False Casting

Push and Pull Casting Method

In order to false cast, quick wrist snaps from 10 to 2 o’clock must be used to cast the line above your head 10 to 15 feet. This method can be used to dry the fly out, change direction of the line in midair or pivot to get a new casting angle. It is also used to shoot the line for distance. 

I often use false casting to move to another location so I don’t have to rewind. However, with brush scattered behind me the casts must be made parallel to the river. This saves time and gives the angler the mobility to move to a rising fish quickly.

False casting is frequently overused as some anglers feel that in order to work line out, four or five or more false casts are needed. This is wasted effort and tiring at best because, if you have a balanced outfit, one or two false casts are all that’s needed. For the sake of argument, let’s say that the average amount of false casts made during a normal day’s fishing is around 1000. This tells me that additional false casts could easily add several thousand unnecessary arm strokes. This is a fatiguing and total waste of time. If you put more line on the water and less in the air, fish will have more chances to take your fly.