By Captain Eric T. Davis
Most anglers put little thought into how we pick up line off the water. Just starting off right will help you get the cast off better. If line is picked up carelessly, it can make a big disturbance and can spook fish. Also, picking line up correctly is a lot easier than the method many anglers use.
Some anglers seem to think that brute force is the answer to line pick up. While the line does come off the water, the result is a lot of surface disturbance, and usually a pretty poor backcast. Here is the problem; if there is a fair amount of line on the water it takes quite a bit of force to break the connection between line and water.
Here is the solution; reduce the amount of line on the water before you try to pick it up. By taking a little care in setting up a shorter line pick up, a much better result can result. Imagine yourself with about 40’ of fly line on the water. You need to do a couple of things to effect a smooth, easy, low disturbance pickup. First, the rod tip needs to be as close to the water as possible, and the line needs to be straight – no slack.
Strip line in as necessary to get the rod tip low and the line straight. Once the rod tip is low and the line straight, the process of picking the line can begin. The first step is to raise as much of the line off the water as possible before applying power to the rod. This is done by raising the rod arm and rod straight up, keeping both as parallel to the water as possible When you’ve lifted as much line as possible off the water, you must begin the back cast. Don’t stop, once you start. If you wait, the line will slide toward you on the water and the advantage gained in having lifted it will be quickly lost. If the line is not lifted from the water before attempting the pick-up and backcast, much more power is needed, which usually results in a lot of water disturbance, and a poor backcast.
By using this pick up technique, you’ll find that you need much less power on this first backcast, and the resulting cast should be much better. This technique works under all circumstances, but is even more effective when a longer rod is used, since more line can be lifted. When you do make your backcast, using a single haul makes the pick up even more effective. Following this simple pick-up procedure will improve your casting, and will spook less fish.
One more thing that this pick-up does is to allow you to cast faster. With some practice, you will be able to eliminate one or two false casts that you might have in your casting.
Capt Eric.T.Davis
The Back Country Guide Service
772-567-6665
www.verobackcountry.com