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Got a cheapo

2K views 14 replies 6 participants last post by  FlyFishAR 
#1 ·
Well I went out yesterday to Wal-Mart and got me a $20.00 combo kit. I had to buy the backing seperate. I am very new at this flyfishing stuff so I figure I wont cry if I destroy this flyrod. I am only fishing for panfish now and this set up works for me. The only thing I got to learn is to stop destroying flies. Seems like on my back cast I'm always hitting something or catching onto something and I'm either breaking the hooks or snapping the fly off of the leader :hehe:
 
#2 ·
Hi RTF,
I just started flyfishing this year and I also picked up one of the "cheapo" combo set-ups. ($39 for a 5/6wt outfit at Dick's Sporting Goods) The rod works, although it doesn't have a nice "feel" and the tip section loosens and falls out if I don't check it often. The reel? -- well, it only has to hold the line anyway. The main problem was the flyline that came with the kit. It was absolutely useless! I had to buy some "real" stuff, which put my total cost up to about $50. Still, this set-up has enabled me to get some casting practice and even catch a few fish!

I can't help much with your backcast problem --- I do the same thing! :rolleyes:

Q
 
#5 · (Edited)
RTF and Quentin:

The reason flies break off in the air on your backcast is the same reason that whips crack: because the fly is being yanked around a sudden U-turn that literally breaks the sound barrier.
As a learning technique, look over your shoulder at your backcast. Learn to give your backcast time to straighten out behind you, but not time to drop to the ground or water behind you. As soon as you (quickly) develop the feel for timing, you can keep your eyes forward.
The best thing about cheapo beginner outfits is that they'll make you appreciate the better rod and reel you'll buy next. Don't get discouraged; you're in the sometimes-awkward stage of a wonderfly satisfying, life-long sport.
 
#7 ·
Nope.........the whip crack means you have started you forward cast too early. People that have fished for years, have gotten accustomed to regular casting gear. I tell my casting students that while casting a fly rod try to imagine the rhythm of a waltz in your head. That slow rhythm of a "1..2..3..1..2..3..1..2..3". You have to make a considerable pause after you make a "stop" in your back and forward casts. Your rod should "stop" at this position on your back cast / and then this position on your forward cast \. I saw where someone recommended that you watch your backcast for a while to make sure it was fully straightening out. This is really a good idea. Most new casters also try to bring the rod too far back. For a while (just temporarily) try to stop the rod straight up (or 12 o'clock) and see what is does to your loop. Do some experimenting and try to make that perfect classic loop.

Then go take a lesson.

John
 
#8 ·
Thanks FlyFishAR !

Yep, I just watched some flyfishing on TV this morning one was on OLN and the other was on ESPN. I watched the guys and they make it look real easy. I noticed that they dont cast the rod hard, it looks like one smooth motion, nice and easy. I think I'm casting too fast,... like you said I'm not allowing the line to straighten out on the back cast before I go for the forward cast.
 
#12 ·
Re: backcast problems . . .

Actually, I haven't had a problem with flies coming off because of the "whip snap", but I frequently snag or whack stuff on the backcast (the ground, rocks, trees, street signs, guardrails, etc.), which sometimes destroys the fly and/or frays or snaps the leader. Luckily, I have not yet snagged myself or another person or a moving automobile :eyecrazy: ! I may be bringing the rod too far back on the backcast. I'll have to try stopping sooner to see if that helps.

Nice fish John! My "el cheapo" has subdued a few 3+ pound brookies and smallmouth bass, as well as a couple of 6-8 pound carp!

Q
 
#13 ·
Snagging the backcast

Quentin:
The risk of snagging something with your backcast is an ongoing problem in fly-casting, but there are ways around it. Even experts can't make normal backcasts standing near a dense tree or thicket. Get in the habit of looking behind you before you start. If you can make tight, accurate backcasts, you can often aim them into gaps in the foliage.
If you have to cast near such obstructions, the roll cast is your salvation. It's one of the old standards, but I'm surprised how many newer flyfishers haven't learned it. Shake or strip line into the water. (With a little practice, you can easily roll-cast 30-40 feet.) Raise the rod tip nearly overhead, tilted slightly away from your casting side. Let the line sag down from the rod tip, then punch the rod-tip forward, stopping fairly high: Swoosh-zip!
 
#14 ·
Well, I'll tell ya what. Last night I was fishing a river on shore and was in a spot where you could not back cast what so ever. So I just put the rod out in front of me and started to cast from side to side. I would whip the rod to the right then back to the left all the while watching the line. As soon as the line straightened out I would whip it back. This worked real good and I caught a few fish this way. By doing this technique I really got the idea of how the line flings in the air and at what time I am suppose to cast forward. It really gave me a view of how a fly rod is suppose to work.

Has anyone casted like this ?
 
#15 · (Edited)
Actually, it is a technique that has be around for a while. You can learn different casts for different casting situations. Sort of like different golf shots, drives, puts, hooks and cuts. Generally when you have "zero" backcast the easiest method is one of the variations of a "rollcast". Here is a short clip and a link to a good casting site:

http://www.sexyloops.co.uk/flycasting/tbasicroll.shtml

The roll cast is the first move he makes. Although he is dempostrating how to cast a sink tip the move is basically the same. The rod comes to behind the angler at about a 45 degree angle to form a "D" shaped loop, then it is then cast normally. The combination of the line weight and the surface tension of the water keep the loop together and the loop travels to the end. You'll have to have some surface tension from the water to practice this cast. Since that surface tension is an intergral part of the cast, you'll find very quickly that it will "not" work in the front yard.

John
 
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