How to Practice Casting When Fly Fishing

Series Summary

Modern fly fishing is centuries old, having begun in North England and Scotland; however, the history of fly fishing be traced back over 1800 years to the now mysterious Astraeus River in the Roman province of Macedonia. In the 2nd Century A.D., Marcus Aelianus described Macedonian fishermen's use of fastening feathers and wool to hooks to attract fish to their lines. Fly fisherman today continue the adventurous yet relaxing sport of fly fishing in some of the most beautiful and tranquil places on earth, casting their flies in waterways of the Colorado Rockies, where all that is heard is the flowing stream and soft breeze in the aspens.

In this free fly fishing guide for beginners, learn fly casting tips and techniques and get simple fishing instruction on video. Our certified expert fisherman, Jim Dowd, will show you how to get your fly casting abilities up to speed so that you can start catching some walleye and trout. He’ll walk you through stringing your fly rod, doing a simple, effective four part cast, using two point line control, and a few other tricks of the trade. Enjoy!

Video Transcript

"Hi! I'm Jim Dowd at Zoaroutdoor.com. We are here for expertvillage.com, and this session is all about fly casting and what you need to know to sling it out there. So the first thing to remember is to always wear a hat and glasses so that it will protect your vision and save your hide. In addition, instead of using a hook, we are going to be using a yarn fly, which is simply a piece of yarn tied on with a cinch knot to the end of your tippet. This will enormously aid your casting practice because it emulates a live fly without putting you at risk of getting hooked. So these are the three considerations: use a yarn fly, always wear your glasses and a hat. "