Hitting the salt
Scott Swartz founded the Atlanta Fly Fishing School, which began in 1999. It is the largest such operation in the Southeast and the only Trout Unlimited “Gold Endorsed” school in the United States. His Florida Fly Fishing Schools started in 2008, helping anglers learn to successfully fly fish in saltwater.
Summer is here, and Labor Day is around the corner. A lot of us will be taking our rods to the beach. For some lucky anglers it will be for a guided trip, while the rest of us will be sneaking in some casts on the family’s vacation.
Saltwater fly fishing has a way of humbling even experienced anglers. Heavy rods, sea breezes and fish on the move are challenging.
We get calls to help prepare for salt trips, but we get more calls from anglers returning from the salt. We hear, “I needed more distance”, “I needed faster casting with less false casts” and “It was too windy.”
It takes a minute to learn to deal with wind directions, how to deliver “speed casts”, and double-hauling for greater distance. Seeing your rod with a huge bend makes learning worth it.
With practice we improve our skills, but we never master what saltwater can bring. We simply improve enough to play the game and win – sometimes.
The temperature differences between land and sea create a near shore breeze that can be challenging. There are tricks to dealing with wind, no matter its direction. A wind that blows line away from you is great, but wind blowing onto your casting side is a problem. Sticking a fly in your back is no fun and sticking the guide is worse!
In light winds sidearm casts keep the fly farther away. Wind too strong for side arm casting has us making cross body casts allowing the wind to take the line to the downwind side. You can always turn around and drop back casts if you like that better, but cross body is easier than you might imagine. With the correct technique the wind helps the cast.
For wind from the front or back, change the angle and speed of your casting stroke. With a headwind, cast a low fast tight loop downward and stick the fly to the water before it can blow back. On a tailing wind, cast high to send your fly.
The Belgian wind cast, aka oval cast, or constant tension cast, is a must know. It is a cast just like its name, in an oval, with constant tension. This cast works because there is no pause to give the wind time to cripple your line tension.
Casting faster helps in all wind directions. If you cast 10 miles per hour faster you overcome 10 miles per hour of wind.
When you plan to get salty, plan for the wind. Take time to learn the tricks and improve your skills. You will be glad you did when your reel is deep into backing.
Send questions or comments to: info@atlantaflyfishingschool.com
