The key to becoming a better fly fisher....

pcray1231 wrote:
Nymphing test: This is to determine attitude/personality, it applies to people, not tactics, so these people will be good with dries, streamers, on big streams and small...

But, if you see someone nymphing. And they are just constantly changing something. Put an indy on, take it off. Add, remove, or move weight around. Try a tuck cast, then the next cast lay one out. Working different seams with each cast, or changing angles on the current seam. They appear restless.

That's a good fisherman. They threw a cast and weren't satisfied. So they changed something.
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I'm not sure that's always true. Sometimes people lack confidence and may even be using poor methods and end up making the wrong changes. Changes that have a thought process behind them are one thing but random changes something else.
 
I can take a less than mediocre caster out in the boat. If they can read water and mend, they'll catch fish. I've also had good / accurate casters who could hit their spot almost every time....but.....they couldn't read the water or mend properly. In the scenarios above, the bad caster almost always catches more fish.

Being able to cast far is a definite benefit but does you no good unless you understand where fish sit and how to correctly control your line. A person who tosses it 70' is typically dead on at 20'-30'. A person who casts 20'-25' has little or no chance when asked to apply a 50' cast.

While you can land fish on big water like the Susquehanna by tossing it 20', being able to throw it 60'-80' exposes your fly to so many more fish.

I can remember one specific outting where I had a guy nymphing from the boat. His best cast was 15' from bow. He basically extended his arm and almost tight-lined from the boat. Because he could control drag in the drift, he put 2 fish over 20" in the net that day. The better casters may have landed 5 times the fish, he managed to land the largest ones. The biggest fish took the flies as the boat was less than a foot from running over the Indi. LoL
 
I think this would get less push back if the these was reworded to "A key to becoming a better fly fisher."

Being able to control fly placement and movement is critical to catching fish. Same with baitcasting and spinning fishing. There is no good argument against this. However, as many have said, casting is one of many factors that contribute to angling success.

I witnessed this: Outer Banks (the hook at Harker's), late October about 20 years ago during a false albacore blitz, fish busting everywhere, scores of boats with fly casters fore and aft, seemed like everyone was hooked up....except for one guy who was putting on a distance casting show as fish were busting behind him right under his ***. My buddy and I were cracking up as Alberts made our reels scream. I could literally cast 20 feet, drag my fly and hook up.

Bottom line: It's situational and can be a matter of perspective.
 
Along with all the other skills mentioned, good casting skill gives a FFer an advantage on the water.

Some just equate a good caster as being able to cast for distance.

There's a lot more to being a good caster.

Accuracy counts for a lot at any distance.

Also being able to aerial mend as well as mending on the water.

Throwing slack into your cast (or not) is also important.

Being able to curve cast or cast around, over or through obstructions or current seams.

Being able to hit your target with zero back-cast room.

Fishing and shooting your back-cast.

Hauling.

And on and on.

I've fished with some really accomplished FFers and yow!...ya gotta see it to believe it!

Have fun trying some new techniques or casts and don't be afraid to fail.

You may be able to use them in some situation in the future.

FFing is like an endless puzzle where you keep putting the pieces together but never really complete the entire picture.

With all that being said, just go out and have fun.

I know a lot of dink and dunkers that go out there and have a ball.
 
"Oh, and if you find yourself pushing and pulling your arm — if you notice that your elbow is moving forwards and backwards rather than up and down — then take a break and re-focus on your fundamentals."

Is that actually correct?

I saw a casting presentation by Ed Jaworowski.

He cast with a wide, open motion using the whole body. I'd estimate that his elbow moved more than 3 feet horizontally from the back cast to the forward cast.

And do you really want your elbow going up and down? It seems to me that it's better to keep your elbow pretty much on the same plane.

Both from a smooth, efficient casting perspective, and to prevent shoulder injuries.
 


^Agreed. Most instructors teach the "elbow on the shelf" technique like Lefty Kreh as well as Ed J as you mentioned. But everyone has their own style of teaching and casting.

 
moon1284 wrote:
So for the people saying line control and mending are more important than casting do you really think there is anyone that can cast 100' but cant mend 15 feet of fly line while nymphing?
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Personally, I can a lot further than I can mend line or control a drift.
 
