A few days ago, we completely high jacked another thread with a discussion on casting in the wind. So, I thought I’d start a separate thread for the topic.
There are books written on dealing with the wind. Obviously, we neither have the space to cover everything about casting in the wind, nor am I smart enough to even attempt it. So, I’ll stick with the basics.
Regardless of wind direction, the three actions that will make the biggest impact on improved casting in windy conditions are 1. Increase Line Speed, 2. Tighten the Loop Size, and 3. Change the Trajectory of the Cast.
> Increase line speed - Generally, the faster the line is moving the easier it will punch through the wind. You can increase the speed of the casting stroke (which is basically, cast faster), but an easier and more effective method is to use a double haul.
> Tighten loop size - A smaller, tighter loop will present a smaller surface area to the wind and will be less affected by the wind.
> Change the trajectory of the casting stroke - Trajectory refers to the plane the line moves in during the cast. For a delicate presentation, the trajectory is often parallel to the water. In windy conditions, the water will be choppy and a delicate presentation is not usually required, so you may want to raise or lower the trajectory of the cast so that the fly will turn over either closer or farther from the water.
There are four main wind directions to deal with; a headwind, a tailwind, from the rod hand side, and from the line hand side. If the wind is quartering, well, you may have to use combinations of these adjustments.
First , the easy one, wind blowing from the line hand side - Generally, if you increase line speed, tighten the loops, and adjust the trajectory, you can use your normal casting style. I like to adjust the trajectory so the fly turns over near the water, that way the fly will drop to the water before the wind can blow it off the target. Basically, “aim for the water”.
Headwinds - Increase line speed and tight loops are critical. Change the trajectory, to a low forward cast and a high backcast. The wind help load the rod by “pulling” the line during the high backcast. The low forward cast will turn over the fly near the water’s surface. You want the fly to land on the water before the wind has a chance to blow it back to you.
Head winds and Tail winds are similar, but with a tail wind reverse the trajectory to have a low backcast and a high forward cast. The wind will help pull the line during the high forward cast. However, it is still key to get a good solid backcast.
Wind from the Rod Side - The problem with wind blowing from the rod side is that there is very sharp piece of metal at the end of the fly line and the wind will try to blow the line toward the caster. It can be very painful if the wind pushes the line enough for the hook to hit the caster. The number one goal is to keep the hook away from the caster. In a light wind, a side arm cast may keep the fly at a safe distance, but with stronger winds, you’ll want to keep the line on the downwind side of the caster. There are several ways to keep the line down wind, including; cast with your other hand, turn around and then deliver the fly to the target on the “backcast”, use a Belgium style cast with a low arm backcast and a very high arm forward cast so the fly line passes on the downwind side of the caster, and there are at least a dozen other options. However, the easiest option and the one that I recommend is to use a normal, vertical style cast, but tilt your hand slightly toward your head so that the tip of rod travels on the down wind side of the head and the line will be down wind. The advantage of this technique is that you use your normal casting motion with just a change in hand position. This is an effective technique, but it does not work very well with a low side arm casting style.
In my opinion, line speed, tight loops, and trajectory are the key elements to effectively casting in the wind. I also think that increasing the wt of your equipment helps, for example an 8 wt rod and line are easier to cast in the wind than a 3 wt rod and line. Fly selection also plays a factor, some big flies are very wind resistant and are difficult to cast in the wind.
On the other thread, we started discussing some of the more advanced techniques. At this point, I’m going to bow out and quote someone that knows more than I do about the subject.
Hopefully, this is properly quoted so that this will be legal and meets the posting rules.
From page 119, of “Performance Fly Casting” by Jon B. Cave (this is a nice concise casting book for anyone trying to learn the basic cast):
“ Additional Tips for Dealing with the Wind
- If conditions permit, change to a higher-density line, such as from a floating line to an intermediate one. Because of their smaller diameter, sinking lines are less wind-resistant and therefore easier to cast in wind than floating lines.
- Try a fly line with a blunt forward taper, which may facilitate casting into wind.
- Use a short, heavy leader, which will turn over more easily in windy conditions than a long, light leader.
- Switch to a smaller, more streamlined fly.
- When circumstances allow, move to a more strategically located casting position with regard to the wind rather than try to make a difficult presentation that has little chance of success.
- In a strong breeze, avoid uplining the rod, because the added weight and larger diameter of a heavier line will cause the rod to bend more deeply when loaded, creating bigger, more wind-resistant loops. A better solution is to downline by one line weight. The smaller diameter is less wind-resistant, and the reduction in weight will allow you to carry more line outside the tip with tight loops.
- During the initial backcast and any subsequent false casts, make sure the loop has enough momentum to turn over, or the resulting slack will destroy the presentation. In wind, it is often necessary to keep less line outside the rod tip than under calmer conditions. “
