Sage Advice SaturdayPosted by admin on December 12th, 2009

The Reach Cast

Often times it is necessary to cast to fish quartered down stream.  The reach cast is a good method for casting down stream.  The reach cast simply mends, or creates a cushion for the fly before the fly and the fly line hit the water.   When I see a fish feeding down stream and slightly quartered away from me I like to throw a reach cast, and then stack line, or feed line down to the rising fish.  This way I don’t have to mend, or slide the fly after it hits the water.    If you fish to fish that feed in lanes and don’t want to move 3 inches left of right to feed , this teqhnique allows you to cast short and then stack line to the fish.  You will be able to do this several times until your cast hits the perfect lane.   Then you can go to switching bugs if the fish does’nt take, but at least you will be presenting the fly with a drag free drift multiple times over the fish with out spooking the fish.  don’t cast to close to the fish, but don’t cast to far away . Typically 10 ft is the perfect distance upstream of the fish.  This distance is far enough away from the fish that when your cast hits the water it does’nt spook the fish and it doesn’t allow crosscurrents to interfere with the presentation.  Practice this technique and you will have more hook ups!!

Royce Klingler