Hey, i have a streamflex #5 and i was messing around in a field practicing my casting yesterday, so my forward cast was going grate, i could feel my rod flexing backwards as the rod was loading, but on the back cast my rod was not loading at all..... Why i do not know, i know i had a #6 wf line on the reel but thought this would give me extra loading on the rod. so i am unsure as to what is wrong. Any advice on this? I will be having some lessons but would rather be able to cast a line out somewhat before my lesson.

Cheers guys

Without seeing what you are doing it is difficult to diagnose, but, on your forward cast do you accelerate the rod to a stop? If so mirror this action on the back cast.

As for the lessons, it is better to go for the lesson without any ingrained faults, if you go for a lesson now then you will be starting correctly and you will improve from the start

Chris

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If you are right handed,Stand with your left foot forward,this will allow you to swivel your head easily to see what is happening to your line on the backcast.(and vice versa if you hold the rod in your left hand)

Jim

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The Fishermans Friend is the Flirty Fly,Fickle Food for Fleeting Fish.

What conditions were there in an open field you are open to the elements,was there wind at your back hence the cast not accelerating and fully extending to load correctly.

TT

I agree without seeing the cast difficult to diagnose, however I find most of the time when no load is felt it is down to where the speed of the cast is put in and where the stop is. A lesson would be best as suggested, however try this as a stop gap. Go out with no or little wind, avoid having in in your face if you can as it will distort the feel. When you lift off grass you have little drag and the tendency is to put the speed into the stop at the up cast, try putting the speed in sooner just before the tip of the fly line leaves the grass then aim to stop the rod tip at verticle. 9 times out of 10 you will stop further back than that which is fine. you can do as suggested and look at your back cast but turn completely sideways to do it so you don't twist your shoulders and ruin your tracking. Think you are going to chuck the line up towards the sky. To keep your tracking straight cast on tram lines on a footie pitch. If you are thinking to increase the speed to the stop more often than not it is too late. On water you have to have something for the rod to flex against and it is much more effective to have the line water anchor to do that. If on water look at the track of water uplift under the line as it peels off the water, it should be slight and quiet, when it stops you have run out of fly line and that should be the fastest part of the cast, if your speed really gets going after it has left the water chances are your rod tip will be too far back and the line will drop behind you losing the loading.

Thanks for the replies, no there was no wind that day, the line was an airflow cost me 15 pounds, line was nice and tight in the air but as soon as any slack is given the thing coils up like a shivering snake, think i will be best getting some lessons before i go again, this will hopfully stop me from picking up an incorect method, i think that on reflection im new so its proberbly my casting rather then incorect equipment.

oh oh airflo!

Your line is not going to help.Older model Airflo floaters have a terrible reputation for memory.

Jim

__________________
The Fishermans Friend is the Flirty Fly,Fickle Food for Fleeting Fish.

To stop the line curling up try pulling all fly line off the reel and drag it behind you through some long grass for a bit, and when you put it back on the reel stretch the line a metre at a time between your hands (not too hard though incase you snap it). that should take the memory out of the line so it should be coil free again ....You can buy of make a handy little gadget that you wrap around a tree of gate post then attach your line to it, you can then stretch your line and remove the coils at the same time.........P.s I Dont use arflo lines myself most of my lines are snowbee..Dont have any coil up problems with them...

There shouldn't be any slack in an efficient cast, so although I agree that Airflo floaters are awful I suspect your problem is down to technique.