I'm not sure that's always true. Sometimes people lack confidence and may even be using poor methods and end up making the wrong changes. Changes that have a thought process behind them are one thing but random changes something else.
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Those are people who are, or will, become good. You make the wrong changes more often than making the right ones. But you're making changes. And learning from them.

It's amazing how often "poor" methods work, and "right methods" don't. All based on the season, time, conditions, etc.

Confidence in a technique. Any technique. Is a bad thing if it isn't producing at that time. Try something new. Come back to it later, maybe it'll work then. But never settle for "this usually works, I'll stick with it". I constantly fight that. Something works really really well a few times, and I expect it will again given similar circumstances. When it doesn't, my confidence in that fly/technique/whatever holds me back. Confidence based on past results is bad. It should only be based on present results.
 
Experiences- from the lucky , to the humbling with persistence all the while.
 
"He that is taught only by himself has a fool for a teacher."

It is very helpful for beginners to have someone help them learn the basics of fly casting.

If you can find someone is a good caster, good at teaching, and is willing to help you, go for it.

 
I'd certainly agree that casting is a big key to success. And with everyone that I've taught to fish, it's the thing that had to be worked on the most.

However I certainly don't consider myself to be a good caster.
I basically taught myself. And, like a few others have mentioned, I've got a pretty wristy motion.
But I honestly believe that gives more more accuracy.
When I lock my wrist - and I still do that when I need to make long casts - my aim is off a bit.

Getting back to the original gist of the thread -
For me though, the best thing I ever did - that really made me turn the corner in this sport - was learn to tie my own flies.
My success rate really took off after that
 
afishinado wrote:
Along with all the other skills mentioned, good casting skill gives a FFer an advantage on the water.

Some just equate a good caster as being able to cast for distance.

There's a lot more to being a good caster.

Accuracy counts for a lot at any distance.

Also being able to aerial mend as well as mending on the water.

Throwing slack into your cast (or not) is also important.

Being able to curve cast or cast around, over or through obstructions or current seams.

Being able to hit your target with zero back-cast room.

Fishing and shooting your back-cast.

Hauling.

And on and on.

I've fished with some really accomplished FFers and yow!...ya gotta see it to believe it!

Have fun trying some new techniques or casts and don't be afraid to fail.

You may be able to use them in some situation in the future.

FFing is like an endless puzzle where you keep putting the pieces together but never really complete the entire picture.

With all that being said, just go out and have fun.

I know a lot of dink and dunkers that go out there and have a ball.
Click to expand...

Well said Tom

The best way to become a better fly fisher is develop good line control/line awareness , work on your weaknesses, also being able to adapt to the water conditions and the mood of the fish is a must.

Improvise, Adapt, Overcome.
 
shakey wrote:
The true key to becoming a better angler is spending time on the water.
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True...... but if you only fish one type of way or only for one type of fish or only fish the same type of water, days on the water will be null and void on your way to fly fishing greatness.

Oh yeah if you use glass or bamboo its null and void also .
 
Although all of these points are great......And I agree with most of them. For me the most important item that I will have to add is "turn off the cell phone". There is nothing that bothers me more than to have my cell phone go off while I'm fishing.
 
"Better," being a loaded word, nonetheless I will say that if it means more successful at catching fish, the answer is reading the water. Bad casts and bad presentations will sometimes catch fish, but picture perfect casts and presentations over fish-less water will fail every time.
 
I'm not sure you fellas are thinking right, you have to have a expensive fly rod and reel to be a true successful fly fisherman. A PHD in bugs and flies that are tied perfect are also needed. I'll never reach the good fly fisherman stage with my old poles and nasty looking flies. I don't know a caddis from a grasshopper. My boots leak, my pole is too short and I can't cast worth a hoot. If it wasn't for those stupid stockies I'd probably never catch a fish.
 
They say the perfect stream proceeds, riffle, run, pool.

I say "horsepucky!"

There are many variations and combinations in between on many great streams. Although you might say a few do progress in such an orderly fashion, most do not. In particular, when you have a lip or cascade or waterfall, where gradient drops more quickly than in a riffle, you have a whole new stream below.

 
Riffle pool glide, repeat is more like the optimal sequence. To me a “run” is just a deep riffle. Riffle pool glide seems to be characteristic of the middle reaches of a stable stream and does provide quality habitat, all other desirable features being present.
 
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