Double-Handed Fly-casting in Simple Terms. Part 1.
(as featured in the Irish Angler magazine 2008)

Under Construction

I am aware that some of you already know my history, but for those of you who don’t I would like to introduce myself.  My name is Glenda Powell. I grew up on the shores of Strangford Lough in a town called Comber.  My uncle Michael died when I was nine years old and he left his fishing rods to me.  This is when I discovered my passion for fishing.  Ten years later, after struggling with trying teach myself how to cast, through trial and error, and falling into every casting fault possible, I discovered my teaching vocation.
I have learned over the years both through teaching practice and through other teachers that people learn in different ways.  Some people thrive on the technical aspects of casting, the physics of how the fly cast is put together. Others prefer; ‘show me, and let me have a go’, and learn better through the ‘hands on and show me how route’.  These are two very different styles of teaching, but they should have one common denominator - the student should clearly understand what is being taught.  Without this understanding the student will forget in a very short time what they have learned.
I could go down the route of talking about straight line paths, correct power application, D loops and the 180 degree principle, but I would like to write a short series of articles for the less technical fly-fishers among you, the creative types, for the poets out there – anyone still reading?  I am going to talk about painting ceilings, windows and doors. Strange words like whuuump, railway tracks, and sails of boats. I would like to cover the basics of double handed casting and as fly casting is only a means of getting our fly to the fish then I would also like to talk about different fly fishing techniques.  

Safety first.
This topic is often overlooked as we all think that accidents will happen to someone else and not to ourselves.  For anyone going salmon fishing then I would suggest at a minimum that they should have glasses for eye protection, a wading staff to test how deep the river is before stepping forward, and a properly fitted life jacket.

The First Obstacles to Overcome.

The name! Double handed rod
For some people even the name alone will prevent them from picking one up.  Double handed, this must imply doubly as difficult as a single handed rod?  Thankfully this is not the case; it is sometimes easier to teach people how to cast the double handed rod than the single handed rod.

Muscle memory from single handed casting. 
When casting a single handed rod the person is usually using the dominant hand to do this, when they pick up a double handed rod it takes a little bit of time to realise that the bottom hand works as hard, if not harder than the top one.

Length and strength. 
The double handed requires only a small move on the hands to create a huge impression on the top of the rod therefore the single handed person usually starts by moving the hands too far and with too much energy.  A short move with as little energy as possible is what is required in the beginning.

Think – short moves, bottom hand, with as little energy as possible.

Grip and Stance
I will cover stance in greater depth when we talk about our change of direction roll casts (Spey casts) in the next article.  The important factors with grip and stance are that the person is safe, relaxed and comfortable with both gripping the rod and their foot work.  As every body is built differently, arm lengths, heights and waist bands vary (extremely aware of this during my last pregency!) then it is important that everyone finds their own comfortable way to stand and grip the rod.
Try to avoid reaching or stretching, and also try to avoid having your hands too close together.  It is easier for most people to work a lever at shoulder width apart, and if the hands are too close together then it is difficult to get the leverage of the rod working at all.

Need to knows!
The following are a few things that all fly fishers need to know before any of their casting becomes efficient.

1.  Avoid slack line and try to keep the tension of the line against the tip of the rod.  Close your eyes and think about pulling the line, not throwing or pushing.
2.  Mel Krieger’s word Whuuummmmmp, teaches us that we start slowly, build in speed and the fastest part of the cast is just before we stop.
3.  The line will follow the rod tip.  It has no choice, it is attached to it therefore if you are moving straight ahead when you stop the rod then the line will go straight ahead, moving downwards then the line will go downwards etc, ………………… Remember the leverage; even if you are moving downwards ever so slightly with your hand then the action is magnified at the top of the rod.

