Casting for distance

[Steelyak]

Good tip...thanks guys!

[Halffastpaddler]

So when practicing in the yard do you guys use no leader line right

I use a leader with a little tuft of yarn tied at the end.

- HFP

[flyfisher]

So when practicing in the yard do you guys use no leader line right

I use a leader with a little tuft of yarn tied at the end.

- HFP

That works well when pratcticing for the trout world where flies are light but when hucking flies for bass that are usually heavier and bulkier i usually just snip the hook off a clouser or a beat up bulkier fly and use that.

Gives you a better idea of what the cast will do with weight and widn resistance as it totally changes the cast. It is kind of like my uncle who is a truck driver who says in training they trailers are empty and everything is easy but once you load it up the truck behaves totally different.

my .02

[Ruffells]

Thanks I will take one of my 'worse tyed' flies and try it.

[TheCream]

So when practicing in the yard do you guys use no leader line right

I use a leader with a little tuft of yarn tied at the end.

- HFP

That works well when pratcticing for the trout world where flies are light but when hucking flies for bass that are usually heavier and bulkier i usually just snip the hook off a clouser or a beat up bulkier fly and use that.

Gives you a better idea of what the cast will do with weight and widn resistance as it totally changes the cast. It is kind of like my uncle who is a truck driver who says in training they trailers are empty and everything is easy but once you load it up the truck behaves totally different.

my .02

Very true. I was reminded of the difference in fly type last week when I switched from the small panfish popper I had been slinging to a #22 black midge dry on my 3wt. I was playing with bluegills and there was some sort of small black fly coming off the pond they were hammering. It was a chore to reach them in the middle of the pond casting the popper, but the midge I could reach with ease. A little hackle and dubbing casts easier than foam, paint, and epoxy.

[Mr. Wilson]

Can anyone recommend a stripping basket, homemade or commercial, that would work well sitting/standing in the yak and for wading?

Mike

[flyfisher]

Can anyone recommend a stripping basket, homemade or commercial, that would work well sitting/standing in the yak and for wading?

Mike

I am anxious to see the answers to this one too because i haven't found one that works well.

When wading i wouldn't use one though as i just let the line build up and float downstream. I also try and not take to much out at one time so it doesn't get to tangled up.

I know when i first started fly fishing i would tend to take out way more line than i needed when first casting so i would end up with a pile of line that was rarely cast.

I know try and keep my excess line to a minimum and keep only enough out to make the cast with a little extra just in case.

[Paddletrucker]

A guy told me that when fly casting from a kayak, take an oversized beach towel and spread it out across your lap, letting it hang over the edge of the kayak a little. This way, you can concentrate on fishing and not hitting the basket with stripped line. AN added plus is that you have a towel handy. I haven't tried it yet because I the only problem I've had so far is getting a loop of the stripped line around the butt of the rod, bringing the cast to an abrupt stop I usually just throw the stripped line over the side into the water. The only problem with that is if you want to paddle off, you have to haul it all in with you and then throw it back out again.

I keep forgetting the towel, but I'd like to try it. Sounds like a good idea to me, but I've only got three trips under my belt.

[flflash]

Before I start casting I peel line off onto a Terry towel ( the ones that are real fuzzy hold the line better ) till I get to the running line which on most flylines is about 40 feet. That plus a 6-9 foot leader gives me close to 50' of castable line, thats all I need. I do virtualy no false casting just pick up backcast and shoot a little to the next spot. False casting over the fish in the shallow clear water lakes I fish spooks the fish.
If you can cast an average size Bass Bug more than 50' you don't need my help
Back to the towel thing, darn near all my fishing pants/shorts have cargo pockets with velcro so I stapled some velcro to my towel and stick it to my shorts it no longer slides off my lap at the worst possible moment.

[vakayakangler]

Before I start casting I peel line off onto a Terry towel ( the ones that are real fuzzy hold the line better ) till I get to the running line which on most flylines is about 40 feet. That plus a 6-9 foot leader gives me close to 50' of castable line, thats all I need. I do virtualy no false casting just pick up backcast and shoot a little to the next spot. False casting over the fish in the shallow clear water lakes I fish spooks the fish.
If you can cast an average size Bass Bug more than 50' you don't need my help
Back to the towel thing, darn near all my fishing pants/shorts have cargo pockets with velcro so I stapled some velcro to my towel and stick it to my shorts it no longer slides off my lap at the worst possible moment.

The velcro is a good idea, but my dad is a golfer from way back and my last visit to Pcola I came home with a huge stack of golf towels that have the grommet in the corner for hanging the towel from the golf bag. Put a "biener" in the grommet, hook that to your front belt loop and the terry towel stays in place...

For Grass Casting, sit on a gallon bucket, puts you at just about the right height, if you have a commander, use a 5 gallon bucket, again, about the right height. Watch your backcast in the grass, if it touches the grass, count the cast as blown. If the backcast touches the water... it will have a LOT more affect on your forward cast. A light tick is not much concern, but if you lay it on the water for any distance on the back cast, your forward cast will be significantly slowed.

The very best stripping basket for fly fishing from a kayak: Commander or Ultimate.. The area in front of you was MADE for stripping.