Wind casting

From Gary Davison.....(Sending some of my comments on wind casting from past messages.) G.

Gordy,

Below is not really addressing practice in the wind but I wanted to send it anyway.

I am happy to say I have a copy of your Wind Nuggets for casting shown below. Very nice instructions regarding the wind.

We (Al Crise and company) just completed a clinic in Keller Texas just outside of Fort Worth this last weekend. The Winds were a major factor in our teaching. We had up to 30 mph winds to contend with. Most of the student casters that were involved in the clinic were concerned that the winds were too high for casting.

I like to call it casting with the elements. Finding uses to turn this natural condition into an asset instead of a liability is very rewarding. Most went away that day with a better understanding of fly casting in windy conditions. My goal as an instructor is to see my students have the confidence to venture out and address the wind, instead of sitting in the cabin because they think it is too windy to fly cast.

Learning to cast in windy condition have great rewards. Your ability to address this condition will make you a better fly fisherman.

Here is your Gem on Wind. Thanks again for the experience you have provided in this thread.

All the best

Gary

Some, "wind fishing" nuggets I've collected over the years .....

# "Choosing your wind" to make the cast. One example of this is when fly casting in the surf on a day when strong winds arre particularly gusty. When that situation prevails, I'll try to time my cast so it is made in between gusts.   Timing that cast with this in mind as well as the wave situation can be tricky, indeed .... Because you are dealing with two variables !      (Casting's, "quadratic equation" !).

# The effect of wind on lakes is well described in Gary Borger's, PRESENTATION, PP. 76 - 79. I have also noted these effects on salt water lagoons, bays & bights including the scum lines at 45 degrees to the wind which Gary describes as being caused by Langmuir spirals. (He says that has something to do with the Earth's axis ...... The, Corioles effect.)

# One observation which I cannot explain is the substantial temporary decrease in the velocity of the wind often found during a tide change on salt water flats.   (Perhaps one of you has found an explanation for this .... If so, I'd like to learn.)

# It is easier to, "punch a fly" out into a strong wind with a #9 outfit than a #6 one, despite the fact that the fly line has greater diameter and, therefore, greater wind resistance. The larger/bulkier the fly, the more this is true.

#   Fishing with Lefty, I learned that while going to a heavier outfit helps in wind, simply overlining your rod is NOT the answer. When you go to this heavier outfit to combat wind, best move is to use a fly line one designation below that of the rod ! (Carry another 5' of line, and the rod load is the same as with the heavier line.)

# Because of the lower diameter per weight of a sinking fly line, it is easier to cut through the wind. (Think mass profile).

# Cold wind offers more resistance to your cast than hot wind in the tropics. (The air is denser )

# Despite the hot wind being less dense, I've observed many very good casters achieving less distance in our warm tropical air than they can achieve in cooler areas. I've wondered if this might be because of the very great humidity in warm air (?????)

# In line with this, Lefty has noted that a caster with a given fly rod can handle a heavier designation line in the wind when that line is a sinker than when it is a floater. PRESENTING THE FLY, Lefty Kreh, p. 58. He doesn't know why. (I wonder if that might be because of less tip top and guide friction with the sinking line ????)

# One of many ways to achieve slack when wanted is to make your forward cast with a high trajectory into the wind.

# When looking for fish in stillwater (fresh or salt) on a windy day, you will often find more of them on the windward side of the body of water. Wind actually blows plankton and floating vegetation away from the lee shore .... Fish sometimes follow.

# Wind makes noise and physical disturbance of the water. This often makes spooky fish less nervous ..... So you may not need a long cast as you can get closer to them.

# It is often easier to sight fish when there is a moderate wind than when flat calm (less glare).

# When, "blind fishing" from a drifting skiff, it is usually more productive to make your casts directly into the wind. (Allows slower retrieve & the fly stays out there longer / fewer casts needed.)

# Sometimes I blind cast for tarpon in the wind when there are lots of floating weeds. Fewer weed hookups result when I cast down wind or up wind than when I fish cross wind.

# On windy days, I often shorten my leader. This makes my casting more accurate, I get better distance, and I don't need a really long leader because the fish are less spooky.

# On the salty flats, I'll often switch to smaller flies when it's very windy..... Easier to make accurate casts and less wind resistance.

# When fly fishing from a flats skiff, it is even more important on windy days to have no more line out of your reel than you are likely to need. Any more than that is a lot more likely to tangle either as you cast, or when a hooked fish booms out to the horizon.

# Be careful to note and correct for side winds for accurate fly placement.

# A strong wind from behind can straighten out your mend making in ineffective.

# A strong downstream wind can negate your upstream mend.

# When casting with the wind, you can shoot a well formed mend out to Kingdom Come.

# When roll casting, a strong wind from behind can blow your D-loop in front of you. Bad scene. To avoid that, consider a low horizontal roll cast.

# Getting your fly back to your hand when the wind is blowing hard at you can be a problem. One way to solve this problem is to raise your rod tip, turn around and then bring the rod tip back over your shoulder and down gradually. The fly will hover in the wind in front of you making it easy to grasp.

# Just last year, I learned that it is much more efficient for me to Spey cast with my non-dominent hand up on the cork when it is necessary to keep my D-loop on my lee side as I cast over my, "opposite" shoulder.

Gordy

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Tips,

1.) Keep the fly away from your body! Practice over the opposite shoulder casts so you can protector yourself.

2.) Cast in extremes. Move the line in position to use the wind as an asset to the cast. Experiment with trajectory to kite the line in the wind to achieve distance.

3.) Tight loops imperative when fighting a head wind. Trajectory also key point High back, low forward, with tight loops, and with enough speed is important.

4.) Tension casts are important to learn in order to reduce slack during the cast.

5.) Roll casting or Spey casting are important to reduce need for back casting.

Getting late, need to shut down.

All the best.

Gary

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Gary ... Good.

A couple of others bear repetition:

# When roll casting or Spey casting, KEEP YOUR D-LOOP ON THE DOWN WIND SIDE.

# When Spey casting with a downstream wind, USE A DOUBLE SPEY.

# When "kiting" a back cast made with the wind from in front, you don't need a tight loop..... a better "kite" is made with a wider loop.

# When using the wind to advantage with a strong wind from behind, one trick is to use more rod arc at the start of the forward cast, then as straight a path for the rod tip .. This yields a loop the fly leg of which is up in the air while the rod leg is fairly straight.

# Dennis Grant says that when Spey casting, put your D-loop on the same side that you would use to fly a kite !

Gordy