Issues
I went out to the bay on Monday to practice casting with the fly rod. Again, I have a 9ft 7 wt rod with an okuma slv reel. I purchased some bass specific line and am using about a 9 ft. leader of 10lb fluorocarbon. My problem is with the bober and also with casting distance. I lost about 4-5 foam bobbers while fishing yesterday. They would just fly off when I am casting. I use the bright colored foam bobbers with black plastic stick inserts from Poor Richards that they sell individually. I am looking for some good indicators online but not sure which to purchase. Any suggestions? Also, is this okay to setup for bass fishing....
Fly Line->6 ft leader->nymph/wet fly->another 2-3ft leader->wooly bugger or other streamer?
I also tried:
Fly Line->6 ft leader->surface popper->another 2-3ft leader->wooly bugger or other streamer?
Acceptable or should I only focus on one fly?
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KJH807
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don't drop your rod tip on your backcast slow down... you are probably starting your forward cast too soon let the rod do the work
post edited by KJH807 - 2012/04/04 16:33:46
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doubletaper
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i can't imagine the woolly bugger having too much action under a bobber in the bay  as far as casting, KJH has good advice. when i see people want to get more distance it seems they always drop the rod tip on the backcast further.
post edited by doubletaper - 2012/04/04 16:27:01
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Thanks for the advice guys. I started to pause briefly on my back cast then followed through with my forward cast and this seemed to help somewhat. At least I didn't have all my fly line balled up in front of me. Although when I paused and started my forward cast I often heard or felt the fly whipping me in the back. (Thankfully I was wearing my backpack. LOL) I believe I may be pausing to long as well since I hear a snap once I begin the forward cast. It sounds like a wet towel getting whipped.
Also, any suggestions when it comes to split shots? I cannot get these **** things to stay stationary. The split shot always ends up at the top of the fly no matter how hard I clamp it down. I clamped one down it went from being a round split shot to a flat pancake. But it still ended up at the top of the fly. WTF
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catchtrout
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I like the " Thingamabobber" I've used them for several years and have no problem with them. They come in different sizes and colors and can be adjusted for depth very easily. Cabellas sells them and there are generally listings for them on Ebay.If you're getting a snap on your cast you aren't waiting long enough before making your forward motion. Try looking over your shoulder and watching when the fly reaches the end of the back cast or practice with just split shot on and if you concentrate on feel you should notice when the splitshot hits the end of the back cast. Good luck.I'm not a fly fishing snob but it is probably the most satisfying way to catch fish.
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steely34
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ORIGINAL: KJH807
don't drop your rod tip on your backcast
slow down... you are probably starting your forward cast too soon
let the rod do the work
What KJ says. One thing I learned while in Alaska throwing large streamers with long casts was something our guide turned us onto. Not being used to throwing long distances with a single handed rod - my timing was way off. Although I could feel the rod load up - I still had trouble a bit with the timing. All he told us to do and it was something he always does - is turn your head and "watch" the line behind you. Don't change your stance - just take a glance back and when the line has just about straightened out - come forward with your stroke and like KJ and DT state - let the rod do the work. It helped me. Just a thought.
"They say you forget your troubles on a trout stream, but that's not quite it..... you begin to see where your troubles fit into the grand scheme of things, and suddenly they're just not such a big deal anymore." John Gierach
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bingsbaits
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Just another suggestion for baits in the bay, Try an Emerald Shiner type color Conehead Triple Threat.
Already weighted, no need for an indicator.....
"There is a pleasure in Angling that no one knows but the Angler himself". WB
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wxfisherman
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To re-enforce the above: slow down! Do not be in a hurry to your forward power stroke. My two cents from when I get to casting bad
- make sure all the slack is out of your line before you begin your cast.
- accelerate your backcast up to the 12:00 vertical rod position
- count to 1,2
- begin forward cast.
Plus, don't be afraid to turn your head and watch your backcast. You can watch the line unfold and begin your forward cast at the right time.
And I second Bing - emerald shiner flies are killer in the bay. My avatar pic was taken on a white clouser with an olive back.
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beerman
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Plenty of good advice given so far...especially about slowing down your cast.
What is the action of your flyrod? (fast, moderate/fast or moderate)
changes in latitudes, changes in attitudes....nothing remains quite the same The Beerman ~ Greg
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OCfisher
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my suggestion would be to take all that extra crap off of your leader (including bobbers, flies, lead, etc,) and take your rod out in your yard and cast the crap out of it with just the leader (or an old junk fly with the hook cut off) for as long as you can as often as you can. pick a flower, empty bottle, whatever, that is about 30 ft away and practice casting to it until you hit it regularly. Then back up ten feet and repeat. Do you have any buddies that are doing much fly fishing for bass? if so , tag along with someone who has been at it a while. you will pick up much more that way.
