Essential Fly Casting Techniques

While there is significantly more to having succuess in fly fishing than the cast, mastering the cast is the foundation of any good fly angler. At Northwest Fly Fishing Outfitters, our expert instructors have been teaching these skills for over 33 years in Portland and throughout the Pacific Northwest.

Basic Casting Fundamentals

The Four-Part Cast

This is where you may have visions of a River Runs Through It (if you haven't seen this movie put down the mouse and go watch it) begin running through your head.

"Then in the Arctic half-light of the canyon, all existence fades to a being with my soul and memories and the sounds of the Big Blackfoot River and a four-count rhythm and the hope that a fish will rise. Eventually, all things merge into one, and a river runs through it." - Norman Maclean A River Runs Through It

• Loading the rod
• Back cast position
• Forward cast timing
• Presentation and follow-through

The best way to think about fly casting, in our opinion, as that the fly rod is nothing more than a spring meant to transfer energy.  When we load the fly rod during the backcast of the fly line, it is like pushing a spring down.  As the fly line roll behind us, the rod begins to deflect, storing energy for the forward motion and release of line, also called shooting line.

Advanced Casting Techniques

Specialized Casts for Different Situations

Beyond the standard false cast that most identify with fly fishing, there are many more tools in our arsenal to deliver the fly for different applications and methods of fly fishing.

• Roll cast for tight spaces
• Double haul for distance
• Reach cast for drag-free drifts
• Curve cast for obstacles
• Spey casting techniques

Reading Water

Of course casting means nothing if we don't know what type of water the fish hold in, and for reach type of water there can and will be different casts with different fly presentations.

• Identifying feeding lanes
• Current seams and eddies
• Structure and cover
• Depth and water temperature

Presentation Techniques

For varying types of water and in different times of the year, your presentation of the fly will change.  Presentations will be covered in other sections of our website and learning center, but understanding the basic terms is important.  

Matching Your Approach

• Dry fly presentations - top water approach
• Nymphing techniques - subsurface approach
• Streamer strategies - subsurface approach
• Mending line for natural drifts - prevent flies from dragging