Casting into the wind

[Mangrove Cuckoo]

Sorry for all the questions, but here in S. Florida we have a sub-season between winter and summer that is called "Windy", and that appears to be what we are entering now.

So, no fishing this weekend but lots of casting into a pretty decent wind (10 - 20 mph). So it is an opportunity to tune up.

I've been playing with my HT6 and discovered at least one new thing. There is a difference between the Thunderbolt and the MED when it comes to turning over the fly when casting into the wind... the MED has something special going on- in this case.

But, in general, I was wondering what other casters consider the primary requirement to cast, say a 6wt line 60 or so feet into a wind with accuracy?

Is it speed, trajectory, loop shape, or what?

And how do you achieve it? Power, haul, tip path, pull back, etc. ?

Thanks!

[Thomas_E]

Hi, we already had something about this. Is that not enough ?

viewtopic.php?f=8&t=3343

Cheers,
Thomas

[Paul Arden]

Yeah well that’s more the “Mulson wind cast”. I don’t really do that. So to answer the questions above I would say it’s line speed, aligned trajectories, aiming onto the water as opposed to above, and very importantly carrying instead of shooting. That last one is key for me, because it’s a hell of a lot easier to get a loop to unroll that’s not shooting.

I don’t use pull-back; I use Stopless delivery. I don’t point the rod tip on the water, I point the rod tip at the target.

On a very strong wind I tilt the casting plane closer to the horizontal. This presents less angle of the fly leg to the wind, also if it doesn’t straighten with three flies for example, then they land in a curve and not in a tangle. But mostly it’s for the angle of attack.

If I have a choice I will cast at a slight angle to the headwind instead of directly into it. If I have a choice I might use one line weight denser eg intermediate as opposed to floating line.

But for the cast itself, long carry so I don’t have to shoot, delayed rotation, fast haul, I can make a small check-haul if necessary, targets aligned (always a slightly inclined backcast with a forward cast aimed at a target, 1” above the water surface) and tilt the arc over if it’s blowing a gale.

Cheers, Paul

Edit I was going to add that if there is any wind when I’m practising shots I usually throw into it. But rereading the above I should mention that I bend the legs to get really low. I don’t believe in casting “under the wind” but I do think the angle of attack is important.

[Lasse Karlsson]

What Paul said

Even though I sometimes use a fast sinking shootinghead and shoit more than carry, but in general, what Paul said.

Cheers
Lasse

[Boisker]

As I fish rivers in SW England... I just wade a bit closer and avoid having to cast 60’

[George C]

How important do people feel fly line design is?
Do you choose a line with a forward distribution of weight in the head and a steep front taper to aid leader turnover? Does this add enough to let you fish a lighter rod than you might choose otherwise for a windy day (say a 7wt instead of a 9wt while bonefishing)?

[James9118]

How important do people feel fly line design is?
Do you choose a line with a forward distribution of weight in the head and a steep front taper to aid leader turnover? Does this add enough to let you fish a lighter rod than you might choose otherwise for a windy day (say a 7wt instead of a 9wt while bonefishing)?

I think it's a case of the better you are at casting the less you care about the tackle. I always use a 'genuine' #7 line for bonefishing, if you can shape a tight loop and generate sufficient line speed then that's all you'll really need for chucking bonefish flies. When I first started flats fishing I used a green MED #7 - I don't like the trend for overweight, short-head lines.

Cheers, James

[Paul Arden]

It certainly won’t make the difference between a 7 and a 9. A short front taper is better than a long front taper for sure. But none of that compares to technique. And the best way to learn it is to practise distance casting. For me that’s exactly the same skill set.

Years ago I was in a competition in Montana, and they set the course up directly facing a stiff head wind. This was to stop the event from being wind assisted! I won that event with a cast of 100 and something feet, simply by carrying the line and having it unroll without shooting. I wish they would set them all up that way

(I won a Horizon 2 I believe. I gave it away to a friend )

Cheers, Paul