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Fishing Clean

Posted by Mark Friday, May 22, 2015




  Zack fishing clean on the North  Zack Williams Guide site

Ok, I admit the title of this post was stolen........

My buddy Zack Williams did a casting  demo at the Sandy Spey Clave with that title. I wanted desperately to see his presentation but they moved it up an hour and I showed up just as he had finished. You see, Zack knows a few things about casting and fishing clean. He has been at the Big Show in San Francisco the last few years, battling it out with the best casters in the world.

I truly believe he is one to watch in the next few years as he further hones his long distance casting skills. I am excited to watch the progression of a friend as he takes the competition game on full force.


You can't compete on the world stage without proper turn over of the line and leader. In competition this can be the difference between a top 5 finish and being at the bottom of the list. In a fishing situation it can make a huge difference in the number of fish that are able to see and then grab the fly. Zack has taken what he has learned about distance casting and transferred that knowledge to his steelhead fishing. Zack catches fish and he often catches fish a long way from where he stands. He does this primarily by casting precisely, consistently and getting full turn over of the entire fly line, leader, and fly almost every time. Is he perfect? No, of course not but his turn over percentages are high and this translates into more hook ups. Yes its that simple people.

When you see hookups at distances of 150 feet or more you will become a believer in complete turn over. Why cast it to those distances if it ain't gonna fish for the first 40 feet because the line is not straight?


I have thought about this topic many times and Zack got me thinking about it again.

So now ask yourself these questions. Do I get consistent turn over of the fly line, leader and fly every time?  Do I make large mends to straighten line that did not turn over all the way? How do those mends affect the subsequent swing of the fly? Am I missing crucial points in the swing arc because I don't get get full turn over? Am I casting at an angle that allows my fly to swing instantly when it does turn over?

Face it people, steelhead fishing is a numbers game. When I say numbers, I mean numbers of casts and not numbers of fish. Most of us have limited numbers of days or times that we can fish. Learning to consistently turn the whole line over all the way to the fly is crucial to showing the fly to as many steelhead as you possibly can. It's simple math people. When you make hundreds or thousands of casts in a week of fishing, make good ones. The more consistently you get your fly to fish the better off you are.

Rivers that allow for a step and swing approach like the Deschutes, Grand Ronde, Clearwater etc. are rivers that can require long casts. With all the new rods and lines out there, casting far has become easier to some degree. But if you can't turn all your junk over at long distances you may be selling yourself short. You are leaving a lot of potential grabs on the table if only 50-60 percent of your casts are turning over all the way to the fly. Fish hold waaaaaaaay out there on many of these rivers but if you have inconsistent turnover you are not gonna get those grabs.

Practice consistent turn over at the distance that is within your limits. If that's 60-90 feet so be it. You can rest assured that you are covering water well when you have good turn over. You can leave the run knowing that it was worked well. Distance and consistency comes with days on the water. Fish within your limits.

I see a lot of people that can "cast" far but have inconsistent turn over. Generally speaking, a fish is triggered to eat by the consistent speed and placement of the fly as it covers the swing arc. A fish is sitting, watching, waiting, and can usually see the fly long before it gets in front of him. He is tracking speed and swing and is waiting for the fly to get into his grab zone.

A fly that does not turn over in the critical grab zone will not swing right. You are blowing it! A fish that was keyed to pounce is now put off by a fly that does not do what he expected it to do.The angler will either mend to straighten out the line or let the fly go without a mend, Both of these cause a problem with the consistent speed at which the fish was watching the fly. The big mend to straighten out the line moves the fly too much and it may be pulled out of the grab zone at the wrong time. Letting the cast go when the fly and line lands in a pile will then accelerate the fly unnaturally causing the fly to move too fast through the grab zone.

Another thing I see, especially on smaller rivers is proper turn over at short distance. No one talks about this factor. On the river I fish, I  catch fish every year in several spots with barely the leader out. Be mindful of those close fish. They are there and will eat if you give them a chance. Pulling a bunch of line off the reel to start the run misses uncountable fish. Become familiar with casting that leader and small amount of fly line. Its clunky and weird on a short line but can produce fish incredibly close in if done cleanly.

Are there exceptions to all of this stuff? Sure, we have all caught fish on bad casts that were perceived to be either too fast,too slow or where we are sure we have pulled the fly out of the zone with a big mend. Also,there are a number of scenarios where we can purposefully put extra pace on the fly in certain situations to elicit a strike. Conversely there are also times when we will slow the fly down radically with rod and line manipulation. These are particular actions in particular situations, for particular fish.

Another time I break a lot of rules as far as getting tension to the fly quickly is with skaters on the surface but that's another story for another day.

We can't over think this stuff too much because we all know that steelhead can make a liar out of us on any number of occasions if we become to rigid in our thinking.

 The point is, whatever distance you are fishing, fish it as cleanly and consistently as possible!


Fishing clean on the Big River   John Barlow Photo  John Barlow Photo Arts


Thankfully there is one who is always consistent and unchanging despite the inconsistency and sin in my own life. My need for God is great. I fall and He picks me up. On Christ the solid rock I stand all other ground is sinking sand........

James 1:17 Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.


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