Casting Essentials

Mike Hawkins FFI Certified Casting Instructor

SLACK = CAST KILLER

slack
adjective:
    1. not taut or held tightly in position; loose.
     “a slack rope”
     Similar: loose; limp; not taut

Slack in the fly line system at any point in the cast (beginning, middle or end) can kill the cast—
not just distance, accuracy, or loss of line control, but also results in more tangles in the line, leader and tippet.  Slack is the primary cause of the fly rod not “loading” properly.  All this means in layman’s terms, is that slack prevents the rod from bending or flexing at the correct time in the casting stroke.  Think of it this way: there is a finite amount of distance of travel in any casting stroke; if any part of that casting stroke is used removing slack, some of the efficiency of that cast is lost.  Some of the most common ways to introduce slack in the cast is at the very beginning of the back cast. Keeping the rod tip low to the water (dipping the tip) is imperative to the start of a good back cast. However, if there are curves in the line, the initial part of the casting stroke will be used making the line tight instead of loading the rod.

Start your back cast with your fly line as straight as possible.

Never start your back cast with the rod tip pointing up to the sky-that big sag in the line is slack.

You will be at the end of your back cast before you ever move the fly.  One more common mistake: slack can find its way into your cast (there are others we will cover later). This is what happens to the line between the reel and the stripping guide. Make sure there is no “bow” in your fly line there.

Remember the purpose of a fly cast is to get the fly to the fish. The more efficient that transfer of energy from your arm to fly rod to fly in to fly to fish, the easier it becomes to achieve that outcome.

This is the first of a series of tips from the ALTO Fly Tyers for beginners, that hopefully will improve your casting skills. Feel free to call me if you have questions or if I help you in any way.

Mike Hawkins FFI CCI 903-353-3357