OK, as a beginner, my first stupid question on here.

Fishing my coarse club's trout-pool yesterday, I was constantly running into casting problems because the loops of line at my feet were either catching in twigs and/or the first shoots of spring that are now starting to emerge from the muddy ground, or were somehow being trodden into the mud.

Now I know that a stripping-basket would be the obvious solution, but I think I'd find that an irritating encumberance (and so would my back which complains enough about the weight of the zingers on my waistcoat!).

Short of spreading a tarpualin on the ground on which I stand, how do you guys get around the problem?

Plenty of fine tuned precision practice others call it luck


TT

I find that swearing helps.

At least it's better than when you catch the back of your trousers with your fly and have to drop them to unhook it.

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

take the line off the reel let it hit theground, the free ling on top of this is connected to the reel so you want to reverse this so then pul all the the line youve out through the tip side of the butt guide then pull it back through as normal

Give the ground a bit of a scrub with the soles of your botts and clear a patch

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Hi, from my limited knowledge. It just seems to be an occupational hazard, you could try a stripping basket, or dropping the coils into your landing net( helps a bit if you chuck an old T shirt in the bottom)Honest.

Of course I could teach you my legendary "Crane Cast" once mastered the fish have no defence. Involves standing on one leg drapeing the line over the leg. (Hows your fence painting)

Sean

Hold the loops in your left hand.It's easier than you think.

Jim

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

Yup...............I find if you collect the line into largish loops while you retrieve it is straight forward to cast after with no chance of snagging feet/twigs/grass. Of course, you can't haul. I like to fish like this when I'm out in the river (can't be getting on with casting trays, I look like one of the ice-cream girls in the cinema)............as 3lber says it really is easier than you think..............birdsnest

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Fear not if I steal from your side, as of yore, from paradise streams to fish Teifi once more.
BN based in Wolverhampton

Thanks for all the replies guys.

No variation of the Wallis-cast for fly reels then

Guess I'll give the loops a try.

(But I might wait until I've truly got the hang of a figure-of-eight retrieve first, one thing at a time).

in situations like you describe i tend to use my landing net between my legs does the job and if you hook up the net is there ready, its not that difficult to hold the in the line in ur left hand during the retrive but i can bet the one time you hook into your personal best it will get knotted, catch on the first eye and the fish will break you off ! that would be my luck anyway

EEEeeek!

(I've joined a local syndicate where 7lb+ fish aren't uncommon, and up to 18lb).

The trout net that I'm using is fine for smaller trout, but I think I need something a bit bigger to strip the line into, and to confidently land the larger fish, especially ones I am to put back.

I've got a large round net that I use for larger coarse fish and mullet, but perhaps the length of the extending handle would be a bit out of place on a fly-fishing venue.

I suppose a shorter handle would solve the image problem whilst giving me the confidence to land double figure trout, and strip line into.

Hmmmm!

Thanks