Yes,
it's February and, yes, it's cold. Your mind is probably
not on the perfected movements and honed technique you will
need this May when you will be standing on the bow of a
guide's boat, clutching your fly rod, waiting for a pod
of tarpon or a bonefish tail to spark you into action. But
lets be honest. When you are standing there in May, you
will probably going to be saying to yourself, "I wish I
had practiced a little more."
In saltwater
fly fishing, most trophy fish are caught miles from the
water and months before they are even sighted or cast to.
They are caught with skills that have been practiced in
front yards and city parks. They are caught with that deep
desire for success and perfection that spurs a fly angler
to take time out to work on his cast and hone his presentation.
These are important things to think about in February as
they may just stir you from your armchair, cause you to
turn off the TV, and head out into the yard to practice
your fly casting.
Let's
assume that you know the basics of fly casting and whether
your experiences are on the trout stream or bonefish flat,
you understand the fundamentals of getting some fly line
out.
Standing
on the bow of a moving flats boat having to make lightning
fast casts to spooky fish despite the wind, waves, and given
pressure of the situation is an art form in itself and worthy
of study, practice, and time spent shivering in your front
yard. Success on the bow of the flats boat comes from communication
between you and your guide and removing the variables of
any given situation by having a higher skill level. The
following tips and exercises are designed to give you that
success - and quite possibly that trophy fish on fly.
Mark
Your Fly Line
I encourage
everyone, before either practicing or fishing, to carefully
mark the end of the head of his or her fly line with a permanent
marker. This will not only help you measure out distance,
but also help you communicate with the guide and help you
load your fly rod correctly. Find the place in your fly
line where the running line meets the back taper of the
head by comparing the thickness of the line or simply measuring
out from the specifications on the box.
Place
a 4" black mark here and leaving 4" spaces of unmarked line,
make two 4" marks on either side of the first mark. If your
fly line has a 41' head, the center mark should be approximately
41' from the point where your leader attaches to the fly
line. If these marks never leave the tip of your rod unless
you are shooting line, you will always be certain that you
do not have too much line out when you make a pick up or
are making a false cast. With a 41' head length, 9' fly
rod, 9' leader, and 1' of tippet, you will be making a 60'
cast when these marks are at the tip of your rod. The same
conditions with a 35' head will give you a 54' cast. These
are the kind of distances that make fly fishing guides very
happy.
Casting
to a Target
It
is important to always pick a target when practicing your
fly casting on grass. Whether it is a paper plate, fake
fish, plastic pink flamingo, or lawn gnome, having a target
to cast at will dramatically improve your accuracy and control.
If you ever get a chance to be poled down a mangrove shoreline,
you will soon realize that the Pick Up/Lay Down Cast described
above is the cast that gets fish. You pick a nook in the
mangrove roots, make one back cast and expertly drop your
fly there. After a few strips, you pick a spot a foot or
two down the bank, make one back cast, and then present
the fly again. You continue this process until a fish interrupts
your rhythm.
Changing
Directions and Distance
When
you feel confident with the Pick Up/Lay Down Cast, try changing
directions slightly just as you begin your forward cast.
Before starting the cast, mentally pick a target and call
out the distance and direction. On a flats boat, if you
are right handed, the guide will try to position the boat
so that a target is at about ten o'clock, and if your left
handed about two o'clock. The guide will turn the boat for
any major change in direction, so your casting changes should
be slight and controlled. Try to visualize the boat under
your feet with guide directly behind you. For a "righty"
with his or her line laid out at ten o'clock, your imaginary
guide would call out "Sprinkler! Eleven o'clock, fifty feet.
For a southpaw the guide would call out something like "Sun
dial! One thirty, 40 feet!" Make the cast and then pick
a new target causing you adjust the amount of fly line you
have out and the direction of your next forward cast.
Presenting
on Your Back Cast
If
you really want to make your imaginary guide pleased with
your skill level, you may want to try presenting to a fish
on your back cast. The ability to "fish your back cast"
is probably one of the most useful things you will ever
learn in the salt. Not only will it allow you to fish a
greater area of water on the bow of a guides boat, but also
it will serve you well in almost every circumstance you
may run into in saltwater fly fishing. Imagine standing
on the bow of a guide's boat and a redfish tail pops up
at two o'clock. The wind is blowing strongly from behind
the boat and because you are right-handed, the guide is
reluctant to turn the boat so much only to have you cast
across the boat with the wind blowing on your casting arm.
With this ability, you simply make a forward cast at eight
o'clock and present the fly on your back cast to the fish
at two. The wind is blowing inside your casting arm, the
guide did not have to spin the boat, and, most importantly,
your fly got there quickly, accurately, and safely. The
main problem you will encounter as you practice this valuable
technique will be getting your leader to turn over. Remember,
accelerate smoothly and stop the rod in the direction of
the target.
Fishing
for Grass Carp
These
basic skills will not only serve you well while casting
to fish, but reinforce good casting habits as well. That
old maxim "practice makes perfect" can pay huge dividends
this Spring when you find yourself on the bow of a flats
boat and is worth considering this winter when the seas
are too rough and the water is too cold. You may feel a
little silly casting your fly rod out in the front yard,
but when your smirking neighbor invariably asks if you've
caught anything, just smile back and say, "Just a few grass
carp."
