I’m assuming you cast right handed.Dangermouse wrote: ↑Tue May 03, 2022 11:51 am Hi everyone
I cut my fly fishing teeth on the Stillwaters of Lancashire Uk
Then in 2001 I moved to the USA
Unfortunately fishing took a back seat with getting settled, new family etc
Then the lockdowns started, perfect time to get away from everyone and go fishing.
I've been fishing with bait and spinning gear for the last couple is seasons, but it's not really my thing ( can't sit still long enough lol )
So I got my sister back in the UK to ship my old custom made fly fishing rod to me ( can't believe it was still there )
I've been working on getting my casting going again over the winter but I seem to have developed a fault. Almost every cast lands with the last 6 feet or so bent at a 90° angle to the left. Any suggestions would be appreciated
Tracking could be one cause. Overpowering the cast or too hard of a stop could be others. When we are fishing many of us tilt the rod to the side a bit to avoid hitting the rod with the fly. If you do that, and overpower the cast, you end up throwing an overpowered curve cast. This will be especially true when casting a streamer and will happen even if your tracking is true.
One of the obvious ways to avoid this is to use less power in your casting stroke but if you are using a light rod with heavy streamers it can be difficult to get just the right amount of power (practice, practice). Also learn to relax your grip immediately after the stop to reduce counterflex and rebound of the rod.
You can also cast with the rod vertical instead of leaning a bit to the side. If you overpower the cast with a vertical casting stroke the fly will kick downwards rather than sideways. This will result in some slack in your presentation rather than a hook. If you do this you need to develop a stroke that makes sure the fly passes over the rod tip rather than hitting it.
It’s a good idea to practice casting in different rod planes from horizontal to vertical on your dominant side to as far as you can get on your non dominant side. This is great for dealing with wind coming from your side or dealing with the environment you find yourself in.