Why cant i cast in a drift boat?

[Bob-WY]

I've worked hard on my fly casting. My issue is drift boating. I can still water cast, tight loops, long line shooting, nice rollover to soft landing. Wading same thing.

Pit me in a drift boat and I stink. Spent way to much time yesterday untangling knots, total technique breakdown, to much wrist, not letting line straighten out etc. Knots, lots of them

Pisses me off.

Any hints on keeping on form in a drift boat?

 

[LuketheDog]

I've worked hard on my fly casting. My issue is drift boating. I can still water cast, tight loops, long line shooting, nice rollover to soft landing. Wading same thing.

Pit me in a drift boat and I stink. Spent way to much time yesterday untangling knots, total technique breakdown, to much wrist, not letting line straighten out etc. Knots, lots of them

Pisses me off.

Any hints on keeping on form in a drift boat?

In my experience people tend to panic when they're in drift boats, they see a glut of places to cast that are moving by quickly as opposed to slowly walking up the stream bank and casting to each spot in turn. So, they rush and try to aim their casts at every good-looking spot that comes along, like ones that are already passing by the boat, instead of looking farther ahead and taking fewer, better, casts to the good lies. Lean into the leg-locks or bar too, get stable.

 

[cedahm]

I've worked hard on my fly casting. My issue is drift boating. I can still water cast, tight loops, long line shooting, nice rollover to soft landing. Wading same thing.

Pit me in a drift boat and I stink. Spent way to much time yesterday untangling knots, total technique breakdown, to much wrist, not letting line straighten out etc. Knots, lots of them

Pisses me off.

Any hints on keeping on form in a drift boat?

Usually the culprit in a boat is managing slack line since no matter how good the driver is, casts always vary in length and approach (assuming you're pounding the bank with dries or streamers, if you're nymphing, you're mending way more than you're casting and the driver should be able to help with the drift speed in many cases). This is largely just practice.

A common problem I see on our boat is folks casting directly at right angles to the bank instead of in front of the angler. You typically need to be casting forward otherwise you're picking the bug up immediately, and hurrying to do so, which causes a lot of breakdowns in casting form (ntm doesn't catch many fish since the bug drags almost immediately).

Also - Lean harder into the casting braces (especially in the bow) than you think you should. Creates a more staple 'platform' with a pitching and moving boat.

Last thing I can think of is that if you're naturally a 3/4 or side- arm casting motion guy on land, the 'straight overhead' cast often required in a boat (so as not to impale the driver or other passengers) is a challenge to adapt to. Add in motion, rough water, and rising fish and stuff tends to fall apart quickly.

 

[Ben Lamb]

1.) Don't think you need to cast to every spot or fish.

2.) Read the water as far ahead as possible to know what's coming up, and what looks fishy.

3.) Hero casts from a boat aren't usually necessary. Practice your accuracy before distance.

4.) Line management is crucial, especially after you hook a fish. Watch your line and keep it coiled up in front of you.

5.) If you are in the front of the boat, cast ahead, not behind or parallel. You're stealing the back seat's drift.

6.) Have extra snacks.

 

[nrpate05]

Focus downstream! Or do like I do and just blame it on whoever is rowing.

 

[Ben Lamb]

Last thing I can think of is that if you're naturally a 3/4 or side- arm casting motion guy on land, the 'straight overhead' cast often required in a boat (so as not to impale the driver or other passengers) is a challenge to adapt to. Add in motion, rough water, and rising fish and stuff tends to fall apart quickly.

I can straight up tell you that 20 years of fly-fishing on the North Platte and other areas of Wyoming will make it damned near impossible to overhead cast a fly rod.

Chucking meat rigs with bobbers and triple split shot in a 30 mph breeze creates muscle memory that cannot be overcome easily. I still can't cast overhead without thinking about it way too much.

Wyoming will mess a guy up for life.

 

[cedahm]

I can straight up tell you that 20 years of fly-fishing on the North Platte and other areas of Wyoming will make it damned near impossible to overhead cast a fly rod.

Chucking meat rigs with bobbers and triple split shot in a 30 mph breeze creates muscle memory that cannot be overcome easily. I still can't cast overhead without thinking about it way too much.

Wyoming will mess a guy up for life.

