how do you cast weighted flies?

[AKguy]

I have the opposite problem. All I have ever done is sling split shot and weighted flies around. Dry fly fishing is going to be a new ball game for me and I'm sure I will look like a fool trying.

I would have to say that ryguyfi summed it up the best for throwing weighted flies.

But you most let that line come completely tight before you sling it back up stream. If you let it come tight and then pull on it a little and then let slack in the line again and then try and cast, it will be royal mess. The key is don't let any slack in the line before you cast it.

 

[littlelehigh]

Lately I've been throwing lead eye flies with a normal casting stroke as described above (backcast, feel the weight pull then forward cast). But I have been doing something different as well.

If I can explain this right:

My intended target is say 30' away I keep my casting stroke when extended to approx. half that distant. On my final forward cast I give it a little extra punch and allow the line to slide through my hand which I have found if done correctly can lay out a cast 2x the length of my false casts.

I am sure there is a technical term for this type of cast and it does take practice and a heavily weighted fly along with no obstactles in the way of your false casts but it does allow me to reach further than a roll cast and when conditions do not allow for a water haul.

 

[afishinado]

littlelehigh wrote:
Lately I've been throwing lead eye flies with a normal casting stroke as described above (backcast, feel the weight pull then forward cast). But I have been doing something different as well.

If I can explain this right:

My intended target is say 30' away I keep my casting stroke when extended to approx. half that distant. [color=FF0033]On my final forward cast I give it a little extra punch and allow the line to slide through my hand which I have found if done correctly can lay out a cast 2x the length of my false casts.

I am sure there is a technical term for this type of cast[/color] and it does take practice and a heavily weighted fly along with no obstactles in the way of your false casts but it does allow me to reach further than a roll cast and when conditions do not allow for a water haul.

You're shooting line on the forward cast. The extra weight on the line is acting like a haul I would guess. This is a great way to cast a weighted fly.

In the back yard, try practicing a single and double haul. It's real handy to be able to shoot line on the cast as opposed to making many false casts to work your line out to a distant target.

 

[JackM]

Regarding littlelehighs "haul," if you think about it, you are really synthesizing the normal fly cast with the traditional spin cast.

The line is back and the fly is at tension with the backward bend of the rod, when the forward stroke begins, you leverage this energy in the fly to propel the line outward-- Just like in spin casting. The difference is that in spincast, you have the weighted bait/lure a mere 6-12 inches from your tip-top, whereas with the fly rod the distance between tip-top and weighted fly is much longer. This longer distance is covered by the more traditional fly casting stroke.

 

[afishinado]

You're right, the rod is loaded on the forward cast and abrupt stop by the weight of the lure on a spinning rod, and the weight of the line (plus the weighted fly in this case) on the fly rod. A haul on the forward cast accomplishes this too.

Also, that's exactly what the "chuck and duck" cast is all about. A heavy weight (usually a "slinky") is cast like a spinning rod using thin running line in place of regular fly line. BTW, this is now illegal in the FF areas on the Salmon River in Pulaski, NY.

When casting in smaller streams, a single haul on the forward cast almost makes you fly rod launch flies like a spinning rod launches lures into tight spaces. Also you need less room for your backcast. That's why I like a faster (tip flex) rod for this purpose. Hauls need not be only used for distance casting.

 

[JackM]

afishinado wrote:
....that's exactly what the "chuck and duck" cast is all about.

I was going to mention that term. When the bait is used to supply the final load, the trajectory of the forward cast becomes less certain of control, hence the "duck" part. This also underscores why spin-casters shouldn't have 15 feet of line out of the tip-top when they start their cast.

 

[FarmerDave]

Wow, when I first saw this question, i was just going to answer with ... Very carefully! (reference to chuck and duck).