new to fly fishing and need some input

[kpk]

I used to trout fish with spinning tackle years ago but for the last 10 years or so I've been running big bait casters for bass, pike, and musky. I decided to get back into trout fishing and decided I was gonna do it with fly tackle this time around.

I picked up a cabelas wind river combo 5 wt 9'0'' thinking it would a good all around rod for my area. Started practicing in the yard after watching some youtube videos to figure out how to run these things. I had no problems false casting, letting line out, etc (sorry if my terminology sucks). After about 45 minutes I was casting 60-70 feet with 2-3 foot accuracy for the most part. I can't get the leader to drop softly every time but probably 50% of the time it looks pretty good.

Now the question - this rod feels like I'm whipping a rope or a bull whip around. It feels super flexible to me and like its taking a whole lot of energy to get the rod stopped and started fast enough. Am I just casting this thing too hard being used to a big bait caster? Or is this more typical of how a fly rod feels?

 

[Liv2HntBigBullz]

Lefty kreh arguably the best caster that ever lived.

It's all about loading the rod. To do that your arm needs to speed up through the motion and stop. Once you stop say "my name is ____" and then begin the forward cast. Same thing forward speed up and stop. Once you feel the rod load once you will know what it feels like.

Now all that whipping is pretty impractical when on the river. Most of of your casts will be short to get a drift through a seam or ripple. The presentation comes mostly when throwing dries on stillwater.

Good luck and welcome to the addiction.


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[Jason Snyder]

Your energy comes from the stop and loading the rod. If you are wearing your arm out, you aren't getting the "hard stop" to load the rod and you're trying to do it with the drive part of your cast. This is creating the whip effect.

Hold the handle like a steak knife, tight with your thumb and forefinger. Most beginners grip tight with thumb and pinky.

Every rod is different in timing, but the end result is the same. You have to get a hard stop and let the rod fully load, then begin to drive the casting stroke with a GRADUAL increase in force. Not 0-60 in .5 seconds.

 

[dvm_hunter]

slower action rod may help you gain confidence and decreases the learning curve. Lose some casting distance, but it may help you get it figured out.

 

[kodiakfly]

My initial guess is that yes, you're casting too hard, which is by far the most common mistake that folks new to fly casting do. Even the slowest, softest fly rod is an incredibly effective lever and will cast a fly line. Like these guys say, Lefty Kreh is pretty much the expert. Ed Jaworski is another and they often work together on books or vids. I used to be a trout guy, but when I got into big saltwater and muskie fly casting I had to relearn to cast because the "10 and 2" that my Dad taught me wasn't working for crap on the big stuff and in the wind. I relearned from Lefty's techniques.

As far as it feeling like a whip, yeah, it's going to. It's a longer rod and flexes pretty much the entire length, unlike shorter bait casting rods for bass, or even the 9' big muskie sticks. The "feel" isn't even in the same ballpark.

 

[IdahoElk]

In addition to the info above I'd start with casting a much shorter distance,maybe 30' at most and learn to "feel" how your rod loads up and how little forward pressure it takes to get your line to gently arch and land on your target.70' is way too far for a beginner,are you getting knots in your leader?
Patience grasshopper!

 

[5MilesBack]

Rods have different kinds of action, so basically the rod will be very stiff or very flexible in simplest terms. For dry flies you want a softer feeling rod that will softly lay the line down. Most of my fly fishing is on rivers where I'm throwing large heavy bugs a long ways, where delicate presentation isn't required. I want a fast action rod to do that.

With the right rod you could throw small dries all day and barely feel it. I love the original Winston Classics for that type of fishing.

 

[kpk]

Thanks for the tips guys. There's certainly a few things I've been doing wrong. I haven't been gradually increasing speed, I've been going 0-60 as was mentioned. I wasn't getting any knots in the leader but every once in awhile I would get the bullwhip snap on my backcast. It's been really windy and my backcast was going into the wind which didn't seem to help.

The rod feel is definitely different. I use mostly 8' MH bass rods and 9' pike/musky rods. The fly rod seems to have a "delicate" feel and I'm not used to it.

