Written by: Peter Kutzer
Welcome to another installment of “Ask an Orvis Fly-Fishing Instructor,” with me, Peter Kutzer. In this episode, I demonstrate how to shoot line at the end of a cast. Sometimes, the fish are just beyond your normal casting range, and you need a little extra distance. That’s when you need to shoot some line during the presentation cast.
The key is to wait until you see the loop unrolling in front of you before you release your grasp of the line. If you release too early, you end up feeding slack upward through the guides, which causes the flexed rod to “unload” and causing your cast to collapse altogether. You must retain your grip on the line until after the rod stops.
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 XII: 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
Ask a Fly-Fishing Instructor XV: How to Make a Tuck Cast
Ask a Fly-Fishing Instructor XVI: How to Make an Aerial Mend
Ask a Fly-Fishing Instructor XVII: How to Make Roll and Switch Casts with a Two-Handed Rod
Ask a Fly-Fishing Instructor XVIII: The Basic Cast
Ask a Fly-Fishing Instructor XIX: The Bow & Arrow Cast
Ask a Fly-Fishing Instructor XX: The “Ready Position” and Fishing from a Boat