Fly Fishing Tip #3: Fish Close

Terry Throckmorton knows...Do you?

 As a young man I was fortunate to land in central Pennsylvania,  a fly fishing hot-bed and the calving ground for what might be the largest mob of world class fly anglers ever. Best thing, I got to know, befriend and fish often with a bunch of them. It seemed every day I learned something new, or maybe more to the point, everyday was a challenge just trying my damnedest to look at least semi-competent.

Now all these guys were great casters, several could toss an entire fly line with no rod at all. Of course this was just show-off stuff. When the chips were down, game-on, time to catch fish, every single one reeled-up and essentially opened the same playbook.

Act 1; Scene 1:

Look before you leap and when you leap start with little baby steps. In other words take a look around: Are bugs hatching, trout swirling the surface? If not what are the obvious targets? Plan your attack. And most urgent, start CLOSEl and THEN gradually work UP and across toward that fishy run against on the far bank. Ask any guide and he will tell you the best way to evaluate angler experience is where that first cast of the day is aimed. Experienced fish close. The rest charge right in, flail away, line every trout within range, time to take a deep breath, start anew.

”O-o-okay lets move on up maybe plan our attack a bit better, eh?”

How close? If riffles, runs, etc. start literally right at your feet—no kidding. If possible keep the sun at your back but avoid casting shadows—yourself, rod, line—over the target area. Stalk as close as possible to the target. Cover the close water first then carefully stalk into position to cover the next and so on.

There are many things to like about short casts. The many conflicting currents between you and that fish rising way out yonder make controlling the drift difficult to impossible the more of those currents your line falls upon. Short casts often allow you to raise the rod and lift the line over squirrely currents and even obstacles which tend to kill drag free drifts—in most cases the difference between knockin’ em dead and so-so. Within reason, accuracy decreases in direct proportion to length of line.

Anyway as a wise man once noted, you won’t know if ya don’t give it a go.