Beginners, Existing Fly Fishers Wishing to Improve Casting, Fishing Techniques or their Catches

Do you struggle to catch fish on a very regular basis except immediately after stocking or is your casting in need of improvement? Maybe you don’t know what fly to use or you cant tell if a Trout has taken your fly except when you feel a big tug. Even more importantly you can not consistently cast to the fish.

Perhaps you want to cast further with less effort , want to fish a dry fly with confidence, perhaps you struggle to know when to use a floating line and when to use one of various sinking lines

If this sounds all too familiar then you should benefit from having one to one instruction with me. The instruction will be tailored to meet your specific requirements and will include an assessment of your tackle to make sure that it is not handicapping your fishing.

If your equipment is not really suitable then you will be provided with modern balanced tackle for the instruction at no extra cost. The tuition is individual to ensure that problem areas are concentrated on. As with complete beginners you will receive a set of tuition notes to act as an “aide memoire”.

For an absolute beginner I will teach you to perform the over head cast correctly. This is the basic cast which lets you get the fly out on the water and a correctly performed overhead (pick up and laydown) cast is essential as this forms the foundation for many other casts. If you can not perform a smooth overhead cast then you will not be able to false cast properly, shoot line, introduce hauls for distance and will not be able to defeat wind.. Depending on progress you will also be shown how to false cast line and also how to shoot line for extra distance. Once this is mastered then progress can be made by adding line speed by hauling on the line during the cast. This may be achieved in a brief 2 hour session or perhaps over 2 sessions.

Also the roll cast will be taught. This cast enables you to get the fly line extended on the water in the first place. It is a superb cast to use when there are obstructions behind which do not let the line go behind you, It is used to get a sinking line to the surface prior to an overhead cast etc. A very easy cast to learn and one that lets you cover water ignored by many anglers.

If you already fly fish but struggle with your casting then why not have a couple of hours with me to try and iron out your faults so you can spend more time fishing. Remember a fly in the air wont catch but a fly in the water will .

Some of the common problems with fly casting include frequently getting tailing loops (commonly called wind knots), the line does not fully extend on the forward cast and instead lands in a heap, too much use of wrist taking the rod too far back and causing large air resistant loops, applying power at the wrong stage of the cast etc etc. Casting should be smooth and to a casual byestander should appear easy. Good casting does not involve thrashing the rod, line and body backwards and forwards.

Most anglers who struggle with casting put far too much physical effort into making the cast usually accompanied by multiple false casting. If the rod and line are correctly matched then the rod and line provide the energy to get the distance with a little intervention from the angler. A slow, smooth cast with the power applied at the correct points will shoot much further than a hard flailing cast which results in a dramatic loss of distance.

Hopefully after the instruction your catch rate and fishing pleasure will improve dramatically. Remember that to become proficient you need to practice, practice and practice until the casts are second nature. You are in effect training your muscles to do unfamiliar tasks. You will have or develop your own style of casting. We all have our own preferred ones but no matter the style used the style must incorporate no slack line, smooth acceleration in both directions incorporating positive stops and a pause with power being applied at the appropriate moment, efficient loops that cut through the air and these loops will be made by varying the length of the casting stroke to take account of the amount of line extended from the rod tip and making sure that your rod tip follows a straight path through the air.

If you would like to know more please complete the enquiry form on the contact page and I will get back to you as soon as possible. You can also contact me by phone on 07886 817770 ,07853 421802 or 01539 733297 before 9.00pm.

15lb Rainbow Trout taken on size 14 Klinkammer fly and 4lb tippet. This could be you with the right techniques !!