Month: July 2008

The Reach Cast Demonstrated

The Midcurrent site has another of Joan Wulff’s great fly casting videos up. This time on the “Reach Cast”.

From the video – “A dry fly fisherman has to be aware of what we call ‘drag.’ Drag is that motion that makes the fly look as if it is a water-skier instead of a free-floating insect, and it’s caused by the currents that work on the line and leader. So we need affect that by doing what we call a ‘Reach Cast,’ which will put the arm and the upper part of the rod upstream of the fly, so that the fly drifts down first.”

It is as well to remember that the reach cast has a strong place when using nymphs – a drag free drift is just as important in this style of fishing. When nymphing it can be a great help throw in a reach cast, giving you that extra little bit of time to throw in an early up-stream mend which sets up a long drift.

Posted by Tony Bishop in Fishing Videos, fly fishing how-to

The Roll Cast Made Easy, Because it Really Is

The roll cast is an absolute necessity to learn.

I can remember when I first started learning to cast a fly rod, I had all sorts of problems trying to position the line for a cast. Learning the roll cast makes it easy. Now when I am teaching someone new to fly fishing I always start with the roll cast. It is the easiest way to reposition the line for another type of cast. It is the easiest way to lift a sinking line, or weighted nymphs, up and onto the surface to cast. It is the easiest way to cast when there is no room for a back cast.

For a wonderful demonstration and tutorial of the roll cast see this video made by the Grand Dame of casting Joan Wulffe, now up on the excellent MidCurrent site. It is the best explanation and demonstration of the roll cast I have ever seen. As a footnote, if you still think power and strength are effective when casting, watch Joan probably in her mid-sixties, showing just how wrong that notion is.

Posted by Tony Bishop in fly fishing how-to

New Fishing Quotes and Sayings – Jul 09, 2008

I have just added 36 more quotes to the quotes page. They are from 657 to 692.

My pick of the new bunch of quotations – (673) …

“Technical words and phrases have crept out to fuddle fly fishing, and the simplicity the small boy and Izaak Walton imparted to the sport is becoming burdened with complexity.”

– Jack Denton Scott

Posted by Tony Bishop in fishing quotes

Charley Cravens Fly Tying Goldmine

A little while ago I did a review of John Barr’s book “Barr Flies”, and a damn good book it is too.

A big part of the success of the book is down to the great fly-tying tutorials with excellent photos provided by Charley Craven. So I was rapt to find Charley’s web site.

This site is based around Charley’s great looking shop, but the real bit of excitement for me was the treasure trove of fly patterns, with the same great photos used in John Barr’s book. The flies are shown in full detail through the tying stages. Of course you can also get supplies to build the flies from the shop.

If you tie flies it has to be a go-to site.

Posted by Tony Bishop in fly tying

New Fishing Quote, Fishing Smarter – Jul 1, 2008

“Catching fish is not a mental game between fish and angler.
A “smart” trout is only smarter than other than other trout, not smarter than a fisherman. An angler must take the puzzle of the day’s conditions, and matching those conditions and his knowledge of the fish come up with a good catch.
He competes with a concept, not with a fish’s brain.”

Lee Wulff, ‘Some Fishing Basics’ in Rod and Reel Magazine, January 1981

A quote from the 650+ quotes on fishing and fishermen, here on my web site.

Posted by Tony Bishop in fishing quotes