Hauling and shooting line

Proficient casting is arguably the most important part of fly fishing. You need to be able to cast distance when fishing lakes, big rivers, and salt water. And in order to cast long, you need to learn how to both shoot and haul line. Shooting line A basic cast consists of sending a set amount of line outside your rod tip; let’s say 30 feet. You aerialize (raise) that 30 feet on your backcast and lay 30 feet onto the water on your forward stroke. Shooting line enhances the basic cast by helping you manage a shorter length of line while still achieving distance. Another way to achieve that 30 feet is to have 20 feet of line outside your rod tip, with an extra 10 feet of loose line pinched in your rod hand. Now you’re aerializing 20 feet of line and shooting 10 on the forward stroke. It’s much easier to manage a shorter casting length and shoot the rest than it is to aerialize the whole length. The 10-foot difference might not seem like much, but once you start managing longer distances, it matters. Aerializing 40 feet of line and shooting 30 is much easier than keeping 70 feet of line in the air. To control that much line outside the tip is next to impossible for most beginners casters, also the line design might not allow for it. Wind, tree branches, and other obstacles sometimes make that impossible, too. I ask every student when they release line when shooting line. Interestingly, few students know. The answer is you release the line when you stop the rod on the forward stroke — not before, and certainly not after the rod has unloaded. This allows a smooth transfer of energy from the rod to the line. Here’s how it should be done: Shooting line 1. With about 30 feet of line outside your rod tip laying on the grass, pull a few extra feet off the reel and pinch it in the hand that isn’t holding the rod. 2. Pick the line up and into a backcast, stop the rod, pause until the line starts to straighten, and then come forward. It’s important to have the rod tip travelling in a straight line (see “Straight talk,” pg. 32, 2017 Fishing Annual). 3. On the forward cast, stop the rod and release the line you have in your non-rod