Not being straight with new to fly fishing folks may not help our sport grow
[dropcap]S[/dropcap]ome guides, most fly shop personnel, all fly rod and fly line producers (at fly fishing shows) and every outdoor travel companies booking agents are not straight with a newbie fly angler. And it may be the reason for high dropout rates among “wanna” be new fly anglers. The dropout rate for new fly anglers is very high. That statistic can be found at American Sport Fishing Association (ASA).
To be succcessful at fly fishing it is an imperative that you can double-haul, throw a tight loop and generate high line speed. Why? Because that will carry you through a day on the flats with a stiff wind. Master that and you can fish any condition, anywhere and be successful. Failing to successfully fly fish in that environment and you will be discouraged, and probably become a dropout statistic.
We need to be honest about fly fishing. It is not even slightly like anything else. And, yes, it is tougher to learn than any other form of fishing, but that is precisely why we do it. And the reward of a fish caught on a self-tied fly; fascinating.
The double-haul is particularly hard to learn because it is anti-intuitive, but once mastered you are in for a real treat. It will make your day!
You can learn to fly cast on your own, but a better bet is your regional Trout Unlimited (TU) organization, fly fishing club, Federation of Fly Fishers, nearby fly shop and even a big box stores’ fly fishing departments. Video’s are good as is attendance at fly fishing shows.
You can be a natural, or not so natural and learn the mechanics of fly fishing. You cannot learn the mechanics of hitting a baseball coming at you at 96 MPH or consistanly hit 30-foot jumpers without being very coordinated, but you can learn how to play superior golf or cast a fly without being super coordinated. It can be done, but you MUST practice.
Take lessons so when you are practicing you are not reinforcing the wrong mechanics
We have looked at hundreds of casting videos about fly casting and employing the double-haul. You cannot go wrong with anything Lefty Kreh, Joan Wulff oe Orvis has put out, but take a look at Tim Rajeff’s (Echo Fly Rods) technique. It is a little less mechanical and more free swinging, it might good sense to you.
“Tim Rajeff on Distance Casting in the Wind.” Stay tuned at the end of the Video. Tim’s brother and multi-year world casting champion, Steve, deals exclusively with the double-haul in his video
NOTE:The Featured Image is of Tim Rajeff introducing the Boost Fly Rod on his home waters.
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