Fly line pickups 2

1.) As an instructor, you are demonstrating a PULD cast to a group of beginners.* Your demo cast is on the water at a distance of about 30 feet. Your pickup is about to follow.

Answer: Standard pick up. However, as these are beginners I would (a) limit fly line on water to 15-20 feet; (b) stress the need to start PU with rod low to water to avoid slack in line sag between elevated tip and water; and (c) stress the need to PU and not start back cast until fly line has cleared water.

(c) Pick-up should be seamless with no change in acceleration from start, through pickup of fly line and back cast. Smooth acceleration throughout with no hesitation.

Without hesitation SLOWLY start with lifting the rod straight up horizontally with little wrist movement. Once the line is off the water to approx. the Line/ Leader connection, smoothly accelerate into a Power Snap* The key here is to not disturb the water, the fish. To quote a nouveau MCI, " Lift the line off the water like you are "stealing the Fly" off the water"¥

Once you have stopped the rod, straight up at 12 o clock, Pause. Allow the line to straighten behind you, allow the loop to unroll behind you. Make a forward stroke to a stop. Lower the rod in a presentation, return the rod tip close to the surface of the water.

2.) You have made a 45' presentation to a redfish (red drum) in water about 12 inches deep. The fish didn't take the fly, and left the scene. The bottom is muddy. The flat is grassy, and the fish are moving slowly about in the grass; sometimes laid up in dense grass with tops about 24 inches above the water.

Answer: I would be concerned that fish I targeted (one which has exited) might have spooked rest of school . I would therefore want to strip the fly clear of area where remaining fish are felt to be to point I could do a slow pick up to get line and fly in hand to get reloaded for a quick cast. I might use some form of a dance PU if needed to avoid catching fly in grass above water. I would then study the water to attempt to locate remaining fish and assess whether they are nervous or can be caught.

One which works best for me is the oft called, "dancing line pickup". I do it by making a series of vertical hump waves with an up and down cadence movement of the rod tip followed by a pick-up, back cast, and second presentation if I see another fish. If I don't, then I'll use the same pick-up to clear the line from the grass followed by a series of strips to get the line back so I can be ready for another opportunity.

3.) While fishing for largemouth bass in a shallow lake, your fly was presented at about 35 feet to a disturbance in a small space between lilly pads. You didn't get a strike. The water is about 2 feet deep. The bass are beneath and between the dense growth of lilly pads.

Answer: My biggest concern here is not to spook fish on PU. The surface weeds and lilly pads likely allow me to false fast over these fish. Although bug is "weedless" it has potential to snag weeds or pad with PU. To avoid that and to insure the most non-disturbing PU, I would lift the fly line and as much leader as possible off the water. This may require a false cast or two to get a good accurate presentation at 35' but given the weed cover, that should not spook fish.

[GH] One pick-up which has a good chance of getting the bug out of the lilly pads, is the "wiggle pick-up". This is made by getting the line moving with a series of brief, short horizontal "wiggle" movements of the rod tip followed by a back cast. Of course, if the bass bug is in the clear between the lilly pads, a standard pick-up will work.

Answer: Until I was sure these fish would not take top water bug, I would not use a streamer. Two feet of water with congested weeds makes for a tough streamer presentation. If I decided on a streamer, I would insure that I stripped the fly clear of where the fish were holding. I would use a lift and set PU given the size and weight of the streamer so as to allow a back cast with open loops. Another consideration is the need for accuracy on lay down. The streamer has got to get presented in the small space between pads. I would make sure pick up is then high and back to get off horizontal plane.

Chance of hooking weeds is very high. A tough situation. I'd do what you suggested: "I would make sure pick up is then high and back to get off horizontal plane. "

5.) Fishing left bank of a river with moderate flow for Atlantic salmon, you have made a single Spey cast. Your dead drift and swing yielded no strike. Now the fly is at the dangle and you are ready to make your pickup.

Two approaches come to mind. Face my new target at the top of the pool, rotate my upper body at the dangle. Make another Single Spey cast, if the current allows. I would consider a double Spey if there were more moderate flow. I would consider using my Left hand on top.

