Techy Thursday - Five Tips For Fly Fishing In the Wind
If there’s one word to describe our season in the South so far, it’s windy.
With rivers issuing from the alps, it’s rare to fish a calm day and you can’t always get away from the wind. You often have to simply deal with it, especially during spring.
With more comprehensive material on this subject elsewhere on this blog, here’s an additional fast five to keep things fresh in your mind and get you on the right track for dealing with springtime gales.
1. Relax Your Grip On The Fly Rod
Ignore your instinct to fight the wind. The moment you grip your rod tighter, tense your muscles and start punching your cast its game over. That same, relaxed, good form fluid stroke you were using earlier on will still turn over now. You just need a few modifications. Relax your grip.
2. Lengthen Your Casting Stroke
For greater acceleration, think of it as throwing a ball. For a short lob to a friend, your hand only travels a short distance. If your friend is at the far end of the park, your hand travels a much greater distance allowing for greater acceleration and distance. Think speed, and not power to avoid punching the cast.
3. Rotate Your Casting Stroke Late
Imagine your casting stroke as being similar to throwing a javelin. Accelerate the rod backwards and forwards maintaining the same angle before turning it over crisply at the very latest stages of the stroke.
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Relax the hand as you pull the rod butt forward, squeezing the grip to turn things over right at the end.
4. Aim Your Casting Arc Low
Don’t allow your line to straighten too high above the water. Once the energy and momentum leaves your line you are at the mercy of the wind. Aim at a target maybe one foot above the surface. Simply keep your elbow low by your side throughout the cast to naturally accomplish this, and throw a higher backcast / lower forward cast.
5. Add A Haul To Your Cast
Keep it late, keep it straight, make it zippy. Hauling directly increases li e speed and when the Nor Wester howls, line speed is good.
Bonus Tip For Fly Fishing In The Wind
If you’re not tracking straight, all the above will be in vain. Check out our Lockdown Lesson below to ensure you’re getting the most out of your cast.