The Need For Speed
The Casting Connection
November 2024
By Capt. Scott Swartz
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 anglerslearn to successfully fly fish in saltwater
Years of guiding in the salt gave me an appreciation for clients who could cast well, and a greater appreciation for those who could do it quickly.
Saltwater fly fishing is the pinnacle of the sport. Not because you can catch a fish as big as you, but because you must be at the top of your casting game to present a fly in the wind to a moving target before it is out of range. It is the same need for speed when bass are patrolling an edge or a school of fish bust the top. If you do not get the fly there quickly your odds go down fast. Trout are some of the few fish who will wait for you to finish your lunch.
To be successful at the speed cast there are skills that will help. Being able to roll cast and “shoot” line are two of them. The ability to shoot line on both the forward cast and the back cast is even better. Also, the ability to cast faster or double-haul to generate greater line speed helps because faster moving line goes farther.
First, pull as much line off the reel as you will need. This length is the lesser of your casting ability or the distance you can see fish. You never need more line off the reel than you can cast, and you will not cast farther than conditions allow you to spot fish. Any more line off the reel can only cause trouble.
Second, make a sacrificial cast so you can retrieve line and lay it in coils on the deck or in a stripping basket. By doing this, the line is now stacked in order to come up through your rod’s guides during the cast. If you coil your line straight from the reel, without a sacrificial cast, it will be stacked upside down.
Third, stop your sacrificial cast retrieve while you still have 10 to 20 feet of fly line out of the rod tip. Experiment with this length as it depends on your abilities as well as your line, leader, and fly. The greater the line length outside the tip, the farther your first cast will go and the greater your rod will load to shoot line on the next stroke.
Fourth, the “ready position” will have you holding the fly safely, by the bend of the hook, in case your line accidentally gets tugged. Your fly line, ready to be cast, is coiled on the deck or in the basket.
Finally, when you need the quick cast, make a roll cast into the air while releasing the fly. Depending on wind direction this can be a forward or back cast, whatever is to your advantage. Follow the initial cast with a second cast shooting as much line as possible. Make the final delivery cast, or follow with an additional false cast shooting more line as needed for distance.
Practice this cast on the lawn to master the line management. It can take some trial and error. Soon you will be able to cast great distances with just one or two false casts delivering a fly in seconds.
The magic sauce is starting your first cast with as much line out of the rod tip as possible. Once 20 to 30 feet of line is out, your rod will load, cast and shoot line more easily. Manage a long first cast and you are well on your way to a quick delivery.
Send comments or your casting questions to: Scott@AtlantaFlyFishingSchool.com
