Whether your longest cast is 40 feet or twice that far, there are likely occasions when, despite your best efforts, you had to walk away from fish because they were just out of reach. Your fly may drop a few feet short, but it might as well be miles. Many articles focus on how to cast far, providing helpful advice on how to move the rod and haul the hand in perfect harmony. Others evaluate the casting capabilities of rods and lines. This isn’t one of those articles. Instead, we are going to look at some relatively inexpensive pieces of gear that can help you squeeze out a few more feet. They won’t turn you into a casting guru, but they just might be enough to reach those fish that have been giving you the middle fin ray.
Opposite Bank Risers
It was a warm morning in late May, and I was enjoying a guest day on the Kennet River, a challenging chalk stream in southern England. Less than a yard from the opposite bank, a brown trout was feeding on a hatch of Ephemera danica mayflies. This is the fly that provides British fly fishers with the so-called duffers fortnight, when, theoretically, anyone can catch fish. Three or four times per minute, the fish’s nose came up, and a tiny swirl registered the last second of life for yet another mayfly. For almost half an hour, the fish continued its leisurely brunch while my imitation consistently fell short. For want of a few feet, I had failed the duffer’s test.
Thirty-something years later and 5,300 miles to the west, I’m standing next to the Kings River above Pine Flat Reservoir. Following the advice of my friend Jim, we had both been indicator nymphing. The technique was effective, but by midday, I really wanted to do something different. As we moseyed back to the truck, I spotted three fish making splashy rises to some caddisflies. They were lined up behind a boulder that jutted out from the far bank. Unfortunately, there was very limited back-cast room, and a plunging bank meant wading wasn’t a wise option. No matter where I stood or what I did, my casts fell short. Meanwhile, the fish continued splashing around like kids in a swimming pool.
These two failures had one thing in common — I needed to shoot about a dozen feet of line to cover the fish. Unfortunately, the best I could manage was six feet, leaving me less than a rod length short. The truth is, I could have easily covered these fish with just a couple of items of gear.
Silicone and Truckers Caps
A brand new fly line whistles through the rod guides thanks to lubricants applied at the factory. But as we all know, those lubricants wear off. It may take hours or days, but eventually, you’ll notice the line doesn’t slide out of the guides quite so effortlessly. Most of the time, we are casting to fish that are well within range, so this isn’t a big deal, but when you cast and shoot some line, that added friction can become a deal breaker. This is when it’s time to stop and dress the line. Add a drop or two of silicone line lubricant to a piece of cloth (a microfiber towel works really well) and pull the line through. A fresh coat of silicone lube typically reduces line friction by 5 to 10 percent. (Yep, I’ve measured it.) This may be all you need to make the shot and hook the fish.
Most fly fishers know about surface tension. It’s the molecular force that enables adult f lies to sit on top of the water and keeps weak nymphs from ever leaving it. If you strip your fly line into the water between casts, you have to deal with surface tension. Of course, this doesn’t really matter if you don’t need to shoot line. Your hands provide more than enough force to pull the line free. But once you need to shoot a few feet of line, surface tension will very definitely come into play. If your line is dropped into flowing water, the combination of surface tension and current will make shooting line even more difficult.
You can avoid surface tension headaches by stripping your line onto something dry. The easiest and most obvious way is to get out of the water and drop your line onto the ground, but there are times when wading is necessary to reach the fish. Under these circumstances, a proper stripping basket is the best way to go, but let’s face it, they are bulky, and you seldom if ever see them on a trout stream.
Fear not. There’s probably a user friendly solution sitting on top of your head. Years ago, in one of his many books, Lefty Kreh suggested using a ball cap as a miniature stripping basket. He advised folks to tuck the brim into their pants or wading belt, bend down the cap, and strip line into the space recently vacated by their cranium. Most ball caps are designed to fit close to the scalp, providing a somewhat limited volume. With careful placement, you should be able to put five or six feet of line into a typical ball cap.
But what if you need to shoot more than six feet of line? Don’t worry, there’s another cranium-covering option. A trucker’s cap with its raised peak has enough volume to handle about a dozen feet of fly line. In addition, the foam panels and plastic mesh stiffen the cap, which keeps it from collapsing, which can be a problem with a soft cotton cap. Sometimes the mesh back will fold inward. If it does, just flip the plastic clasp inside out, and the extra tension should hold the cap open.
More Distance with Inflatables
Float tubes and pontoon boats greatly enhance our ability to fish ponds and lakes. The makers of these wonderful craft usually provide some form of stripping apron to hold the fly line between casts. For short casts, these mesh-based devices tend to work fine, but once you start throwing long lines, tangles on the apron can become a chronic problem. The obvious solution is to get closer to the fish, but there are times when the fish won’t tolerate close proximity.
Trout in lakes can be very touchy about distance, especially on calm days when they are feeding close to the surface. It has been argued that vibrations caused by the angler’s shuffling or casting are transmitted into the water and scare off fish. Sound travels exceptionally well in water. I have underwater sound recordings of top-water flies being tested in a swimming pool. In addition to the sound of the fly as it gurgled across the surface, there’s the unmistakable sound of a Cessna flying a couple of thousand feet overhead. The idea that you can scare fish by being noisy certainly seems more than plausible.
The other reason to cast far is your fly will be seen by more fish. Often, fish will be spread out over large areas, so short casts can limit how many fish actually see your fly. A lot of folks resort to trolling a fly behind an inflatable when the fish aren’t showing on top. You can cover quite a bit of water this way, but it does have its limitations. To begin with, you are fishing water that has just been disturbed by fins or oars. In addition, even with good water clarity, your fly is probably visible from only 10 or 15 feet.
