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I have been having trouble casting with a fly fishing rod?

When I cast the line it doesnt land in a straight line and doesn't go far enough. I have motion down but I just cant seem to get the line straight or far enough. This is for the upcoming trout season. please help.

Public Comments

1. you have to get the line to work for you, when making the back cast, otherwise, when you bring the rod forward again, your line will be lose behind you & you can't get any power in your forward cast
2. you will need to make multiple cast to get it to the distance you are seeking, Fly fishing is a tough thing to learn! Keep at it! and watch for AIRFLOW answer
3. There's alot here that could be wrong but without actually seeing you cast and knowing what you are using would be difficult to diagnose. My suggestion is to find another fly fisherman in your area who is seasoned. Ask them to show you what you are doing wrong and how to correct it. Maybe you're just using a fly line that the rod can't handle. NO ONE HERE including myself can say what you are doing wrong without seeing you in action or knowing what you are using.. That's the simple fact of it all. We can only suggest and offer a possibilty . Do the right thing and get local help from a seasoned pro in fly fishing. Practice makes perfect, that's what makes fly fishing so much fun.
4. Chimp Dancer's answer is about as good as anyone can give you. Hands on instruction is as good as you can get.
5. In agreement with others, practice makes perfect and hands on. Here are some videos that ya' can go through and you may just find somethin' (there be quite a few so have fun)... The way I picked it up was in my backyard ~ no trees and a lonnnnng fareway ;) ... < ' (( ( > < youtube videos: http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=casting+a+fly+rod&search_type= Note: MR T made mention of a fly fishin' guru ie., AIRFLOW ~ soooo, just hold tight and he along with other experienced fly-fisherman/women, I'm pretty much sure will be gettin' back with ya' ;) ;)... Think you've got a month or so before Trout season opener, so you'll be good ;)...
6. Ok, but first let me tell you that I also am a beginner w/the art of flycasting. (Shhhhh!, don't tell anybody, I have the same stupid problem, and I know that if I practice 1/2 hr. p/day that I'll eventually get it down pat.) A.) weight forward line? <this is important (well, it is for me) B.) matched line wt. to rod wt.? C.) matched line wt. to tippet wt? D.) matched tippet to leader wt? E.) releasing line a little too early? (This might be the key for your follow through.) Try having someone video you, to look for the telltale mistakes, and compare that to any given footage that you might find on the web. Goodluck & Good fishing
7. MR T and fishstellhead, thanks for the compliments, now lets get this sorted out shall we, firstly it sounds as though you are going wrong on your back cast and possibly on your forward cast too, if you are attempting double haul, then don't if your just starting out, release only on the forward cast, it also sounds as though your action of holding the rod and angle of cast is wrong, to put it simply think of the back and forward cast like the face of a clock go from 10 to 10 and 10 past 2, don't exceed this also take your time, practice makes perfect, if you follow this you shouldn't go too wrong, also i suggest you use a WF line as this will help you to "shoot" the line further, when it comes to fishing use a tapered leader to help your casts and if your still having problems i suggest you get some casting lessons which WILL help you improve. This will help you, just i ignore the first part listen to the casting part. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YcTt1JzYcY8 Also http://www.sexyloops.com/flycasting/contents.shtml One last thing, what type of rod are you using, it needs to be a medium to fast action to get the most out of your casts to start with a 7wt line is the best to start with, dont use double taper yet. Go for a rod length above 9feet to start aswell.
8. Hi Dave P, In addition to some of the other responses you've received, there is one critical element to casting your fly rod and getting the line to do what you want it to do. In your casting stroke, both on the back cast and the forward cast, is to make an abrupt (or what is also called a positive) STOP and then allow your line to unfurl. A pause, both on the back and forward cast, will help create the timing and allow you to improve on your casting skill. I can't stress enough the need to STOP the rod at those points of your casting stroke, whether it's 10 o'clock and 2 o'clock or whatever your style may be. The constant motion front to back, back to front may look pretty, but won't allow you to create tight loops and get your line to do what you want. If you have any other questions, please feel free to contact me on the Contact Us page at www.flyguides.net . Good luck, Darin Wallentine
9. Sounds to me as if you are going too far back on your back-cast. Picture a "clock" parallel to you - so that 6 o'clock is th ground and 12 o'clock is straight up. Begin by laying about 20 ft of flyline on the ground, holding the rod at 9 o'clock. Grasp the line near the reel with your line hand and raise the rod sharply to the 2 o'clock position and stop. Look back and when you see all the line in back of you, (you should feel a "tug" on the rod as it loads) drive your rod hand forward sharply to 10 o'clock, letting go of the line in your other hand, snap your wrist and stop. Distance will come with practice, and the "feel " of the rod loading will come naturally as well, so you won't have to keep looking back. Tight lines