A Cast of Tens The other day I was thinking about types of casts. I jotted down a few and the made the mistake of doing some research. It turns out there are more than I care to know about. So, I thought I’d bore you with what I learned. I’m sure some of these go by different names but that’s the risk you take when you start a list for no good reason. Overhead cast (fore and aft). (Not to be confused with the fore and aft cap worn by Sherlock Holmes. It has a bill on each end and was a great invention for people who don’t know whether they’re coming or going.) This is the old “10 o’clock to 2 o’clock” cast; straight ahead fly casting – nothing fancy. Kind of like the fly fishing equivalent of the missionary position. Roll Cast: Got trees in back and little room for a “normal” cast? Bring the rod back until it’s pointing slightly back of straight up and drive the rod hand out as if driving a nail into a wall. The line rolls out and unfolds. Works best with small flies; works worst with heavy, weighted flies. Steeple Cast: An alternative to the roll cast. This requires an energetic pickup that shoots the back cast almost straight up overhead. Too little energy means lost flies or tree climbing. Tuck: A favorite of nymph fishers, used when fishing directly upstream in deep water or in pocket-water. Over-power the forward cast so that when the line straightens out the extra energy causes the fly to dive down, arriving before the line, giving the fly time to sink. Side: Keep the casting plane almost parallel to the water instead of perpendicular to it. Useful for casting under overhanging branches. It’s also useful for back-casting into the wind. For the forward cast, with the wind, shoot it overhead to take advantage of the gale-force zephyrs. Underhand: A variation of the side cast. Use a downward dip of the rod tip, during the forward cast, to throw the line under the rod. I’ve never seen this done and what’s more, I don’t believe it’s possible. Pile: Also known as the puddle or dump cast. (I am not making this up.) It makes lots of slack, right at your feet, so the first thing that arrives at the fish is the fly. Make the forward cast nearly straight up into the air. Used for fishing a dry fly downstream. Bow and Arrow: For fishing small, overgrown brooks. Reel in until you have only 7 feet of leader/line out. Grab the fly by the bend. Sight down the rod and pull the fly back, loading the rod. Let go and hope you don’t hook any part of your face. Curved: Prevents “lining” the fish. Makes the fly arrive at the fish’s position before any part of the line or leader. Start with a side cast and over-power the cast to curve to the left (for a right-hand caster). Under-power for a curve that curves to the right. Half-Cast: An extreme variation of the curved cast designed to deliver a huge belly upstream of the fish. Only used when there is very fast water between you and the fish. Belgian: Starts as a side cast, comes forward as an overhead cast. When fishing several flies at one time, it keeps them from tangling. Why is it called a “Belgian” cast? Who knows? Double haul: Twice a single haul. Single haul: Half a double. Wrist-twist: Start with a normal overhead cast and at the end of the cast, twist your wrist to the right for a right curve cast; twist to the left for a left. It’s so simple and effective that only Lefty Kreh could have invented it. This is only a small start and you know many others. Do me a favor - don’t tell me what they are – I already have more casts than I can use.
Posted on: Sun, 16 Mar 2014 11:55:27 +0000
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