An angler of many years ago. A common image.
Some years ago, bringing family members into the fly-fishing fold meant offering casting lessons, which I did not feel confident teaching. My instincts were to recall what I went through early on. What stumped me, what was anti-intuitive, and then all the real deal issues gathered confusion steam. Fly sizes and weights, trees and flora streamside, constant wind on the flats, ephemerata, baitfish, slide or tug, choosing fly rods, rigging, and so on.
Henry Clement, Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, August 2023.
I needed help
By Henry Clement
Fortunately, my stepson, Capt. Andrew Derr, a professional fly-fishing guide, taught fly casting at an Orvis fly shop in the Florida Keys in the early 2000s and is now guiding out of the world-famous striper fishery on Eastern Long Island, New York. There, he has taught hundreds the art of fly casting. He always gives me valuable how-to advice.
To the rescue, Wanda-Lady
Covering a couple of Wanda Taylor’s casting seminars for women turned on the teaching light. Wanda could recall and verbalize just what all beginners go through. Itself, a remarkable feat of memory. She could unstick difficult points of learning in hour-long lessons. It was amazing to watch some women who grew up in a homemaker world catch a fish with good 30-foot casts after two days of tutoring. Not just the naturally coordinated ladies, but the complex cases who, like anyone, no matter their sex, have a hard time chewing gum and walking at the same time.
Wanda Taylor, a remarkable casting instructor.
Joltin’ Joe
Thirdly, a session with Joe Mahler at a Bonefish and Tarpon Trust Symposium at International Game Fish Association’s World Headquarters (at the time, it included a museum) in Ft Lauderdale, Florida, learning the angle of pickup off the water and the proper angle of delivery, finishing with a left- or right-turning fly landing.
Capt. Andrew Derr is one of the most important light tackle fishing guides in Eastern Long Island, New York (Greenport and Montauk). Capt. Andrew Derr image.
The Land Captain
Fourth, ten years or more angling with the legend himself, Steve Kantner, known regionally as the Land Captain by all who know that remarkable fishery of South Florida, osmosisly imparted his casting knowledge on me. Landing a 30-pound tarpon in roadside canals less wide than a one-lane road does stick with you, even as age hijacks memories.
Sameo
Lastly, and maybe most importantly, Ken Persson’s (Sameo/Sweden/watch video) video, “ . . . which perfectly details the dynamic roll cast, also known as the switch cast, underhand cast, or touch-and-go cast, is a fly-fishing technique used to cast without a backcast, especially in tight spaces. This casting technique is one you’ll be glad to see. It is an instant resolution for beginners—able to make the cast in a few hours of lawn time.”— Persson.
No more time-delay penalties due to tree hookups
Any experienced angler knows these casts. Used in place of haul backcasts for fly-catching in mangrove settings or when boxed in on the streamside.
Author Steve Kantner covers ALL of South Florida fishing on foot. See the book here.
Become fearless
This so-called “dynamic cast” is a must-know if catching fish in places you feared to tread can become angling bonanzas. Those casts have seen some excellent game fish over the years. From crappie to bonefish to trout of most makes, and snook, peacock bass, to bluefish, and more.
The amazing video
The cast revealed in the Sameo-produced video is easy to master in the situation trout anglers most often find themselves: forest or flora boxed in.
Featured image: “Angler fishing for steelhead” on the Mad River in California. Catching steelhead during winter flows on the Mad River requires a high level of expertise. Photo credit Harry Morse/California Department of Fish and Wildlife
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