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[fishseeker]

I have a question on this one:

When I am fishing on a lake and stripping a fly in I find myself false casting up to four times to get all the line back out again.  I took fly casting courses but that was something that was never really covered - we were shown how to do roll casts or how to do casts after the line was fully extended.  Fine on rivers but that seems to be less feasible on still water when you need to give the fly some movement by stripping the line in.

I guess what I am trying to ask is how should one go about getting the fly out again after all the line has been stripped in? If I have waded out I will typically have all my line lying in the water between the first eye and reel and it can be a bit of a challenge getting it all out again - often times the line gets snagged somewhere and mucks up my cast.  I also have this uneasy feeling I am wipping the fly back and forth too many times just to get it back out again.

Don't get me wrong, I do manage but I can't help thinking there is a better way.   Any thoughts or suggestions?  I am pretty sure I am not the only one with this experience

[bbronswyk2000]

Their are not a lot of people that can cast an entire fly line without one false cast. It takes me 3 or 4 false casts to get it over 70 feet. If your tossing flies from a boat the line does catch on things. Mine gets caught on things all the time. Just have to becareful thats all. Oh and if their is a wind and you want to cast it against it than add a few more false casts on top of that for me.

Also if you want to make it easier over line your rod. So if you are using a 5wt put a 6wt line on it.

[fish321]

four false casts should be the maximum. any more than that serves no useful purpose. You are not fishing if your line is not in the water and also it just opens the door for many things to go wrong with the cast.

[fishseeker]

I figured there must be something wrong with more than four casts which is how I got to the question.  Thanks for confirming this and I have certainly found myself getting mucked up by too many of them.

Thanks also for answering my posts bbronswyk200.  You have answered mine and those of a lot of other people on this forum - as always, I have found your answers very helpful.   I am using a six weight (..I think a 4 would have been better for 90% of what I have encountered but that's another story).   If I understand you right, a seven weight line would be best when there is wind about  (and I seldom get more than 40 feet).

[marmot]

Phhh ...

there are lots of occasions when you will use more than 4 false casts to get your fly where you want it.  Wind, fatigue, honing accuracy, these are all things that may call for an extra false cast or two.  I have been casting flies for some time now and have found on many occasions reason to break the 4 cast "rule" that people seem to love to set as soon as they can get the fly out after 4 false casts. 

If you are not getting wind knots, your fly is hitting the water where you want it, and you are not tiring out too quickly, cast however you feel you will get the best presentation.  It's not a casting competition as much as some people might like to make it. 

If you are casting correctly, barring crazy wind, you should be able to false cast all day without problem.  Rather than rushing to try to get your number of false casts down, maybe focus on improving your form while you are false casting, it will go a lot further for you in the end.  Focus on form and accuracy first, not distance.  Distance will come and it is overrated in many cases.

[mastercaster]

My feeling is the more your line is in the air and not in the water the fewer fish you're likely to hook.  If you're loading the rod properly and accuracy isn't overly critical (ie. covering a rise with a dry) then a couple of false casts is all you need as long as you're letting line out on the back cast.

[fishseeker]

Hmm...I can see there are lots of opinions on this topic.

I have not been getting wind knots and I have been getting my fly where I want it most of the time.  I just thought the need for four or more casts indicated bad technique but I guess there is no hard and fast rule on that - thanks for your perspective Marmont.  (I am going to be practicing again tonight )

Perhaps the bigger issue is just dealing with all of that line in the water.  When I am wading up to my waist it can get caught in things, I guess there is just a knack for handling that better

[marmot]

You could try a stripping basket, although I used one for a couple of years and ended up going back to not using one.  If you find that you are bringing your line right in and have to make a few false casts just to get it to the point where it starts loading, a quick shortcut to getting a castable length out is to put your rod tip right close to the water (after you've stripped in) , and without your hand on the line, just swish your rod back and forth , letting it take about 20-30 feet of line out.  Do a quick roll to get it out, let it load, then pick it back up.  A couple false casts and your line will be out where you want it again.  And get real friendly with the roll cast, it is a very fast way to get your fly back in the water , especially in tight quarters.  Hope it helps....i have a friend who is just learning, its frustrating just watching him !!

