The “Water Haul” Casting Technique
- Thread starter Mike Cline
- Start date
Op - thread drift, sorry. “Dry Fly -Never “? Bummer. There’s just something magical about a good hatch that brings the big fish up. There’s a sound a big trout makes when it sucks an emerger in and sounds, I can’t describe it but it’s something you won’t forget and you dream it happens again.
FinLuver
Native Oregonian…1846
The same ^^^ here, especially on windy days in the canyon or single hand Spey casting.
I would say both. In the following raw video you'll see me pounding the far bank of an outside bend on the Gibbon River. At this particular bend, the main flow is deep and restricted to approximately 6' wide along the bank. With the high flows almost bank high, the prominent undercut (~ 1' deep under the bank) is submerged at least 1' below the waterline. Having fished this river since the 1970s, this is where the browns are--holding deep within the undercuts to get out of the flow, but within reach of passing food which is mostly worms, leeches and the occasional wayward fry. My objective here is to drop a streamer inches from the bank hoping to get a bit of depth as it passes in front of the undercut and into the main flow. This was my second pass through this section as I connected with two browns the first time through early in the morning (unfortunately not on video). I've caught a lot of trout on this corner over the years in the Spring.
Early in the video you'll see me making multiple water hauls to get the distance to the bank down. If the first cast is short, I can visually determine the approximate increase in distance needed to hit the bank and shoot an approximately precise amount of line to do so. Sometimes that takes three casts. But failing to get your fly close to the bank is going to seriously reduce your chances of hooking up. Once the distance is down, only one water haul is needed to recast the line to another point on the bank. In this particular reach, there's no need to retrieve fly any farther than a few feet from the bank as there are no fish in the shallow parts of the flow.
FYI: 9' 5 weight T&T NS-II, 200 grain SONAR Warm, 4' 0X leader with 3" unweighted fly
Critiques welcome.
I am unclear in why you use a water haul in the direction you are casting; does that not spook fish, especially as you get closer to your target? I would cast straight downstream, using the current with a single water haul and backhand up/across stream to you're undercut (hope I described adequately).
Cheers
Cheers
Maybe, but that's hard to assess. But at least on the rivers I fish here in SW Montana, the catch rates are pretty good using this approach, so at least a good number of the fish don't get spooked. In fact I've had fish explode on the fly the second it hits the water. They obviously weren't spooked.
The challenge with the downstream cast before targeting the bank is assessing the correct distance. At the longer distances needed in high water, being just a foot away from the bank really lowers the catch rate. (In this particular spot, if you tried wading closer, you'd be up to your knees in the soft muck that accumulates on these inside bends during run-off.)
Honestly, with that setup, you should be able to roll cast to get the line to the surface, then do 1 or 2 (max) backcasts with a good haul and just let it fly. That line is more of a shooting head, no?
Like Canuck, I was a little confused as to why you were touching down in the direction you're casting since that has a greater chance of spooking fish. But then again, you were catching fish, so maybe it's just a moot point in that situation.
The repeated water haul casts you make in this video are unnecessary and definitely spook fish. You are using repeat water hauls as a poor substitute for double hauling line with your left hand/arm. You can easily make long & accurate casts into the streambank with a decent double haul cast without ever slapping the water. Never cast like this on saltwater flats (e.g., Florida) or the guy on the poling platform will have an aneurysm.
Yes, I should, but although there wasn't much wind on this particular morning, that is unusual. Typically, when fishing these open meadows or big wide rivers here in SW Montana, the wind is 10-15 mph and sometimes 20+ and it can come from any direction. False casting with these heavy sink tips is far more challenging than you might think, at least for me. One of the "advantages" touted by expert casters re the "Water Haul" technique is that is far less strenuous over time than constant false casting. I think that's why I've stuck to it. At 74, no need to wear myself out for no reason.
That's probably sound advice if you are targeting bonefish, permit or redfish in skinny, clear water. But my "flats" fishing along the Florida Gulf Coast aided by a kayak is essentially wade fishing open water along the edges of grass flats during lower tides targeting potholes and channels for trout, snook, ladyfish, mackerel, bluefish and pompano. I treat potholes and channels just like rivers during strong tidal flows with the same setup and techniques (albeit with a 7 weight). Using the long sink tip to reach depth in deep channels and potholes, cover a lot of water with longer casts and to precisely target the edges of grass/potholes/channels where the trout feed. Never say Never.
Flymph
Life of the Party
Could not agree more! Just saying I never water haul when casting a dry fly.
A nice double haul is much healthier for your shoulder than repeated water hauls. It also gives distance and accuracy. It works great for sinking lines and bigger flies.
PS - My advise is intended to be helpful and my own casting is constantly evolving and hopefully improving.
I am a actually probably better at backhand casts than forehand (probably a low bar). For some reason I have always found myself backhand casting.
Cheers
