BEATING THE WIND

During the afternoon of a Spring fishing trip this year, the wind got a bit
nasty. For many years I've perferred 7 1/2 ft. fast action 4 wt rods for
the overwhelming majority of my fishing. Today was no exception. We were
casting directly into the wind and one of the guys turned to me and said "I
just don't get it." "I'm using a 9 foot 6 wt rod but you're punching out
almost twice the line....what gives?"

Here's what I told him..... In a head wind you need to alter the direction of
the cast. You must angle the backcast so that it straightens at an angle
above the horizontal. The forward cast should be aimed low with a maximum
load on the rod. I think the best way to raise the back cast is by lifting
the elbow directly upwards. This changes the angle the hand makes during the
backstroke, and therefore the angle the rod travels.

When faced with a tailing wind use a sort of high roll cast, letting the
wind carry the line. For longer casts, make an extra powerful and
high-angled backcast. If your backcast is low, the wind will blow it right
back into you. Your forward cast, being wind propelled, will not require as
much force. Keep your arm and rod high on the forward cast, throwing your
line up and out with a roll-cast-like motion.

Most of the flyline manufacturers provide specialty lines designed to handle
windy conditions incredibly well. If wind is a constant issue in your
fishing excursions you might want to consider this option. For the last
several years I've been partial to RIO lines and they have three that are
really terriffic in the wind: The Clouser (new this year), WindCutter, and
LongCast. The Clouser, named after famed fly tier, guide and instructor Bob
Clouser, is particulary interesting. It features a unique reverse compound
taper with a bullet front taper which can turn over large flies. It cuts
through the wind like a rocket.

There are some other tricks worth mentioning. A shorter-than-normal leader
can be helpful. For example a 7 1/2 foot leader will straighten out on the
end of a cast that would turn a 12 foot leader into a pretzel. The shorter
leader will not only turn over your flies better but it will be a lot more
accurate. Keep in mind that the winds breaking of the water surface
diminishes the need for "fine & far". Increasing the weight of the tippet
material can also help you out. There's a big difference between what
happens with 4X vs 6X in the wind.

In addition to the specialty lines mentioned above, you can use a line heavier
than recommended by the rod manufacturer. All of today's modern graphic
rods will handle a range of lines. Just carry an extra reel spool for it in
your vest.

Don't forget to wear glasses and a hat when its windy. I've seen some
interesting and painful hookups on various parts of the human body.

Wind is just another fishing condition like rain, sun, fly hatches, etc. In
many cases it actually improves the fishing because of the protection it
affords feeding fish or the food forms that it stirs up.

Paul Prentiss