Tuesday Tip: How to Make a Reach Cast

Welcome to another installment of “Ask an Orvis Fly-Fishing Instructor,” with me, Peter Kutzer. In this episode, I demonstrate how to make a reach cast, which allows you to reposition your line before it lands on the water. This comes in handy whenever you’re casting across the current, and it’s actually easier to accomplish than the standard mend. Once you’ve got the hang of the reach cast, it will become second nature to you, and you’ll hardly have to think about it.

There are a couple keys to making a proper reach cast. First, you have to wait until the forward cast is complete before you move the rod upstream or downstream. Otherwise, your accuracy will suffer. Second, allow some of the slack in your line hand to slide upward through the guides as you move the rod, which will keep you from accidentally jerking the fly backward and out of the fish’s strike zone. If you’ve laid the line on the water properly, you’ll get an excellent, long dead-drift, which means that you have a better chance of catching fish. Good luck!

Previous episodes:

Ask a Fly-Fishing Instructor I: Casting Heavy Flies in the Wind

Ask a Fly-Fishing Instructor II: Roll-Casting for Accuracy & Distance

Ask a Fly-Fishing Instructor III: Casting in the Wind

Ask a Fly-Fishing Instructor IV: Casting Accuracy

Ask a Fly-Fishing Instructor V: The Curve Cast

Ask a Fly-Fishing Instructor VI: Casting Angles

Ask a Fly-Fishing Instructor VII: How to Double Haul

Ask a Fly-Fishing Instructor VIII: Fixing Tailing Loops

Ask a Fly-Fishing Instructor IX: How to Make Delicate Presentations

Ask a Fly-Fishing Instructor X: The Steeple Cast

Ask a Fly-Fishing Instructor XI: How to Avoid Hitting Your Rod with Your Fly

Ask a Fly-Fishing Instructor XIII: Don’t be a Creep

Ask a Fly-Fishing Instructor XIII: Parachute and Pile Casts

Ask a Fly-Fishing Instructor XIV: How to Make a Reach Cast