[bbronswyk2000]

What marmot said is very true. Getting a stripping backet for when wading is the best idea. I started using one a few years ago and its the best thing you could buy when fishing like that. It keeps the line out of the water when stripping your line back in which makes it easier to cast your line back out. I have tried two different baskets. I tried the big plastic Orvis



and the William Joespeh one I have now which doubles as a utility belt.

Here it is when its closed and tucked in.



and here when its opened up



Also I have a waterbottle holder, fly holder and multi tool clip on mine. The belt is great as you can keep everything on it. Also with it being retractable you can walk through the bush and not get it caught on anything. The Orvis one is better in that the line sits nicely in it but it does get in the way and is a bit uncomfortable.

[marmot]

Based on my own experience with it, I would not recommend the william joseph, i would go with one with a flat bottom so your line does not coil as badly.  I was disappointed with my william joseph basket, it broke where it connected to the belt as well.  The biggest issue i had though was that the line would pile up in the middle.  Quite honestly, the very best baskets i have seen are homemade ones with popsicle sticks in the base so that your loops do not tangle with each other.    The orvis one looks good but you can make something similar for about $5 )includes purchasing the ice cream and popsicles!!

 

[bbronswyk2000]

Based on my own experience with it, I would not recommend the william joseph, i would go with one with a flat bottom so your line does not coil as badly.  I was disappointed with my william joseph basket, it broke where it connected to the belt as well.  The biggest issue i had though was that the line would pile up in the middle.  Quite honestly, the very best baskets i have seen are homemade ones with popsicle sticks in the base so that your loops do not tangle with each other.    The orvis one looks good but you can make something similar for about $5 )includes purchasing the ice cream and popsicles!!

 

I have had my WJ one for 2 years and not one break anywhere. Maybe you just got a defective one? Your right it goes in a pile in the basket but its better than the line being on the water. I will sacrifice a bit of perfection for convenience. Like I said I can have everything I need for the day on that belt instead of carrying a pack and that big bucket around.

[fishseeker]

OK, the basket might solve some problems - it's actually something I thought about but I didn't realise there were products out there.  I have never seen anyone using one of these.  I can see this being a really nice piece of equipment whenever I am wading because it is a bit of a pain dealing with line on the ground or in the water.  (Definitely an item I am going to put on my list of desireables).

To be honest, I am not crazy about swishing the line back and forth to get line out - I have done it and watched others doing it but it really disturbs the water.   I can't help feeling that scares the fish off a bit - is that actually a problem with that approach?

Thanks again for all the great info!

[marmot]

well, 1, the line is right in front of you and 2, its not swishing back and forth, your rod is moving back and forth and the weight of the line in the water gets some line out for you, it isnt swishing around in the water....you dont whip the thing back and forth, its a gentle action....so no, you wont disturb the fish unless they are under your line

Ya, bb im sure my basket was defective, and i dont like recommending products that have defects.  The WJ line pileups were bad enough that I could count on them tangling about 4-5 times each outing.  To me that is not good.  I ended up cutting a piece of styrofoam and poking popsicle sticks through it to fit into the base of the wj basket.  Hokey but it worked better.

If you choose not to go with a basket you can keep line in big 2ft loops in your line hand.  Works just as well but requires a little more diligence!

[fossil]

go IKEA, $5 buy 3 baskets! just need modify a little to tie to the waistband.

[fishseeker]

Wow! Brilliant idea! - thank you fossil    These days my wife looks askance whenever I want to fork out more money for fishing gear so this could save me a few bucks and some hard questions about my extravagent hobby.  I go to Ikea fairly often so I will keep an eye open for that basket you showed me.

As for "swishing" to get the line out - it's another technique for me to play around with.  Small refinements here and there will turn me into a great fly caster eventually I hope.  Thanks for all the info marmot.