Its been going better than I expected but I need to work on a few things.

 

[IdahoElk]

If you're getting a bullwhip crack it's because you're not giving it enough time to unroll on the back cast,slow down slightly when starting your forward motion.
It's all a timing thing really but starting off with a fast(stiff) action will amplify any form issues you have.I really enjoy using fiberglass rods for close in fishing because you feel what your line is doing and it slows down your cast.

Did you say what kind of fishing you'll be doing? Dry or nymph and what size flies?

 

[COlineman78]

I have a Cabela's 6 piece stowaway and I don't like it at all. Way too stiff. They are very hard to find, but I like my Greys GR-30 for the price.

The whip I find is usually caused by either not pausing enough on the back or using too much arm. I am by no means an expert and still consider myself a bit of a beginner. I still struggle especially in the wind.

 

[id450]

Orvis.com instructional videos and podcast with Tom


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[tttoadman]

You already have the basics. Don't treat it like a science project like the fancy fly shops want you to believe. My primary rod is a 5WTx9ft. It does everything from 6" to 5# fish. I don't really back cast that much. I fish smaller water. Roll casting is more common due to brush. Shorten the leaders a bit until you hone your skills. Even a ft or so will make a big difference. There are too many variables to say "this is how you do this". Between wind, brush, how deep you are wading, bug wt, droppers... Figure the rest out while relaxing and flipping flies.

This is my only tidbit for small/medium casting. I time it so the fly rolls over and hits the water before the rest of the line does. You need to be able to do this to fish an eddy on the far side of the fast water. Although glamorized, watch "a river runs through it". They had a truly talented person on that rod to make that.

Enjoy!! And there are no fish in your yard!!

 

[BroodBuster]

I agree with TT. Go fishing. Some of my biggest fish have come on my worst casts. Stick to tail outs early and late in the day. Logjams and brush can come later when you can better control your fly.

 

[Cledus]

I agree with TT as well, roll casting is used more frequently for me due to brush etc. I have been practicing lately to learn how to fly fish better.

 

[ShawnStonefly]

Some great advice from everyone above. The best investment I made after screwing around my first season and half fly fishing was getting a guide for half a day to watch my cast and give me tips. It sorted out my cast and shorted my learning curve dramatically.

 

[kpk]

I haven't had time to get out this weekend between graduations and storms. I'll get out this week after work.

I watched some of leftys stuff and practiced what he was saying. The "elbow on the shelf" helped and trying to "hit the line with the tip" helped tremendously. As soon as I tried that I could see my loops tighten and then I could feel the rod loading much better. I can't cast nearly as far but that'll come with time. I'm not getting worn out and it's much more effortless.

 

[robtattoo]

Don't get hung up on distance. Everyone gets hung up on distance.....

I always thought of it like learning to shoot a bow instinctively or throw a ball. Start at 20 feet until you can get your fly hitting a 12" ring every time (I practice with a frisbee lasted on the ground). Then move back a couple of paces & stay there until you can hit the frisbee every time. Keep moving back a couple of steps at a time, but not until you can hit 10 times out of 10. If you miss, move forward again.
Accuracy trumps distance every time. Honestly, 99% of fly fishing is done within 30 feet of your rod tip.

 

[Drifli]

With beginner's over lining the rod helps. Put a 6wt forward taper line on your five weight, keep the leader short and slow down when trying to cast. My son started at 3 with a little Winston 2 pice IM-6 with a basic caddis pattern and really was a fast learner. Nothing better than some small stream brook trout. Shoot if your ever near Tahoe pm me and I'll take you out.

Drifli

 

[2ski]

All good advice you're getting. Remember that as you increase distance you have to pause for a longer time to allow the loop to straighten out.

 

[Fjelljeger]

Just started fly fishing 2 years ago. Probably do everything "wrong"..... but it is one of the most amazingly wonderful activities one can do. As others have said, Go fishing! The fun is in the learning and experience. Was just on The Big Hole River.....waiting for the salmonfly hatch. Didn't even get a bite but loved it anyway.