Instead of dragging the fly behind you, cast it out to either side of the inflatable and retrieve it as you slowly move over the water. Assuming the fish are relatively evenly spaced out, 30-foot casts triple the number of fish that might see your fly and 60-foot casts bump that up to five times as many. You’d be silly to ignore that kind of advantage on a slow day.
Of course, longer casts mean more line on the apron, which means more tangles and therefore less distance. Frustrated by this Catch 22, I spent time watching how fly lines behave on the apron.
It turns out that the tangling problem has to do with the shape and texture of the apron. On most tubes and pontoons, the apron is made of smooth plastic mesh and forms a slightly dished (concave) surface. Line placed on the apron has a tendency to slide down toward the center. This isn’t too much of a problem when you are dealing with 30 feet of line, but it will cause trouble once you start laying down 40 feet or more. Any section of line that slides an inch or so toward the center of the apron is a potential tangle. The extra density of fast-sinking lines can really exacerbate this problem. Stop the line from sliding on the apron, and you’ll stop most of the tangles.
Thankfully, there’s a cheap solution. Go to your local hardware or sporting goods store and buy a foam exercise floor mat. Cut a piece of foam so it fits neatly onto the apron. This provides a flat surface for the fly line. Next, use a small nail or bodkin to punch holes in the foam.
A grid pattern with a spacing of about two inches works well. The final step is to glue two-inch whiskers of heavy mono or plastic-coated bell wire into the holes. The end result is a sort of flat pin cushion. The flat surface and whiskers stop the line from migrating toward the center, and almost magically, those frustrating line tangles disappear. One final tip is to use binder clips to hold the foam on the apron on windy days. Believe me, you’ll get a really gnarly tangle if a gust of wind flips the foam into the air.
Fishing from Shore
One of the things that quickly becomes apparent to folks fishing larger stillwater venues from shore is that casting distance can sometimes be a big deal. Being able to place your fly 10 or 20 feet farther out can be all it takes to go from skunked to multiple hookups. The same is true in the surf. This is when it makes sense to make or buy a good stripping basket. There are plenty of videos online describing how to make a stripping basket; it’s a subject I’ve covered in prior articles. Good commercial options exist, as well, if you aren’t into DIY or don’t have the time.
The Orvis Durable Stripping Basket is a proven product that has been in service for decades. I have several friends who swear by this basket for fishing in the surf. At $89, it’s relatively inexpensive, and unless you do something really stupid, it will last for many years.
There are a couple of things you may want to do to make the basket a bit safer. First of all, drill some half-inch holes in the bottom. This will allow water to drain out quickly in case a wave comes over the top. I’d also suggest replacing the plastic clip belt with something that’s easier to get off in a hurry. A length of double-sided Velcro with a convenient pull tab makes it easy to shed the basket if you get into trouble.
Temple Fork Outfitters recently introduced their Linekurv stripping basket. In many ways, this resembles the old L.L. Bean basket, which was a solid performer. Like the Orvis product, it is made from hard plastic and features internal cones that help reduce tangles. It will also benefit from added holes in the base and an easy-to-remove belt. A friend has been using this basket for a few months and considers it comparable to the Orvis basket. A Linekurv will cost you $69, and it looks like it will last for many years.
One of the downsides of hard plastic baskets is that your fingers can occasionally hit the edge while stripping in line. This can be painful if you are fishing in cold water and especially so if you are stripping line fast. A foam basket is a much more comfortable option.
For many years, the Mangrove Outfitters Hip Shooter was a popular basket. Designed by Californian Stan Pleskunas, this basket was developed in the Pacific surf — perhaps the toughest environment for fly-fishing gear. Its foam construction made it light and comfortable. Stiff nylon fingers helped control the line, and holes in the base ensured it drained quickly. In addition, the basket was mounted on a web belt using a stainless steel clip, which made it easy to shed if you got into trouble. Unfortunately, this basket doesn’t seem to be available anymore.
The good news is Scientific Anglers has recently started selling a foam-based basket from ECOastal, a Danish company. This ergonomically designed basket is lighter than the Hip Shooter, thanks to the use of a special (biodegradable) polyethylene foam. I’ve been using one for the past few months and feel it is every bit as good as the Hip Shooter. In some respects, I think it is better.
Like the Hip Shooter, the ECOastal uses nylon whiskers to ensure good line control. It’s a bit wider than other baskets, providing ample room for the line when you are making long, fast strips. Holes in the base and an open front mean any water that gets into the basket rapidly gets out. I’ve stupidly taken a few waves over the bow and found the flexibility of the basket to be a big plus. Hard plastic baskets can take a few seconds to drain, which can be a bit unsettling when you are watching another wall of the Pacific roll toward you. The ECOastal bends and dumps the water in less than a second, while the nylon fingers keep the line in the basket. This means you can quickly step back and avoid another thumping wall of water.
The ECOastal is so light that I have even forgotten it was strapped to my waist. Like most folks, I slide stripping baskets onto my back when I exit the beach or lake. This makes it much easier to see anything that might be a trip hazard. On several occasions, I’ve returned to my car and become momentarily confused when my waders won’t come off. It takes a couple of seconds to remember the belt and basket are still securely in place. Last, but certainly not least, the bas-ket is attached to the belt with a wide band of Velcro. This provides more than enough grip to keep the basket attached during normal use, but also allows you to rip it off quickly if the need arises. This is the most user-friendly safety feature I have seen on any stripping basket. At $89, the ECOastal basket is a very well thought-out piece of kit.
Whether it’s a nifty cap, a converted exercise mat, or a purpose-built stripping basket, there’s no reason why you can’t be the fly fisher who catches fish others can’t. For under $100, that’s a pretty amazing deal.
