tactics

Are You Casting Too Far?

By Scott Richmond

Spey casting a long line takes skill and is satisfying. But is it always good fishing? There's a time to cast long, and a time to choke it off a little shorter.

o you got this fancy new spey rod for steelheading, then you took some lessons. And now you can cast 100 feet, maybe more. But the question very few anglers bother to ask is: should you cast that far?

The answer is: usually not.

A Consensus Emerges

Last fall I was fishing on Idaho's Clearwater River, where the West's best spey casters often gravitate (let me the first to point out: I'm NOT part of that elite group!). On this broad river, it's not unusual to see anglers regularly slinging 100-, 120-, maybe even 130-foot casts or longer.

While picking up some leaders at The Red Shed near Orofino, I fell into conversation with a local fly fishing guide. "You know," he said, "I've noticed that a lot of my clients who are beginning spey casters manage to catch steelhead. In fact, it's not unusual for someone who can't cast very far to outfish someone who is a much better caster. So I started biting off my casts at around 85 feet. And you know what? I think I'm catching more steelhead."

When I got home, I talked to several experts, and they all agreed: most fly anglers try to cast too far with their spey rods. Sometimes you need the extra distance, but usually you're actually decreasing your odds of catching a steelhead.

The reasons fall into five broad categories:

1. Not knowing how far you're casting
2. Casting beyond the fish
3. Not casting consistently
4. Inability to see what's happening near your fly.
5. Failure to get a good drift

How Far Are You Really Casting?

Every guide I talked to agreed on one thing: most anglers aren't casting nearly as far as they think they are. They don't take the time to measure the amount of line they have out and just take a guess--usually an optimistic one. "Most of my clients who think they're casting 100 feet are only casting 75," said one guide who will remain anonymous.

It's easy to determine how much line you're casting when you understand your fly line. Spey lines have a thin running line and a thick head. It's obvious where the head ends and the line begins. Indeed, many lines now change color where the head connects to the running line. Add-up the length of the head, a tip section if you're using one, the leader, and your rod; the head length is on the box the line came in, or you can get it from the manufacturer's website.

For example, a Rio Windcutter line has a 54- or 55-foot head; add 15 feet for your leader, 13 or 14 feet for the rod, and fifteen feet for the running line you're shooting. You're flinging your fly 80 to 85 feet in that example.

Once you know how far you're casting, you can find your optimum distance and cast more consistently. Keep in mind that your optimum distance will vary with different types of casts and situations.

How Far Is Enough?

Steelhead like to lie near structure, and often that structure is near the shore. Atlantic salmon anglers face a different quarry with different habits, and may need longer casts, but steelhead can be much closer to the bank than most anglers believe. Yet most of fly fishers wade into the water and almost immediately start casting at their maximum range.

"I'm always telling my clients to shorten up," says Amy Hazel, who along with her husband John Hazel owns the Deschutes Angler fly shop and guide service. "Clients ask me how they can improve their steelheading, and the number one thing I tell them is to shorten up. I like them to start a run with one inch of line past the tip-top. Then gradually lengthen the cast. And don't cast any farther than you have to."

Simon Gawesworth, who can cast farther than nearly anyone in the world, echoes Amy. "It depends on the river," he says, "but most anglers cast too far. They overshoot the fish or line them. And they lose line control."

Dave Steinbaugh of Waters West (360-417-0937) fly shop and guide service in Port Angeles, Washington, says, "Most steelhead are much closer than we think. Too many anglers go too long too soon."

Are You Casting Consistently?

It's easier to flub a cast when you're working near your maximum range. It's an unfortunate fact of steelheading life that 80 percent of your casts can be perfect, but the bad 20 percent will ruin your chances of catching a steelhead on the good casts.

It's best to cast a shorter line, but cast it well and consistently. If you're making long casts that only work "most of the time" you're reducing your chances of hooking a fish.

Consistent casting means hitting the same angle and same distance on each cast, having the fly turn over on each cast, and getting the fly fishing as soon as it hits the water.

Do You Know What's Happening Near Your Fly?

When you have a lot of line out, you can't see far enough to know what's happening near your fly. Seeing what's happening is vital because steelhead are followers: they may follow your fly 40 feet or more in its drift, then return to their lie without taking the fly. But if you put that fly past them a second time, odds are they'll eat it. The problem is, most anglers have no idea a steelhead was swimming along with its nose six inches from their fly. The only clue may be a dorsal fin that breaks the surface, a boil or swirl as the fish turns, or perhaps a flash in the water. If you're 100 feet or more from your fly, it's unlikely that you'll see those subtle clues; you'll just take another step, and make another (fishless) cast.

Are You Getting a Good Swing?

"Control is more important than distance," says Mark Bachman, owner of The Fly Fishing Shop in Welches, Oregon, and grand master of the annual Spey Clave on the Sandy River.

This is especially true with sink-tip lines. Usually, the water is moving slower as you go deeper, so it's easy to get a belly in the line where you can't see it. If you're after winter-run fish, that belly will make the fly move too fast and you're going to have a slow, wet, fishless day.

Another problem is that anglers who make long casts often spend a lot of time mending line and making adjustments to get the fly to swing correctly. By the time they're done, half the swing is half over.

Winter fishing poses special problems of getting the fly deep enough. A too-long cast makes it difficult to put slack in the line so the fly will sink more deeply without creating a belly.

Summer steelheaders create problems, too. Usually they're impatient to make the next big cast and don't let the fly finish its swing. A lot of fish are caught at the end of the swing--but a lot more never got a chance to eat the fly because the angler didn't let it swing long enough

Five Questions

So next time you're on the water with your big stick, ask yourself the five questions above. Those long, booming casts may be very impressive. But oftentimes the best casting is not the best fishing.

Scott Richmond is Westfly's creator and Executive Director. He is the author of eight books on Oregon fly fishing, including Fishing Oregon's Deschutes River (second edition).

Uploaded 02/17/2006.

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