Fly Fishing 101 – First Cast to Learn: Advice from a 65-Year Pro
This is an excerpt from our free guide, Learn Fly Fishing in 30 Minutes. The guide was written by Steve Nubie, a fly angler for 65 years and former instructor.
The Overhead Cast
There are many fly fishing casts. For your first trip, you only need to know the basic overhead cast.
Look all around you to make sure there are no trees that can cause a tangle as you're casting, especially behind you. Stand with your feet roughly shoulder-width apart. Hold the rod with your dominant hand, thumb resting on top of the grip pointing toward the tip. Keep a firm grip, but not too tight. Pinch the fly line against the rod handle with your index finger. Pull about 20 feet of line off the reel and let it lie on the water or the ground in front of you.
The back cast. Lift the rod smoothly, accelerating upward and back. When the rod reaches roughly one o'clock — slightly behind vertical — stop it. Stop it hard. The line will unroll behind you in the air. Wait for it to fully straighten. You will feel a slight tug on the rod when it does. When you're first learning to cast it helps sometimes to turn your head and watch the line unfurl in the air behind you. This will help you time the forward cast.
The forward cast. Drive the rod forward and stop it again at roughly ten o'clock — slightly in front of vertical. The line will unroll forward and lay out in front of you. Lower the rod tip to follow the line down to the water.
That is the full cast. Most beginners wave the rod back and forth and wonder why the line piles up in a heap. The line loads because the rod stops suddenly. Stop the rod on the back cast. Stop it on the forward cast. You're not trying to create loops in the air, you want the line to straighten out in the air behind you and drive straight out in front of you on the forward cast.
Do not try to cast far. Start at 15 to 20 feet. Accuracy at short range catches more fish than distance and poor aim. Practice in your backyard or a field first. Remove the fly, tie a piece of yarn to the tippet, and practice on grass. Put a paper plate on the ground at 20 feet and try to hit it ten times before you go to the water. This is the single best thing you can do to make your first day better. And don't forget, you always want the fly to land on the water first. One way to do this is to cast to a spot 3 feet above your target location. The line and leader should unfurl nicely and gently allow the fly to flip around and land on the water first
