Aside from catching fish, learning to fly cast is one of the coolest parts of fly fishing. It is inherently beautiful, and by learning a few basic concepts you will be well on your way to accurately casting your fly.

“Being able to improve your casting skills not only helps you catch more fish, but provides an extra ‘zen-like’ layer of enjoyment to the activity,” Fish & Game’s Marketing Manager Ian Malepeai said. “A cast doesn’t have to be pretty to catch a fish, but as you improve you can more efficiently cover the water where fish might be waiting for their next meal.”

Solid casting is the foundation of fly fishing success. Fly fishing takes anglers to all types of bodies of water, and being able to cast to bass hidden in weedy cover or place a fly in an eddy behind a rock can mean the difference between a hooking a fish. That’s where an angler’s casting ability gets put to the test. 

“Learning to accurately put your fly where you want it can make a big difference,” Malepeai said. “In a stream, there is often a window to cast your fly that allows enough time for the fish to see your fly coming before the current pulls the line, causing an unnatural drift. Fish like to eat bugs that look like they are naturally floating in the water. At the same time you don’t want to cast too close causing it to spook the fish.”

In this video we will explain the mechanics of fly casting and teach two different types of casts that can be applied to any fly fishing situation you encounter. 

This is the third, weekly episode in a five-part “Learn to Fly Fish” video series.