AS SEEN IN THE WINTER 2004-05 ISSUE

Can you whiz a fly into a stiff 20 knot breeze? You bet ya’!

I never set out to become a fly fisherman. I’ve always loved the sport and catching fish on spinning gear was always fine. As the addiction encompassed my life, I became intrigued with different tactics. I eventually found that simply baiting a hook and dropping it into the water was not satisfying my piscatorial urges. The passion for precision technique that radiated from fly anglers was enough to pique my curiosity for the secretive knowledge possessed by these wizard casters.

I knew the journey into fly angling would be arduous and frustrating. Fly casters seemed members of a higher order; those that needed neither bait nor plastic to fool their elusive quarry. At this stage of my quest I have graduated from apprentice to journeyman, yet still far from mastership. I’m now able to precisely land a fly 80- to 100 feet away on the calm summer night, and 50- to 60 feet into a stiff breeze. It was not easy progression.

The winter season gives fly-rodders like me the opportunity to further hone their skills. The relentless winter wind has often meant that the fly rod stays home while the bait stick gets the glory. However, if you’re up for a challenge then stick with it and perfect your windy fly-casting artistry. Let’s delve into the secrets that will enable us to whip a fly right into the face of Ol’ Man Winter’s blustery whistle. Fellow brothers of the angle, join me on this quest to slay our most formidable enemy.

The key to fly fishing is proper execution. This article is intended for those who have learned casting basics and need to refine their tactics for challenging winter winds. For novices, nothing beats professional casting lessons to build the correct skill base for advanced casting techniques. My first lesson was not to figure out what was right with my cast, but what was wrong. I’ve seen expert casters, such as master Lefty Kreh, perform the most technical casts with seemingly little effort.

That’s the first lesson: less effort and more execution. Fly casters like me tend to put too much speed and muscle into our casts. We try to punch the fly through the air. This has detrimental effects on casting and presentation of the fly. First, the rod is not doing the work it was designed to do. Second, the more power that’s put into the cast, the more likely the fish will spook when the line smacks the water. While this may not be crucial on a choppy, windy day, it affects overall casting performance. Third, we tend to cast too quickly when trying to ‘power cast’ the fly line, which doesn’t allow the fly line to fully load the rod.

There is a remedy for this however. We need to slow down and let the rod, not our muscles, do the work. This is not to say that speed is unimportant, it’s just that the speed needs to be generated with the rod and line, not by whipping our arms back and forth. Start practicing during calm days. By slowing down, my loops are getting tighter and my casts go farther with less effort. Practice casting in increased wind conditions until you’re comfortable landing a fly 50 or more feet away into a fairly stiff breeze. If you can land a fly 100 feet away on a flat calm day, that may be only a 30 feet into a stiff 20 knot wind. To strive for perfection, one must practice, practice, and practice some more.

Casting into the wind requires the fly angler avoid being hit with the fly on the forward or back cast. There are several techniques that can be employed to increase distance and lessen the chances of being struck. Learning to side-cast is one technique. By casting sideways instead of overhead, the fly line catches less wind and tends to foul less.

Backwards casts are another way of avoiding being hit, and are a good way of using the wind to your advantage. Expert casters agree that the back and front casts should be nearly identical. It shouldn’t matter which direction you’re facing when you make the final presentation. This is especially true when fishing from a boat. If a stiff wind is hindering the cast, face into the wind, opposite of where you want the fly to land. Use your front cast as your back cast, and release the fly behind you, using the wind to carry the fly to its designated target.

One other advantage of the backwards cast is it enables the fly angler to fish from any position on the boat. Many guides will not allow anglers to cast over them. The ability to accurately cast backwards doubles the area you can safely fish. 

What I call the ‘up and over’ cast is a combination of the overhead cast and the side cast. This cast was taught to me by a Bahamian bonefish guide as soon as the wind picked up during an afternoon on the flats. The idea is to sweep the rod in a way that there’s no chance of the fly connecting with the back of your skull.  Executing the up ‘up and over’ is simple. The back cast should be like a side cast. After the line is fully extended and the rod is loaded, rotate the rod as if making an overhead cast. The rotation allows the line to pass safely overhead with little threat of burying the fly into the thin skin of your head.

Tight casting loops are essential to pushing line and fly through the wind to your target. No matter how well you can execute the above moves, they will not work unless the loops are tight, with less than a two foot diameter being ideal. Some casters execute the cast well, until the very end. Don’t lower the casting arm until the fly line loop is well past the tip of the rod. Doing this literally pulls the loop apart. Only lower the rod tip towards the water after the cast is two or three rod lengths past the fly rod tip.

I always prepare several different outfits for a windy day of fly fishing. This way I’m prepared for whatever the conditions dictate. My first choice is my TFO 8 weight rod and floating line. This is my all around rod and its fast tip is ideal for generating the line speed necessary to cut into the wind. My second rod is a Redington 9 weight with a fast sinking line. This heavy line pushes well into the wind. In addition, the sinking line allows me to keep better control of the fly when surface chop disturbs the retrieve of a floating line. My third rig is a Sage 9 weight with floating line. This is another good all around setup that works well when it’s too windy for the 8 weight. My fourth and final outfit is a 12 weight Sage with clear intermediate line. This outfit’s heavier weight makes casting all day a workout; however it has its uses when there is a lot of wind or you are targeting larger fish. The 12 weight is ideal for tarpon and kingfish, especially on really breezy days.

For reels, I look for simplicity and quality. My first choice would be Islanders. An Islander fly reel is designed to contain a minimum of parts. Each reel receives an attention to detail that would put a luxury car manufacturer to shame. I’ve learned that from start to finish it takes 3 months to manufacturer just one Islander.
Leaders must be well constructed and adjusted to fit the day’s conditions. In order to cast properly, the leader’s butt section must be of equal stiffness compared to the fly line. Each successive piece down to the tippet should be proportioned so that the whole leader turns over smoothly during the cast. The leader transfers the energy from the fly line down to the fly. To have the fly land on target the individual pieces of leader material have to move the energy smoothly from butt to tippet. Leaders are typically shorter during windy conditions. It is nearly impossible to cast leaders over 9 feet in heavy wind, so leaders from 5- to 7 feet are the norm. If the wind is howling there will be surface chop on the water. This makes fish less spooky and a long leader unnecessary.

Fly selection is as crucial to casting in difficult conditions as leader construction. Bulky, heavy flies are naturally more difficult to cast, and this difficulty is exacerbated during windy conditions. Surface poppers, for example, have more surface area than streamer flies, so they have more wind resistance. Deceivers and other streamer type flies are the easiest to cast during the winter winds. Any slim fly with a small profile should effectively cast well into the wind. Pick a fly that is tied so the wings and tail don’t wrap around the bend of the hook on the cast. There’s no point in casting a beautifully tied fly that fouls every time.

For all the devoted anglers that have an obsession for fly fishing, the winter gives us a chance to hone our proficiency. There’s no reason we should let the wind get in the way of our passion. I for one will be out on the water, magic wand in hand, showing the world how it’s done. They may call me crazy, but this season I know I’ll beat that beast of wintertime bluster!

Special thanks to John B’s Fly and Light Tackle.

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