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When we are sight-fishing with dry
flies on the Kennebec, consistent success is the result of good
presentation as much as choosing the "right fly".
Here's what I do to practice my
casting. I practice casting while I'm fishing. It's like hitting a
"Mulligan on the golf course or using several balls while playing a
practice round, except you don't have to worry about who's behind you so
practice all you want. The fishing's slow, they're not biting, so tie on
a big dry and see how long a drift you can make! Cast into the wind,
cast side arm, cast across your chest, backhanded. Shoot the line and
immediately point your rod upstream (reach cast). Fire the
fly into a little side current like a baseball pitcher! Mend
with your whole arm right to the leader without moving your fly! Who
knows, maybe a fish will strike. Pick a piece of debris or a bit
of foam on the water to aim at....or an insect. Lose yourself in your
drift.
Need help or want more info on
casting? Drop me an email at:
marshtd@roadrunner.com
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Sight Fishing means that we will be
casting to an individual fish so watching and waiting are our first
jobs.
I choose a position over and
across from a rising fish, or the best position from which we can cast
to, and not spook fish. We want the fly to be the only thing the fish
will see, and since the fish will be facing upstream, we'll place the
fly in his "window-river".
When we divide the big
river into little rivers, it's easier to observe the subtle
current that is carrying the insects to the rising fish.
These little currents (window rivers) often move laterally
and are of different velocity than the surrounding currents and eddies.
Once we've found a rising fish,
we'll always begin casting short of our target.
As we false cast, we'll not want to spray water droplets over our fish.
Time the fish's rises so that your fly comes over his head when he's
looking up. Choose a target (6 feet above the rise form to land your
fly), reach cast , mend to the leader so the fly line is
always up-current of the fly. Stay "in touch" with your fly by keeping
your line to the fly as straight as possible. Thanks for reading this
article. Now, Like my Dad said when I was studying the saxophone," GO
PRACTICE!"
Marshall |