Then when you go to the bay, tie on one fly (clouser, deciever, bugger, triple threat, whatever..) and fish it hard. I find a deciever is the easiest of those to cast and it works great. Don't worry about changing flies until you feel that you have the casting part down and have worked the water hard. One fly, fished effectively is gonna get you more fish than flailing around with 2-3 flies that you can't present.
fly line/ 6-9 ft leader/ single fly.
I am curious about the bobber rig. I have heard of this set up (float and fly) used by gear guys for winter fish or ultra pressured fish but the bass are so aggressive right now (and any other time I have fished the bay) that you should be fine just stripping a streamer. I haven't fished the bay yet this year but can't see any reason to keep the bobber. Hope this helps.
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D-nymph
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I agree with OCfisher. Take all the advice these guys have given you, it is all good. Slow down and don't worry about becoming an instant expert. Also don't worry about catching a bunch of fish right away. Use one fly, take all that extra crap off of your leader until you have casting wired. Then start adding the extras, if you desire. If you keep all the crap on your line, you will develop some bad casting habits, when you force it to get all the junk out into the water. The resulting habits will be very tough to break later. Another thing is a shorter leader will be easier to cast than a long one. If you are bass fishing in the bay, a 7-8 foot leader should be fine to both catch fish and get your timing down. If you start to get longer, it'll be tougher to cast.
post edited by D-nymph - 2012/04/05 16:56:29
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Blowchowski
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cool thread...... Just had dinner with a guy from Derby England. He's a big Spey casting guy. As much as I've never been interested in catching something on a fly, well, that sentiment is changing. very cool to be helping this guy out.. Never gave these threads so much as a glance. (said as a guy who will probably be looking for help!  )
I love cats. I just can't eat a whole one..
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Hey guys, thank you all for your advice. I am going to work on my casting this weekend. I will stick to one fly for now and worry more about my cast rather then catching and distance. I have always been a spin fisher. I was use to chucking large buzz baits and crank baits. I got to slow it down a bit. Been reading several books and it keeps reenforcing to keep my wrist tight and let my forearm be an extension of the rod. They also suggest to keep both back and forward cast in a 11 and 1 o'clock position. Thanks again guys!
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bingsbaits
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One thing I've caught myself doing is overpowering the forward stroke. Too many years of spin fishing and wanting to blast lures hard and far had me trying that with the flyrod. Comes a point with the fly rod where you will over power the rod and the cast will fall apart. Found I could throw further with a lighter power stroke going forward.... Works great though if you are practicing the PILE cast... 
"There is a pleasure in Angling that no one knows but the Angler himself". WB
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KJH807
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there is absolutely no need to power your forward cast for distance
extending the cast follow through too low, applying too much power, anything you think will help.... will turn your cast bad
its about line speed and hauling to load load the rod
few tips...
- for a foreward cast- Pretend you have a washer on a 4ft dowel rod... the same action/wrist movement/timing you'd use to throw the washer is similar to a cast
- for a back cast- pretend you have a cup half full of water and try to throw it as far behind you as possible
- wear a rubber ban on you casting wrist.. tuck the butt of the rod into it.. it will help keep everything good... or tuck the butt into your sleeve
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FishinGuy
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"pile cast", I've got that one down pat. The sleeve trick kjh mentioned is a good one, helped me alot(i still suck though)
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fishingman62
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i use an intermediet sinking line ... dry line wf the last 10-12 ft is a clear sinking 1-2 inch / second attatched to this is a sinking leader.. (this keeps your tippet from getting a saggy droop in it )then attactch your tippet to the sinking leader.... you can get several sink rates like 1-2 2-4 and 3-5 inches /second...i have used this set up for several years...it works great in fast waster especially if you bead head your flies...it worked well for me fishing small streamers size 16 and 18 for bluegills and crappie in thompson bay and horseshoe pond... if i want to switch to poppers or foams ijust swith to my floating line..i am going to try this setup for smallmouth in the bay and shallow water when i get out in the boat...just going to up size my flies... i use a 8ft 9 temple fork lite to med action.... ok all that leads to is try the intermediet sinking lines and some weighted or bead headed flies and skip the split shot alltogether...and instead if boobers try some of the more lite weight strike indicators like yarn or just a big dry fly... just my two cents
i fish because the voices in my head tell me to
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