By Rene J. Hesse
Nope, we are not talking about repairing fly line, but we are talking about fly fishing and casting. Mending is just repositioning the line. There are a lot of reasons to do a line mend. You may ask why that’s important. I will give you a few situations that can increase your chances of catching a fish by mending your line. Get to know the different types of mends in fly casting and it will change your game.
First thing to note is that there are arial mends and water mends. Arial mends take place before the line hits the water. Guess when a water mend happens. CORRECT! We reposition the line to adjust what the fly is doing or will do. One thing to note is that the mend should not move the fly from where it is. It should move the portion of line that will have an affect on the fly.
For example, a cast downstream at an angle with a weighted fly that you want to sink will sink faster if you do a hump mend. Have enough line off the reel to get to your target and then cast short of your target. After laying the cast out short of the target, you can slip line out of your rod tip and not move the fly as it starts to sink by making a quick 12” up and down motion with your rod tip and let the water tension pull some of the line out of your rod tip. Then do it again until all the line you need is out and then start the retrieve. That will work with a dry fly too. Just make the cast short of the target and lower the rod tip to the water and start the hump mends.
The next thing to consider if we are trying to get a fly to sink before it gets to the target is water tension on the line. Watch what affect the mending is having on the fly. If you do the hump mend and the fly is moving, it is losing the neutral drift that allows the fly to sink at its fastest rate. So watch the line at the furthest point away from the rod tip and do the mends. Try not to allow the line end to move or pause.
When you get to the water with a weighted fly, practice the mending before you get to the place you plan to catch the fish. Using the water hump mend can change the game for you and get the fish that you may not have.