(Part 3) Top products from r/flyfishing

Sure those can help, nothing about casting has changed per se, but there you may find modern instruction to be a lot less rigid. There's been more of an awareness in recent years that there is more than one way to skin a cat.

I used to dabble in competition distance fly casting, for example, and I was told on many occasions that an open stance cast (like Lefty teaches) could never deliver a fly more than one hundred feet. I would just strip off the line, lay the fly down at 105 feet or whatever, and ask them to explain again why it was impossible. They couldn't -- they were all operating on received wisdom.

The machine I described was invented by Bruce Richards, who ran the Scientific Anglers fly line lab for many years, and Dr. Noel Perkins of the University of Michigan. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fly_Casting_Analyzer

That machine helped show that a good caster makes the fly rod behave in the same way, even if the caster himself may stand a little differently or drop his shoulder a bit more, etc. Humans have different physiques, so biomechanically there is more than one way to make the rod do what we need.

The best casters in the world are all built like fireplugs and tend to cast directly over their shoulders, so they can maximize the strength of their back and chest muscles. That is the traditional method of casting, but personally I question whether the way they do it is required to make those massive casts or if it is just confirmation bias. The only time I ever stood on a podium and made a distance cast in competition with those guys, I think my best shot was 108', and Steve Rajeff (the best caster ever) used the same set up to throw 112' and win the tournament. I am absolutely nowhere near as good a caster as Steve Rajeff, and what that suggests to me is that style doesn't matter; it's just discipline and experience that count. Rajeff happens to be in the over the shoulder school, and is also the best caster in the world, but there's no telling what he might have been if he had decided to cast the way Lefty teaches for his whole career instead.

I'm probably overkilling on the explanation for a guy like you who is just starting out, but the takeaway is that you can learn to cast in several different ways and all will work. I think Lefty's is the fastest pathway to success.

One more excellent book once you get going: "Troubleshooting the Cast" by Ed Jaworowski. I think every angler should own this book and I believe it to be the most effective written tool in existence once you take the first step past 'rank beginner'.

https://www.amazon.com/Troubleshooting-Cast-Ed-Jawrowski/dp/0811729427

Great book full of easy to understand diagrams.

Last thing, here is a piece on ten common mistakes and how to fix them:

http://www.itinerantangler.com/blog/podcasts/2016/01/13/ten-most-common-casting-errors-and-how-to-fix-them/

Some great books that helped me when I was starting out were:
Presenting the Fly by Lefty Kreh, Spring Creek Strategies by Mike Heck, and No Hatch to Match by Rich Osthoff.

Understanding trout behavior is also essential. For that, I've found no better resource than the videos: The Underwater World of Trout and Feeding Lies. There are two others in the series that aren't available online, but are well worth purchasing.

Getting out with someone who knows what they are doing is always a help. Hiring a guide is always a great idea. I'd never have learned to mend as well as I can today without Greg Bricker. Your local fly shop may also hold beginner days and casting clinics that can be a great help.

Finally, practice, practice, practice. In Presenting the Fly, Lefty talks about throwing flies through hoops and into teacups. Before my trip to Canada this summer I spent a number of hours with targets and measured distances and it helped a lot.

Probably heresy for this sub, but my favorite cheap disposable travel rod is a Daiwa Mini Spin. Load it up with some 2-4lb mono, put some clear casting bubbles, some nymphs, wetflies, grubs and some Roostertails in the case and leave it under your vehicle seat until that day you want to catch some small trout or some bluegills and don't have your better rods.

I had one of these for years back when I used to backpack and forgot how much I used to like it until it got gone. So, I ordered another. I like the size factor that will fit in a backpack, bicycle pannier or under a car seat without even noticing it. And I like the price. And screw the purists. I'll take fishing flies with a casting bubble over not fishing any day.

Fishing is the best practice. If you don't have a mentor, invest in a couple fishing trips with good guides. You'll learn exponentially faster with a mentor or guide than you ever could on your own. Find a guide that's familiar with your home waters that you think you will fish the most. Learning a stream and how to fish it is half the battle.

I would also recommend Joan Wulff's book, New Fly Casting Techniques. She has a gift for simplifying the fly cast in easy mechanical terms and her book includes exercises and tips for improving your casting accuracy and distance.

Tight loops are great for punching through a strong wind or making a lengthy cast, but aren't always the answer. Heavy nymph rigs, dropper setups, bass flies, big streamers, etc. all require more open loops to avoid tangling. So for me, the ideal would be the ability to easily change loop size as dictated by what you're fishing.

http://www.amazon.com/Modern-Fly-Casting-Methods-Decades-Americas/dp/1585747890/ref=sr_1_12?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1410195187&sr=1-12

http://www.amazon.com/Casting-Lefty-Kreh/dp/081170369X/ref=sr_1_17?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1410194862&sr=1-17

any of the books put out by james prosek would be great gifts. his watercolors are pretty spectacular. i have both of these books, both bought used off amazon for around $10 a piece and are both in perfect condition. they never get old.
http://www.amazon.com/Trout-Illustrated-History-James-Prosek/dp/067944453X/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpt_3
http://www.amazon.com/Trout-World-James-Prosek/dp/B001H55MX2/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpt_6

I think the best instructional books for a beginner are either the Orvis Fly-Fishing Guide or the LL Bean Ultimate Book of Fly-Fishing. For fun reads, you can't go wrong with any of John Gierach's books. Trout Bum would be a good starting point.

If you're ever interested in lake, pond, river, or stream fishing for bream:

http://www.amazon.com/The-Sunfishes-Jack-Ellis/dp/1558213562

Great read, lots of good information.

Yes, particularly as I try to guess what bug hatches will happen at what water temp. Hit or miss, admittedly.

I've read a few books on tailwaters. The best is Ed Engle's "Fishing Small Flies." He has a chapter up front about it.

Do yourself a favor an go buy a copy of Lou Tabory's Inshore Fly Fishing. Pretty much everything you need to know is in there.

A good book to read, that discusses this is Landon Mayer's book, How To Catch The Biggest Trout Of Your Life (on bacon reader so grammer Nazis please overlook) I've read this book numerous times and learn something new every time I pick it up.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0974642762/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?qid=1374606499&sr=8-4&pi=AC_SX110_SY190

Since he's in BC I'm sure he's a huge steelhead fisherman. If he doesn't have the bible, he probably should: https://www.amazon.com/Steelhead-Fly-Fishing-Trey-Combs/dp/155821903X

John Gierach wrote an informative and highly amusing book on this: Fly Fishing Small Streams. It's ~25 years old now, but fortunately, neither small streams nor successful techniques for catching fish in them have changed much - nor shall they, we hope.

Tenkara would be another slippery slope to contemplate....

[Here's a book if you can find it locally] (http://www.amazon.com/Hiking-Angling-McCall-Idaho-Streams/dp/0970052006#)



[More stuff] (https://www.google.com/search?q=mccall+site%3Aflyfishingboise.blogspot.com&rlz=1C1CHFX_enUS495US495&oq=mccall+site%3Aflyfishingboise.blogspot.com&aqs=chrome..69i57.2222j0j4&sourceid=chrome&es_sm=122&ie=UTF-8)

Read this, then read it again, then go nymphing.

https://www.amazon.com/Fly-Fishers-Playbook-Systematic-Approach/dp/1462858074

It's not specifically on dry flies, but the book Theodore Gordon on Trout covers the birth of American dry fly fishing by one its pioneers, albeit briefly. This series is meant to be an introduction to classic fly fisherman and authors. The more seminal work is more expensive: Complete Fly Fisherman Notes and Letters.