Casting multi-fly/weighted rigs

[jaymack]

Does anyone have any advice for casting with more than one fly, or even a single weighted fly? I'm pretty good at casting drys and lightweight streamers right now with a tight loop, but everything kind of falls apart when I cast any kind of weighted rig.

[mikeym]

chuck and duck. if you try to cast the normal way with heavy or multi fly setup, you will more then likely be wearing the flies as earrings.

i normally flip the flies out, let them land then roll cast them the distance i want. seems to work for me.

rgds
Mike

[ffconvert]

guide taught me to:

throw them straight out behind me
quickly strip line until it is tight ( no slack) behind me
fling them out in a straight line

[scel]

Originally Posted by jaymack

Does anyone have any advice for casting with more than one fly, or even a single weighted fly? I'm pretty good at casting drys and lightweight streamers right now with a tight loop, but everything kind of falls apart when I cast any kind of weighted rig.

Casting lots of junk does not look pretty like casting a dry.

First, no false casting with lots of junk. The false cast is good for estimating distance and drying out your fly. If you know where the fish is in the run, with a nymph rig, the only thing you need to accomplish is get the flies way in front, so they are at depth when the drift by the lie

Second, compared to dries, you have to open your loop. The extra weight means that your flies will naturally drop on the back cast. This means that you will either get hit in the back of the head, or wrapped around the rod if you try to make the loop too tight.

Learn to roll cast. However, with an indicator, split shot, size 6 stonefly, and beadhead in 7-9' configuration, you will not be able to get a good roll. Instead, wait for the rig to near the end of the float, let the nymphs swing up, keeping your rod tip high when you start (like a roll cast), lob the entire rig with a single cast back up the run. I find that a single haul often gets that little extra power to punch the rig forward.

Lastly, use the right rod. I understand that this is a luxury. Using a 4wt rod to cast a Bow River stonefly rig is possible, but you will need to be well practiced. A 6wt rod makes the whole process a lot easier.

[scel]

Oh and with a weighted rig, I find very little reason to cast more than 10m. Of course, on still water, there is merit, but on a river, it is really hard to keep your drift drag free.

[Pikebreath]

Slow down,,, widen your casting stroke to open the loop,,,, make sure your back cast straightens out,,,,keep false casts to a minimum,,, basically just lob the damn rig out there and forget about looking pretty!!!!

[Doc]

Some good advice on opening your loops and slowing your cast down but the real secret to throwing heavy rigs is to use the Belgian cast (oval cast). It's pretty close to a side arm on the back cast then an over head cast to shoot your line. Keep away from false casting and use the double haul. Good luck.

[greylynx]

Originally Posted by jaymack

Does anyone have any advice for casting with more than one fly, or even a single weighted fly? I'm pretty good at casting drys and lightweight streamers right now with a tight loop, but everything kind of falls apart when I cast any kind of weighted rig.

Moving Freestone water. Brooks method. Downright dirty if you are a snooty tight lined person.

[grinr]

On flowing water like scel said above,using water tension at the end of your drift to load the rod for the next cast,except I start with my rod tip low to the water,raise it slow and steady to between 2-3 o'clock(?) to load rod and raise the nymphs,then in the same motion speed up and drive it upstream......kinda like a lacrosse swing if that makes sense?Incorporate a single haul into the procedure and you can drive a fairly heavy indi-rig a surprisingly good distance even with a 5wt.....easily 40-50ft+?Best part is it's about as tangle free a method as you'll find for lobbing multi-fly rigs?