Ive been chipping away at trying to improve my casting skills through reading up and watching you tube stuff.

Im getting a bit better and trying to take on board all the hand,wrist,arm,stance etc but im still struggling in some circumstances. I have no confidence in casting in wind unless its light and on my back. Any stronger wind coming from anywhere in front of me and the line ends up in a heap 2 rod lengths out.

I have been watching some of the profficient casters on the water and they seem to get some real "action" in the rod and a whistle/whip noise from the rod with the line unfurling beautifully across the surface with the fly settling in last thing.

Is it likely to be me not accelerating the rod quickly enough between the 2 "stop" points, do I have the wrong rod for my ability. I feel like im not getting the rod to work for me as it is designed to do. Should my rod be making a noise as it goes through the air as Ive described.

I have a greys xflite 9.5ft 6-7wt with a cortland 333 wf line.

The most proficient casters can generate impressive line speed which will make a whistling noise. Whistling coming from the rod itself is almost always a bad thing - it usually indicates the caster is merely taking up the slack in the line rather than towing it behind the rod-tip.

Tight loops and line speed are the key points in overcoming the wind. Plus accepting that you're never going to cast as far into it as with it.

rod noise is never really discussed, it was once described to me as the sound of wasted energy, ironically a good tip for wind is be gentle.

A good overhead cast shouldn't make any noise at all into the wind or not, a good roll cast may make a very short 'swish' right at the end, a whoosh all the way through is a hopelessly overpowered cast. Any noise at all on a typical overhead cast is wrong, so, best not to copy those guys.

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One of the first things Chris68 got me doing was to listen to my rod. I got a bo-llocking if my rod whistled.

Casting into the wind, what is usually recommended is a high back cast angling down into a lower stop point on the forward cast and tight loops.

if you can only manage a couple of rod lengths into a very light head or side wind, I think a lesson from a pro might be of help. A strong head wind is difficult for anybody.

Just a thought, is your line weight properly matched to your rod and have you got it on the right way round?

Don't worry about having the wrong rod and line, what you've got should be fine.

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"Take not out your 'ounds on a werry windy day" Surtees.

I do not do bo-llockings I do dripping sarcasm and abuse if you insist on getting it wrong

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APGAI Single Handed Casting Instructor
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http://www.gamefishinginstruction.co.uk

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http://chrisaldred.blogspot.com/

Ah, that's what was dripping. I thought you were drooling after yer dentures fell out.

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"Take not out your 'ounds on a werry windy day" Surtees.

To be honest , you are probably making the same mistake as every other self taught fly fisher , get a wind and think faster and harder. As the advice given , if you can hear your rod its too fast.

no doubt you have heard the get a lesson advice, its the best advice i can give you

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its not how you tie your flies , its how you tease your flies

When casting in calm air, the keys to distance casting are a high line velocity with a tight loop and a high forward trajectory. The high forward trajectory allows the line more time before gravity can pull the line down. This works in calm air and in a mild wind but is not the best strategy when there are high facing winds.

At high wind speeds, wind velocity is less closer to the water. See this post from a previous discussion.

So how can we use the high facing wind speed to help us cast? It would make sense to use the facing wind to help us take the fly line back for the back cast, and then make the forward cast into the lowest velocity. That means making a high back cast and a low forward cast. This is a reverse Belgian cast.

Beginners also have problems with timing. The normal and reverse Belgian cast sare both elliptical constant tension casts. So the end of the higher back cast flows immediately into the lower forward cast.

The third item is that you must learn to double haul. Casting into the wind is a form of distance casting in which the line is effectively falling short of where it would fall in a calm air cast. So need the power of a longer cast to do a shorter cast.

Here is an explanation of the regular Belgian cast from three sources.

The Belgian Cast

Elliptical Fly Casting - fly fishing and fly casting from a pro - Günter Feuerstein international Master flycasting instructor

The Belgian Cast | MidCurrent

Consider the following Video.

He demonstrates the Belgian Wind Cast with double hauls. You can hear that whistling sound due to the high line velocity.

This works well when there is no wind or in mild facing winds. When facing a high wind, do the reverse oval with a high backcast and low forward cast for the Reverse Belgian to cast into the highest facing winds.

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Silver Creek- "Discovery consists of seeing what everybody has seen and thinking what nobody has thought"....Szent-Gyorgy

Guys! thanks very much for your offerings, I am wondering if what I heard was the line velocity. The more I read the more I think of the phrase by Benjamin Franklin

"Learn from the skillful, He who teaches himself hath a fool for his master"

Sounds like I would do well to spend a few quid on some lessons.

Can you clarify what you mean by "tight loops". The science of it is really interesting. I just thought you waved the rod back and fore in any conditions. I didnt realise all the technical nuances!