The roll cast is necessary when there is some thing behind you that would prevent you from doing a back cast.  The key to the roll cast is proper timing and controlled application of energy.

Step #1 - Begin with the rod tip parallel to the water’s surface.

Step #2 - Lift your arm up-and-back in a slow and smooth movement, allowing the line to come toward you across the water. Read the rest of this entry »

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The Casting Grip

Hold out your hand as if you are going to shake someone’s hand. Think of that when you grip the rod, and place your thumb on the top of the rod grip. You will need a good grasp on the rod so hold it firmly. As you are learning to cast keep the rod butt in line with your forearm. The rod needs to be in that position when you cast. If the rod deviates from that position during the cast the tip will wander; the line will follow the tip. All of this wandering will spoil the cast.

Pull the line straight off the reel and up through the ring guides. Keep it going out the tip of the rod. Tie a 9-foot leader onto the end of the line with a tube knot or a nail knot. Tie a small piece of yarn to the end of the leader. Assuming that your practice field is a lawn as has been recommended, stand on the lawn with your feet spread slightly apart. Pull line straight from the reel about 20 feet and lay it on the lawn to the right of you (to the left if you are left-handed). The line needs to be pulled straight on the grass with no S curves in it. You need the line straight for a good cast. Read the rest of this entry »

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You have a rod, reel, line and leader; the tippet is optional, now you need to put them all together. Don’t rush and put it together just yet. First things first. You will need some paraffin. You can use some from a small white candle or you can buy a block in the canning section of a grocery store. Now rub some of the paraffin on the male parts of the rod. This will keep the sections from coming loose and will also keep it from getting stuck together. The sections can break if they come loose, and when they stick together, it seems like they have been glued. Any excess paraffin can be wiped off, so don’t worry about using too much.
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On the loose end of the fly line you will find a tag reading “this end to reel”. You can tie it directly to your reel if you prefer or you can add backing to the fly line. Most reels are design to have backing wound onto the reel before the line is. Since the fly line can not fill a reel, backing helps to fill it up. With the backing on the reel first, the fly line will not reel out in small circles making casting more difficult. Plus you might need the backing if you ever hook a large fish.

Tie the end of your backing to the center of the arbor of your reel with an arbor knot. Wind the backing around the arbor at least two times to ensure it doesn’t slip. Tighten it well and carefully reel the backing to about ¼ inch from the top edge of your reel and attach the fly line at the “this end to reel” tag. Tie the backing to the fly line using an Albright knot. Then carefully wind it on the reel. The reel should be full and the loose end ready to be attached to the leader. Tie the fly line to the thick end of the leader with a nail knot. A blood knot is often used to tie on a section tippet material.

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A “leader” is a length of tapered monofilament; the thick end is tied to the end of the fly line. The “tippet” is a length of level monofilament, one end is tied to the thin end of the leader and the other end is tied to the fly.

The leaders are about nine feet long and transfer the power of the cast gently toward the fly. A numbering system was designed to match the diameter of the end of the rod because this is the part that is important. When looking for a leader the number system is backwards. The smaller the diameter the larger the number. It makes it easy that the tippets are number the same way. A 6X leader will fit with a 6X tippet. An end of the tippet is tied to the smaller end of the leader. Most of the knots that develop close to the end of your line near the fly are called “wind knot “ and since you get these when casting in the two feet ahead of the fly. The knots weaken things. If the knots develop in the leader, it can get expensive cutting off the knots, and changing flies. By tying on about 2 feet of tippet material, you can save your leader. The tippet material is not expensive and when it gets too short, you can just ties on a new length.

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No matter which kind of fly line you choose to use, you will need to take care of your fly line to ensure that it will last you a good long time.  Fly line is not indestructible, and it will need a little care and a few precautions to ensure the life of your fly line.  Fly lines get damaged in several ways.  Most of the time a fly line will get damaged through mechanical wear and tear.  Ripping through the ring guides, getting stepped on, running the line across coral, sand and mud. Read the rest of this entry »

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Reels are not 100% corrosion proof. We want our reels to be lightweight and yet we want them to be strong and durable. We want them to look good and resistant to saltwater. Of course the drag must be smooth and have the stopping power of a train.

Above all we want them affordable. Reel manufacturers have to make a compromise with the design of the reels. The reels design compromises between what is needed and what can be done and accomplish it all at a reasonable price. Aluminum is lightweight, but corrodes easy. Titanium is better but unaffordable. So, most are made with aluminum that must be covered with a protective coating. Paint isn’t much good in saltwater. Read the rest of this entry »

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