I'm a 3/4 arm slot guy normally, too. 1st day in the bow is always a re-learning process. In the back seat you have a lot more leeway.

Also have left the NP tailwaters to other folks for many years since despite the size of the fish, floating through a glorified irrigation ditch while not being able to get out of the boat feels more like a prison sentence than fishing

1.) Don't think you need to cast to every spot or fish.

This one is HUGE. Have watched tons of anglers get FOMO attacks when they realize they're going to miss one pocket or rock eddy and proceed to make a birdsnest when they try and snap a quick one in there, and then the birds nest causes them to miss the next dozen spots untangling, and/or costs everyone else 10min to pull over and re-rig.

 

[Ben Lamb]

Also have left the NP tailwaters to other folks for many years since despite the size of the fish, floating through a glorified irrigation ditch while not being able to get out of the boat feels more like a prison sentence than fishing

It's probably been 15 years since I fished the North Platte. I had it when it was at it's prime, and before the guide pressure & low holers from Colorado took over. Living in Casper, and having that river so close by was a treasure. Easy to take off after work and hit rising 20" fish at one of the few fishing access sites, picking apart runs with small nymphs and worms in high water.

The river might be a ditch, but there's magic on the water and the shores, especially when you are there first and last light. So many evenings sitting on a tailgate with a tall boy and camel light, nursing a tired arm.

"Oh for the sunny slopes of long ago"

A. McCrae.

 

[vanish]

The joys of the North Platte nowadays.





Sorry for the derail I just did my first guided drift trip up there as a buddy had someone cancel on his party. Being like the 60th boat to float through that morning felt absurd. Those poor fish.

To the OP, more meding less casting!

 

[44hunter45]

1.) Don't think you need to cast to every spot or fish.

2.) Read the water as far ahead as possible to know what's coming up, and what looks fishy.

3.) Hero casts from a boat aren't usually necessary. Practice your accuracy before distance.

4.) Line management is crucial, especially after you hook a fish. Watch your line and keep it coiled up in front of you.

5.) If you are in the front of the boat, cast ahead, not behind or parallel. You're stealing the back seat's drift.

6.) Have extra snacks.

7.) Get a new motor

 

[Forkyfinder]

The joys of the North Platte nowadays.

View attachment 329350

View attachment 329352

Sorry for the derail I just did my first guided drift trip up there as a buddy had someone cancel on his party. Being like the 60th boat to float through that morning felt absurd. Those poor fish.

To the OP, more meding less casting!

how many green plates...?

 

[vanish]

how many green plates...?

Mine, my buddy, his friend and both our guides so there was 5 from us alone.

 

[Forkyfinder]

Mine, my buddy, his friend and both our guides so there was 5 from us alone.

lol if you are wondering why southern wy locals arent friendly to colorado folks. . .

Thats a dynamic i dont miss.

 

[Bob-WY]

I can straight up tell you that 20 years of fly-fishing on the North Platte and other areas of Wyoming will make it damned near impossible to overhead cast a fly rod.

Chucking meat rigs with bobbers and triple split shot in a 30 mph breeze creates muscle memory that cannot be overcome easily. I still can't cast overhead without thinking about it way too much.

Wyoming will mess a guy up for life.

Well I am totally screwed then, learned to fly fish here in WY! Casting dries or nymphing Wading is going good. Floated the Bighorn yesterday and got very frustrated.

Fishing buddy is fun to watch as he is just smooth and effortless.

Seems between the boat and the indicator and split shot it seems to complicate things

 

[Ben Lamb]

Fast action 6 or 7 wt rod for nymphing. 9 or 10 feet long. You need a stiff rod that will load up all that drama and let it go downwind.

Chucking bobbers & bait will alter your rhythm significantly. let the rod tell you when it's loaded, and practice that double haul!

 

[cedahm]

Seems between the boat and the indicator and split shot it seems to complicate things

If you're fishing indicator rigs from the boat, you should be casting a lot less than with dries or streamers. Mending and just 'moving' the bug around.

And strive to have zero false casting with a bobber rig. Lift, flip, chunk, then mend, mend, mend. More like flipping a bass jig than casting a fly rod.

You may want to consider a heavier/stiffer rod. Our standard nymph rod in the boat is a broomstick.

Edit: Lamb beat me to it...