[GH] I'd use a lift & sweep as part of my next single Spey presentation. Alternative is to use a snap-T. A 90 degree change of direction is probably not needed.

6.) Striped bass are migrating slowly up an estuary against an outgoing tide. Most of them are following the outer edge of a sandbar about 35' - 40' out from you. They are moving along the bottom at about 6' to 8' depth. These are school fish averaging about 18" to 20".. The outgoing current is moderate.

Answer. Roll cast pick up. I would use this to get the fly and line to the surface. As fish made only a short run I probably still have enough line outside tip to make the next cast with out any further false casts or roll casts.

[GH] With that weighted Clouser fly and the heavy sink tip, and with the lost fish having made a short run, I'll probably have to strip in some line and follow that with a multiple roll pick-up.

7.) Fishing wary trout on a spring creek on a cloudless sky, your presentation to a rise near the opposite bank about 25' away failed to elicit a strike. Your dry fly has completed its drift and is "drowning". You are about to make the pickup for another presentation.

Answer: The type pick up depends on how I am going to dry my "drowning" fly. If I am going to air dry with false casts I would use an a C Pick up. As sky is clear and water likely very clear as this is a spring creek, last thing I would do is false cast over fish to air dry fly. I would pick up to allow change of direction so false casts can be parallel and if possible outside the bank I am on. If I elect to dry fly in hand with floatant or powder, I would let the fly swing to a dangle below me and use slow standard PU to get line in hand.

8.) Tarpon fishing from a flats skiff. Your guide has positioned you for presentation to a pod of large tarpon which have formed a daisy chain. * You made your presentation to a large female fish in the center, but had a refusal. As the fly was retrieved past a male fish in the chain, you had a brief follow, then the fish turned slowly away and continued circling. You are on the foredeck about 55' from the edge of the circling fish and are in need of a pickup for a second try.

Answer: I would use an extended haul pick up or a tension pick up. I likely would have stripped a good amount of line in dealing with the big female I targeted and the male who followed. Thus, I might considered an extended pick up to try to use water tension to pull more line outside rod tip on PU or if I felt like I had enough line outside of tip I would use tension pick up to get as much "water haul" to allow me to shoot a good deal of line on my back cast in order to achieve a 55 foot cast with only one back cast. I might also consider some C Pick up if I need to change directions. Initial cast was in middle of the Daisy chain. My next cast may be focused on the front quarter of chain to put fly in the face of the fishing coming around the chain.

That "extended haul" pickup is best made by stripping some line so you are tight to the fly with no slack. As you do that, you extend your casting arm and rod way out toward the fly. Your stripping had should follow so that it is in position for a long haul. Then make your haul as you smoothly accelerate the rod back.

9.) Having just changed your fly while fishing stillwater on a small lake, you note that the line you left on the water has drifted toward you on an offshore breeze and lies on the water in loose coils. Now, you want to make a new cast to a trout spotted about 50' out on the water, but first you must pick up all the loose line out there in front of you efficiently and without undue delay.

Answer: The loose coils require that I do something to get rid of slack. Although not on your list, I might consider a snake roll pick up. Also, I might use a Roll cast pick up or multiple roll cast pick up if there is a bunch of slack that can't get out with one roll cast.

Start my getting the line moving with series of very wide side-to-side sweep movements of the rod tip. Follow with a few big aerial figure-of-eights. Once you have control of all the line out of the rod tip, make a back cast.

10.) You are performing Task 10 (accuracy) on the Master Performance exam and have made your first presentation to the 40' target. The fly hit the target perfectly. Now; you need to make a pick-up to present to the 30' target.

Answer: First my PU would need to be up and high to the back as I accuracy cast on an off horizontal plane. Second, I would use some tension as I need to strip 10 feet of line with as few as three false cast before presenting fly to 30' target.

2. Make your pick-up directly from the fly on or next to the 40' target. Do this by lowering the rod tip way down almost to the ground or water, then just making a strip or two to get the line straight followed by a smoothly accelerated standard pickup. [After that, you can false cast while stripping in sufficient line ( about 10') to make your presentation to the 30' target].