing. To help them better understand, I emphasize that the line is, in effect, an elongated weight and in order to cast the elongated weight, we must do things substantially different than when we are casting the concentrated weight of a spinning lure. The similarity is we are still casting weight and this leads to emphasizing the importance of the backcast and how vital it is to make the back-cast with enough force to allow it to straighten out behind - thus getting the weight of the line in position to load or ‘cock’ the rod. When the
back cast is in proper position to load the rod, then it is only a matter of timing to make the forward thrust and to deliver the fly to the imaginary target. I have found that at this point, the most difficult thing is to get the student to understand the importance of making the rod tip control the line - both on the back cast and the forward thrust. Most have a tendency to want to wave the entire rod, resulting in a wide loop that doesn’t go anywhere. I ask them to imagine there is an apple impaled on the rod tip and to imagine they are trying to”flip” it off both to the back and to the front. I will place my hand over theirs on the rod grip and emphasize making the rod tip “flip” the line back then forward. Once they get the feel of this action, they are well on their way. Don’t let beginners try to handle too much line. Forty feet is enough. Secure the line around the reel so they can’t strip out more. Too much line really messes up their timing. I prefer the first basic instruction to be on grass - away from the distraction of attempting to pick line off water. And at this point, I want them to merely pick up, throw a straight back cast, then lay down. Turn students sideways, tell them to look back at the back cast - if it is high, straight and level, fine. If not, they must correct something in their stroke. They must learn to get the back cast in position to use the weight of the line against the rod. If water is available, the next step is to teach the roll cast. Because it is easy, it gives them a sense of accomplishment and diverts attention from the tension of trying to make the line behave in the air. For the roll cast, the line must be drawn back slowly until it drapes behind the rod - then with a sharp, tip-action thrust, the line will roll out. And they are so pleased they were able to do it - usually on the first, second or third try. Then I like to have them alternate upon command - a few pick up and lay downs, then a few roll casts, a few more pick-ups, then a few more roll casts until they feel comfortable and fully understand the importance of making the rod tip direct the line where they want it to go. These are the first easy steps in introducing a novice to the intriguing world of fly fishing. Everything else fol-