# Fly Fishing Help?



## JrBass (Mar 11, 2013)

Hey everyone, I was wondering if anyone knows of a place, or maybe a fellow 2cooler that would be willing to give me some fly casting lessons? My wife bought me a 8wt fly rod from Bass pro (Cold Cup Combo) and I am having some issues getting some long distance casts. I used to flyfish up in the Upper Peninsula for trout, but I really only ever needed to cast 30-40 feet. I am looking to get some distance so I can go for reds and trout. If anyone can point me in the right direction it would be greatly appreciated.


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## mikedeleon (Aug 9, 2010)

JrBass said:


> Hey everyone, I was wondering if anyone knows of a place, or maybe a fellow 2cooler that would be willing to give me some fly casting lessons? My wife bought me a 8wt fly rod from Bass pro (Cold Cup Combo) and I am having some issues getting some long distance casts. I used to flyfish up in the Upper Peninsula for trout, but I really only ever needed to cast 30-40 feet. I am looking to get some distance so I can go for reds and trout. If anyone can point me in the right direction it would be greatly appreciated.


30-40 feet is a common cast for sight fishing here in TX. It's not a super long distance game most of the time. Anyways, you should be able to cast a little further, I would suggest calling Stacy Lynn up at Bayou City Angler. She has been teaching casting lessons for a while and is a certified instructor. I know she manages the shop, but I assume she could still fit a lesson in. Cool lady and a great shop.

Plenty of you tube videos, books, and other free resources as well. But if you want someone with a good eye for what you are doing correct and incorrectly, call Stacy.


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## Stuart (May 21, 2004)

Do you have your double haul down? There's a good video on youtube that helped me years ago. I'll try to find it and post it up. 

And btw, if you can consistently cast ACCURATELY 30-40 feet that's all you'll usually need sight casting for reds, especially from a skiff.


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## MAKAI (Jan 5, 2016)

I can help u with your casting I live in spring tho n only fished cypress creek n the ponds in front of my house shoot me your info n we can get together 

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## karstopo (Jun 29, 2009)

Sometimes, it can be the line that is holding back the cast. I wonder what line is on the reel that you have? The first combo I had had some unknown line that didn't load well unless you had a lot out and got limp in warm weather. I prefer a line that loads more quickly so you don't have to do a bunch of false casts. Cabelas Premiere is pretty good for a cheaper line, but I look for a higher end Rio, SA, or Airflow weight forward floating redfish, bonefish taper for most bay and marsh work. Occasionally, there are deals on higher end line. Most are $80-90 retail. There are other good lines, these are the ones I have experience with. 

I watched footage of good casters such as Chico Fernandez to help learn the cast. He breaks down the physics of the cast that made me get it. I videoed myself with a go pro to compare what I was doing vs. Mr. Fernandez. That helped me correct some things to where I can cast well enough put flies on target most of the time and with enough range to avoid spooking fish by getting too close. 

Taking a lesson will probably be better to shorten the process and avoid bad habits. I didn't mind working it out myself, I kind of enjoyed it, but your mileage might vary.


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## Meadowlark (Jul 19, 2008)

Distance is way over rated, IMO. Accuracy and the ability to present the fly with minimum false casting are far more critical. 

If you do decide to get lessons, my advice would be to focus on accuracy and rapid loading of the rod. 

A great practice routine is to set up some circles, pie pans, etc. at various distances and angles and try to hit them with minimum back casting. When you can consistently hit a 12 inch circle at 50 ft with only one back cast from various angles, you are ready for just about any flats situation you will encounter anywhere in the World. In this practice routine, its helpful to have someone call out the targets, i.e. pie at 9:00 o'clock, 30 ft; pie at 12:00, 50 ft, etc. , etc.


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## southpaw (Feb 25, 2009)

Meadowlark said:


> When you can consistently hit a 12 inch circle at 50 ft with only one back cast from various angles


Are you talking about fly in hand to 50ft in one backcast? How does one unlock this achievement?

I'm an amateur caster at best and at my current skill and knowledge level can't comprehend how I'd go from a "ready" position (i.e. fly in hand line already stripped out) to a 50ft cast in one backcast. I just don't see how I'd be able to shoot enough line in my backcast and then shoot the rest in my forward cast to get that distance. I assume you'd have to double haul to do this but if I was coming out of the ready position I'm not sure I'd have enough fly line out to haul into my backcast. Right now that would take me at least 2-3 false casts to get that distance. For reference I use this method.






