The reach cast

[evw659]

This is a technique I have been using for a while now (before I even knew it was called a reach cast) when presenting dries either across stream or slightly downstream. This technique saved my day on my first trip to the west branch back in late may, when fish were slurping big spinners across the stream from me. My upstream presentations were spooking fish, so i moved upstream to try a mostly downstream presentation. Basically what I did was cast 20 degrees or so downstream, stop the rod a little high, and sweep the rod tip upstream. sweeping the rod tip upstream put the first 20 feet or so of line in the same current seam to avoid drag, and stopping the rod high built slack in the leader which bought me some time to get control of my line and then feed more line to continue the drift. Using this technique, I was able to hook several fish that I otherwise wouldn't of hooked. However, I have found that I can only do this when the stream is flowing downstream to my right.(im a right handed caster.) Otherwise, I can't perform this type of cast at all really. I think i know why, but my question is do any of you guys know how to perform this type of cast, when the river is flowing the opposite direction(to the left if your a right handed caster)? I know this is a somewhat technical question (I can explain it further if needed), and its hard for me to convey this w/o a physical demonstration, but I'm sure some of you guys have had the same problem and either wondered about it like me or figured out a way around it.

Thanks

 

[redietz]

You're right that it's easiest to do off to your right. If you want to use it to the left you have two choices: you can either reach across your body (it's not that hard to do) or you can cast left handed. I usually opt for the latter if I'm fishing wets, but since I don't handle line very well with my right hand, I reach across when fishing dries.

You don't have to be fishing downstream for a reach to be useful, either.

 

[evw659]

Ok, so if the flow is downstream to the left, you make false casts with your right hand positioned across your body? Then you sweep your hand to the right to make the reach? That makes sense to me, I'll have to try that. I don't know about left handed casting. I can't even tight-line nymph with my left hand. Thanks for your input.

 

[duckfoot]

That's odd, I do it easiest with water going left. I think I have a roll in my back loop that throws the line out naturally that way.

I toss fly line like bass fisherman "roll" their casts. Maybe that has something to do with it?

 

[beadhead2]

http://midcurrent.com/videos/joan-wulff-the-reach-cast/

 

[pcray1231]

duckfoot, me too.

I usually use a reach when the water is flowing right to left, and I'm fishing in slower water with a heavier current between me and the fly. Reach right to put the line that's in the heavier current UPSTREAM of the fly. It's basically a mend before it hits the water.

If the current is farther away, I use an aerial mend thrown down the line, but timing it right is difficult.

I too have more trouble going to my left, and when I need to, either just do a traditional mend, or else some other form of cast, like a right hook, slack line, parachute cast, etc. But none are as effective as the reach.

 

[evw659]

That's interesting, I find it much easier to do when current is left to right. Not sure why but I have an easier time making the mend upstream and across my body rather than to the right and away from my body. I'll have to give the reach cast with current right to left another try the next time I get out, possibly saturday.
Ive never heard of the right hook cast, I'll have to look that up.

 

[duckfoot]

I have no idea what the names of all these casts are...I just figure out how to get the line to land with slack. I know it's strange, but I have my own vocabulary...things like that come from teaching yourself how to do things!

 

[fly_flinger]

Just saw this and thought it can only help.

http://www.ginkandgasoline.com/fly-fishing-tips-technique/the-reach-cast-video/

 

[dryflyguy]

duckfoot wrote:
I have no idea what the names of all these casts are...I just figure out how to get the line to land with slack. I know it's strange, but I have my own vocabulary...things like that come from teaching yourself how to do things!

That's the way it worked for me when I first started FF.
From the get go, I knew I had to present the (dry) fly without drag.
And just started to - kinda naturally - stop the rod short on my casts to get more slack in the leader.
I didn't even know that there was a name for it - puddle cast.

And that's still pretty much all I use to this day.

 

[pcray1231]

I do think it's funny that when you see the best fishermen on the water, they look like terrible casters. What's that dude doing? The leader didn't straighten out the one time and fell in a pile. Then the next cast it straightened out, 5 ft above the water, and snapped back. Then he overpowered it and it curved. Then underpowere4d and it curved the other way. Hey, he just casted beyond the fish and is dragging his fly across the surface back at the fish! Clearly, he doesn't know what he's doing!

What you want to do on the water is almost the polar opposite of what you're taught on a lawn or casting pool.

(That said, I do recognize that being ABLE to make a technically sound cast better enables you to change only what you need to change to be successful on the water. It's just humorous, not wrong).

 

[JackM]

I rarely scrutinize or critique others angler's techniques.