Casting Short Distances

[Jack Jones]

Sparked by Wayne's response to another of my posts, what's the advice on casting short distances. Assuming that I'm using either a 7.5 or 9 ft tapered leader, what happens when I only really need to let out a foot or two of line to reach my target area. If you're only trying to get the fly about 10-15 feet away from you, what's the best way to cast this? Roll cast?

[Wayne SW/MO]

Jack it's hard to beat roll casting when you're faced with various short distances. A Wulff Triangle Taper is a super roll casting line and a double taper isn't far behind. The seeming belief that a weight forward is a better line isn't true. It is better to manufacture into tapers designed for certain conditions, a bass taper is a good example where the head is manufactured to carry wind resistant flies.

I believe that many would be better served in the parks throwing the Wulff TT or a DT.

[laker67]

Well Jack you have come to the right place. I could never cast a fly rod the conventional way, but I am an expert in the roll, flip, flop and slam cast. On short line like you speak of, the flip cast is the way to go. A gentle presentation with pin point accuracy. With the short line flowing downstream, hold your rod waist high on the downstream side. Form the letter "c" starting at waist high and ending your forward motion the same level as your ear. It is a sidearm flip so to speak.

[Danoinark]

.....and if your drifting, just a short flip back upstream would works.

[ness]

A lot of the time when I'm fishing small creeks, it comes down to a roll, flip, dap or bow-and-arrow -- depending on what obstructions there are. A roll requires a clear opening in front and can deliver the fly more accurately once you've got the technique down. Just a little flip may be all you can squeeze in if there's a lot of brush around. If you're in skinny water, you've got to think about the movement of your rod, line and leader through there. Dapping the fly -- just dangling over the water -- can be effective when your options are severely limited. I've rarely used the bow-and-arrow. It takes more room to load the rod than you'd think, and I've never really been able to get a lot of velocity on the fly or deliver it with any accuracy. It's really a last-ditch move for me.

Roll casting is a technique you should master, including a cross-body roll cast. I still practice it when the fishing is slow. Flips are less scientific -- just getting the fly out there -- but it's worth working on.