Can you shed some light on the technique you use?

EDIT: I just fully rewatched that video and I guess you just have more line out for that first backcast? Also JrBass, check out that guys youtube page, he has a lot of good casting videos


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## Worm Drowner (Sep 9, 2010)

The suggestions here are all pretty solid. Keep one thing in mind though. Here on the Texas coast, our wind blows almost constantly. Learning to toss picture perfect loops accurately is fine, but the challenge is to do it with a 15-20 mph wind coming at you from any direction. That just plain takes lots of practice.

Here's a list of Texas CCIs from the Federation:

http://www.fedflyfishers.org/Contact/Locate/CastingInstructors/tabid/301/Default.aspx

Marcos Enriquez at FTU Katy Freeway isn't a CCI (I don't think), but he is another excellent caster as well.


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## karstopo (Jun 29, 2009)

I think Meadowlark has been to a lot of great places that require finely honed skills at casting. I've never done the test he describes with the targets ( I want to now just to see how I do). I think that is a goal to shoot for in casting. It would be frustrating to travel to the Seychelles or some place spending a small fortune and then be underskilled and outclassed by the fish and conditions.

I do believe and have found that you don't need that kind of casting skill to repeatedly connect with upper coast redfish. When I started, I had cr*p line, reel, a decent 7wt, no skill at casting, good skill at finding fish and having some stealth. First time out, I literally paddled 100 yards from the launch to a spot in a marsh where I had seen fish before, casted to 25 feet which was the sweet spot of my accuracy at that time and hooked up on sighted slot red that took off with some cheap Clouser and a bit of 4X tapered leader that came with the combo. 

Point is that you can exist on a poor cast if you can find reds. If you have a Middling cast you can do pretty well with the reds if you have the ability to find them and get to within a reasonable range. You can catch a lot of fish with a 45 foot decent accuracy type of skill. Add another 15 feet and you will own the marsh. I'm a firm believer in time on the water making lots of casts just to build strength and skill.

Our realitively opaque water is an asset. It's more forgiving than clear water. You can take multiple shots at the same fish if you don't hit him on the head or put the line on its back. 

All I'm saying is you don't have to have Olympian skill at casting to have success around here. I have no idea what is needed in the Bahamas, Christmas Island, Fiji, or any place else like that. There are a lot of people who can let you know about those places. But your original post was about trout and reds around Texas and you are in the Houston area so I take it you will be fishing the upper coast as it's the closest water for that.


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## Meadowlark (Jul 19, 2008)

southpaw said:


> .... I just fully rewatched that video and I guess you just have more line out for that first backcast? ....


Yep, your own video explains it far better than I ever could....9 ft leader, + 22 ft fly line, + 9 ft rod = 40 ft distance from your body. To get 50 ft you only need to add 10 ft on the first backcast, very easily done. To hit a target at 30 ft you have to leave it short....practice, practice, practice.

Standing on a platform on the bow of a flats boat, 30 ft of line out is easily manageable with practice...then you just roll it, shoot it back, and shoot it forward with accuracy.

Southpaw, I never claimed to be anything like an expert caster. To call what I do Olympian would be a huge disrespect to Olympians, LOL.

I do know this for a fact, however, it takes practice and a desire to improve in order to hit those plates in any wind with minimal backcasting. Maybe you will never need an accurate cast, maybe you will never confront the fish of a lifetime that requires speed and accuracy in the presentation...but it only takes one such lost encounter to forever illuminate the understanding of the need for speed and accuracy.


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## Charlie B (Dec 24, 2015)

MAKAI Does your offer for help still stand for others? I live in Humble and just bought my first fly rod and reel Crystal River 4/5 weight Travel Pack. that contains a rod and reel. I busted my right shoulder 7 weeks ago and I am still unable to cast a rod and reel. So I think I might be looking for some assistance sometime late june. I still need to buy backing and line , and flies.. 66 years old. I would buy us lunch or pay a fee if you have one( I cant pay a whole lot) but we can work that out.. I will keep in touch Thanks


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## southpaw (Feb 25, 2009)

Meadowlark said:


> Yep, your own video explains it far better than I ever could....9 ft leader, + 22 ft fly line, + 9 ft rod = 40 ft distance from your body. To get 50 ft you only need to add 10 ft on the first backcast, very easily done. To hit a target at 30 ft you have to leave it short....practice, practice, practice.


Makes sense now, thanks for the insight Meadowlark. I kind of started to reason it out in my head as I was typing my last post, but it helps hearing it from you.

