Fly casting practice . . . Stage 3: Line up, no line hand

Remember when you went to remove the  bike’s "training wheels" ?

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Preparation

Description

Purpose

1.  

Set aside 20 minutes

go outside where there is plenty of open space, at least 100' long, on grass (not water), little or no wind, no audience, no overhead obstacles

practice with 50' of open space in front & 50' in back of you so you can cast unobstructed  

2. 

Start with repeating Stage 2

re-do "yarn casting" (using the sponge if your elbow/arm are “waving”)

to get back to where you left off

3.

Add the reel

string up the fly line

leave practice yarn & ready for "the real thing"; a 7 ½’, 1X tapered leader with yarn tied to the tippet should be used, too

4.

Pull out fly line

how much? 3 times the length of the rod, not including the leader

always cast with a length of fly line that is 3 lengths of the rod, or about 30'

5.

Get the line in front of the rod tip

physically pull out the fly line & lay it 30' out in front of you in a straight line

it is difficult to cast a very short fly line; it doesn't provide enough weight to load the rod; this step helps get you started

6. 

Apply the "finger"

hold the fly line securely against the rod grip in the top joint of the index finger of your rod hand

keep the fly line at a fixed length (about 30’) while you practice; you do not want the line hand involved at this point (put it in your pocket)

7.

Begin casting on the horizontal plane

use the sponge as needed to discipline your elbow/forearm & use the same short, “flipping” back & forth casting stroke you developed with the yarn

begin to cast with the fly line, again using a line on the ground as reference for horizontal “flips”

8.

Cast from sitting position

If you wish, use a chair to sit in while practicing with the fly line

A seated position removes the lower body, thus forcing you to concentrate on proper use of your casting arm (shoulder, forearm, elbow & wrist)