From Loop to Loop to Loop
Tight loops will go in the direction of your target and are easier to get through the wind. These are created by only painting the ceiling of the room with a slight convex move at the end to give the loop room to form.
Wide loops is were most of us begin, using the rod like a sea-saw and painting the windows and doors in front and behind us.  This creates a wide loop that will not go very far as it doesn’t like travelling through the air.  This loop can be useful if you are using sinking lines and heavy flies.
Crossed loops (tailing loops/wind knots) are always a fault in casting.  They are the most common reason for experienced fly fishers booking lessons. This is when the fly hooks up over the fly line or leader and gets caught. Usually when you thought you knew what you were doing this comes back to haunt you.  There are numerous theories on how to make this loop, but the common factor is to have a look at what the hand is doing just before you stop the rod.  There should be a slight convex move to give the loop space to form.  Have a look at your thumb, is it stuck up into the clouds when you finish your forward cast or has the thumb been pushed slightly downwards. Remember, only push downwards a little bit, if you start painting the windows, doors or even the skirting board then you will have a wide loop!

The Overhead Cast
Now that we have covered the need to knows we will commence with the overhead cast.  The Overhead Cast is a cast that is not often used for salmon fishing as we find that we often have a high bank or trees behind us.  If we only learned how to Overhead Cast then we find ourselves fishing for squirrels in the trees! So why are you going to teach us this?  I hear you ask.  The Overhead Cast is a great way to learn the ‘feel’ of the rod.  With this cast we can learn timing, pulling, acceleration, tracking, stopping and loop formation.  All of these things are important for any forward cast as all forward casts use these principals.

We are going to imagine that the tip of the rod is a paint brush and we are going to start with the paint brush in the paint tin. 

Next you are going to lift the rod to the ceiling of the room, and concentrate on only painting the ceiling – not the windows, doors or skirting board!  Stop at the end of the ceiling and wait until the line goes straight behind you. Then pull the line forward again along the ceiling with another stop at the end of the ceiling. Wait until the line unfolds in the air and gravity starts to take your line back down to the river, when it starts to fall follow it with your rod tip.  

The Overhead cast consists of two casts; the back cast and the forward cast.
The six stages of the Overhead cast are:-
     Back cast =   lift, stroke and stop.
Forward cast =   stroke, stop and follow through.

Or in simple terms:-

Dip the paint brush in the paint tin; lift it to the ceiling and whuuuuump along the ceiling.  Stop! 
Wait for your line to unfold then whuuuuuuump back along the ceiling.  Stop! 
Wait for your line to drop, and then bring your paint brush back to the paint tin.

Common casting faults with the Overhead cast

1. Rod tip too high before you start.
     One of the most common casting faults and one of the reasons for me failing my APGAI-Irl exam
     the first year was starting to cast with the rod tip too high.
     If you start with the rod tip too high then you have created slack line before you start to cast.
     You have to move the rod a little bit before you get a straight tight line. 
     Remember every time you move you must be pulling the weight of the fly line to make the rod bend (load).
     If the rod is not bending when you are moving it then you are not bending the rod.

2. The WHAM effect. 
     Use the word whuuuuuuump from the start of the back cast. 
     Start slowly, gradually build in speed and the fastest part of the cast is just before you stop.

3. The Elephant Trunk
     This is when the bottom hand sticks out too far on the back cast. 
     This will drive your rod tip downwards when you stop and your line will follow hitting the grass or the water behind. 
     Remember only the ceiling not the windows and doors.

4. Not using the bottom hand at all. 
     This usually happens when the single handed caster picks up the double handed rod for the first time. 
     When the caster starts to realise that the bottom hand is as important as the top then they will really start to feel the benefits.

5. Bowing to the river
     This is reaching or pushing forward at the end of the forward cast. 
     It is normal to think that if we just reach out a little bit then the fly will go further. 
     Unfortunately it doesn’t work and the only thing that you get is a sore back by doing so. 
     Keep your back straight when you cast, you will be able to fish for much longer throughout the day.

6. Fishing in front of yourself. 
     Often the lever is worked in front of the caster again giving back and arm ache. 
     Try to work the lever close to you, you will find it much more comfortable to do so.

In my Part 2 I will talk about the basic and more advanced roll casts (Spey casts) for using when you want to catch fish, not squirrels.