Any tips on gaining distance on the backcast?



> Maybe you will never need an accurate cast, maybe you will never confront the fish of a lifetime that requires speed and accuracy in the presentation...but it only takes one such lost encounter to forever illuminate the understanding of the need for speed and accuracy.


My fly fishing experience so far hasn't demanded a great need for speed or distance. However, this doesn't mean that I don't work towards that. Will I ever need to be able to make a 100' cast into the wind in 3 false casts to a redfish? Probably not, but that' doesn't mean that I shouldn't work on it. To me working on speed, accuracy and distance is just part of honing the craft of fly fishing and is part of the reason why I love it. Even when I can't be on the water, I can still be involved in it by practicing my casts or tying flies. I plan on one day having the opportunity to travel the world and take shots at picky tarpon, permit, bonefish, GTs or whatever else and when that opportunity comes I don't want to blow it. So why not learn now?


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## RUFcaptain (Aug 12, 2011)

I would strongly suggest you seek out some professional instruction. Talk to the guys at FTU or any fly shop and get a lesson. A pro can pick up on any errors in your cast and quickly fix them, you don't want to pick up bad habits at this stage. Don't get to worked up with double hauls, complicates things too much at this stage, try to be smooth. One thing Tom Horbey taught me, when you get a good back cast its go time , don't f around with another false cast.


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## Worm Drowner (Sep 9, 2010)

To quote Lefty Kreh: "Most fishermen use the _double haul_ to throw their casting mistakes further."


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## karstopo (Jun 29, 2009)

Worm Drowner said:


> To quote Lefty Kreh: "Most fishermen use the _double haul_ to throw their casting mistakes further."


Thank you for sharing. I don't double haul ever. I don't think I need to. I watch videos of some people doing it and it looks like they are in pain. Seems like I read you shouldn't learn the double haul right away. I might move my left hand a few inches on the final forward cast if I'm trying to really reach out. Focus on good tight loops and you will get plenty of distance. Maybe someday I'll take some lessons to learn how to do it. But for the local inshore fish the original post asked about, no double haul is needed to catch reds, trout, flounder, drum, while wading, kayak fishing, or from a boat. In other words, don't think you have to master or employ the double haul to have quality shots at our inshore fish.


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## MAKAI (Jan 5, 2016)

Charlie B said:


> MAKAI Does your offer for help still stand for others? I live in Humble and just bought my first fly rod and reel Crystal River 4/5 weight Travel Pack. that contains a rod and reel. I busted my right shoulder 7 weeks ago and I am still unable to cast a rod and reel. So I think I might be looking for some assistance sometime late june. I still need to buy backing and line , and flies.. 66 years old. I would buy us lunch or pay a fee if you have one( I cant pay a whole lot) but we can work that out.. I will keep in touch Thanks


Of course and no payment or lunch needed saying thanks after pulling your first fish will be thanks payment my cell is 8082093611 send me a text and we can get you set up

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## MAKAI (Jan 5, 2016)

Worm Drowner said:


> To quote Lefty Kreh: "Most fishermen use the _double haul_ to throw their casting mistakes further."


What's the problem with double hauling? I do it all the time I can still keep a tight c when casting and it helps me when casting in to the wind

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## Bill Gammel (Aug 16, 2012)

If you can make your way to Baytown, I would be glad to help you. I suggest everyone work on distance casting. The concepts learned make you more efficient. Very few people can hit 50 feet under any conditions. If you can hit 50 under any conditions, then you go home when it is dangerous not because you can't cast anymore.

Bill 

PM coming


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## Worm Drowner (Sep 9, 2010)

MAKAI said:


> What's the problem with double hauling? I do it all the time I can still keep a tight c when casting and it helps me when casting in to the wind
> 
> Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I537 using Tapatalk


Absolutely nothing is wrong with double hauling! Unfortunately, too many people who are new to the sport, including myself at one time, get caught up in "swinging for the fences" and don't focus enough on proper form and accuracy. I use single & double hauls as often as not. It just depends on the circumstances.


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## MAKAI (Jan 5, 2016)

Worm Drowner said:


> Absolutely nothing is wrong with double hauling! Unfortunately, too many people who are new to the sport, including myself at one time, get caught up in "swinging for the fences" and don't focus enough on proper form and accuracy. I use single & double hauls as often as not. It just depends on the circumstances.


Ok that makes sense I didn't mean to come off as an *** just was confused thanks all

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