This section is about actual fly fishing situations, knowing where your target is, where to position yourself and which cast you could choose to present your fly correctly... that’s it in a nutshell.
Oh yes! I’m sort of ambidextrous, but a true left hander, so the articles will be in my language. I’ll let you ‘righties’ do the conversion unless I need to make a particular point, then I’ll describe for both.
What I share is not the be all and end all, it’s just an option to consider. You probably need to tweak it to suit your location, your capabilities and physical demeanour to make it work. How ever you do it, make sure it’s comfortable, safe, but most of all enjoyable.
I’m not a photographer, literary genius or artist... I’ll do my best to make it easy to understand in both words and pictures wherever it’s appropriate. If I’m not doing that then please get in touch and sort us out. I hope you enjoy this and the rest of the EFS content.
So lets take a look at the Side Cast
Fishing situation – Overhanging obstruction above where I want to put the fly
Possible casting solution – Side Arm Cast
Wading through this section of river I’m faced with my first obstruction - an overhanging tree, the yellow area represents the zone where I want to place my fly (fig.1)
In order to overcome the obstruction I am choosing on this occasion to use what is commonly referred to as a side arm cast. To perform this cast I’m going to consider three significant factors: 1 - the stance I adopt to perform it, 2 - the plane within which I move the rod, 3 - the hand position I maintain when making the cast.
1 - The stance
The stance I adopt is side-on to my intended target. I may need to adjust this position slightly for comfort, footing, and to avoid any immediate restrictions behind that otherwise impede my ability to make a back cast (figs.1&2)
Why this stance?
This stance allows me to rotate my head and observe any obstruction in the casting plane back & forth. It is beneficial for maintaining good upper body control and minimising shoulder rotation during the cast.
It can also aid my comfort and ability to lengthen my casting stroke, minimise any excessive use of the wrist in the cast, and help maintain the rod tips intended path towards the target.
Plane A (fig.3): The rod tip travels in a near horizontal plane back & forth forming a loop lower than the height of the obstruction. This is the cast deployed to reach the target zone highlighted in fig.1
Plane B (fig.3): With an obstruction in front and none behind, this slightly higher pitched back cast utilises the available space to the rear and although pitching under the obstruction, it is likely to deliver the fly well short of the intended target in the situation illustrated.
3 – Hand/Reel position options
To facilitate the side cast, using my preferred grip I turn the wrist through 90 degrees (fig.4)
If you find your hand rotates during the cast due to the reel being positioned in this way, an alternative option is shown in fig.5 – notice the hand position remains the same.
This cast is not really suited to excessively long distance presentations, so although you may have opted to rotate the reel/rod through 90 degrees as in fig.5, it should not impact on your ability to perform the cast effectively.
Make the back cast
With minimal use of the shoulder, I rotate my head to observe the back cast. I avoid reaching out and casting with a less than effective straight arm, I find it uncomfortable and difficult to maintain my desired plane otherwise. With the upper arm relaxed, I use the forearm instead whilst minimising wrist rotation within the casting stroke (fig.6)
Make the forward cast
Once I’ve glimpsed and checked the back cast, I immediately turn my head to focus on my target before the forward delivery. I’m more likely to hit my target in this way than when moving my head in time with the rod tip (fig.7)
Acheiving my intended plane and tip path – the rod is stopped on the forward cast and the loop is formed (fig 6/7)
Loop unrolling horizontal, the cast is on its way (fig.8)
The cast is complete – now I’m relying on a willing fish to nail my fly (fig.9)
Some common faults
Q 1- I maintain the intended rod path & plane, but the line/fly falls short and to the left of my target (fig.10)
A1 - I have underpowered the forward cast. I need to increase the power slightly through the forward casting stroke, I should be accelerating smoothly to an abrupt stop... or...
... when I make the forward cast I may be decelerating to the stop as opposed to accelerating. This is usually as a result of me rotating the upper body (shoulders) to make the cast with minimum stroke input from the casting arm. The rod then tends to be re-positioned directly in front of me as a result (fig.11)
Q2 - I maintain the intended rod path & plane, but the line curves to the right of my target (fig.12)
A2 - This time I have done the opposite and overpowered the cast to an abrupt stop on the forward stroke. The key to both questions is to find a balance between the two, easier said than done... it may just take a bit of practice.
Last cast thoughts
The above 2 faults could be intentional and are actually recognised curve casts within our repertoire. The upside is, if you’re doing these within the side arm cast then you’re already half way there, the downside is you’re not meaning to actually do it. Perhaps this is one to cover in detail in another issue.
So there we go our first casting instalment... “Feedback is the breakfast of champions” so any you provide will be more than appreciated.
Jim Williams is a full time fly fishing instructor and guide operating in Wiltshire - Fly Fishing Lessons