Fly fishing- any good websites or tips on mending a fly line?

Answer 1

If you have any questions about fly fishing, then checkout Sexyloops. It has everything you need for Fly fishing. Fly fishing i.com has a pretty decent site as well. Also checkout the local fly shop in your immediate area.

Answer 2

I know I refer to mending a fly line a lot, that is because if you fish dries or nymphs, you will have to mend the line or end up without a drag free drift, hence very few fish.

I wish I could point you to a website that covers the technique, but I don't know of any. I am sure there are some books out there that do cover the subject. I would suggest you either call your local fly shop or Frank Amato Publications in Portland, Oregon

at 1-800-541-9498. Do that on Monday during normal business hours for the west coast. Talk to a person there and see if they can suggest a good book or DVD.

For most people, mending is something that you learn sort of On The Job, in other words, out on the river while you are fishing.

When you are on a lake, if there is water movement, it is fairly consistent around where you fish. So, when you lay your line out, the whole line and fly sort of move as one, or at least one speed or no speed at all if the water is not moving. However, the wind and the waves kicked up by the wind can cause you problems and you may need to toss in a mend or two even on a lake.

However, on a river, or stream or creek, water virtually never flows at the same speed in any given stretch of water, unless the water is backed up by a dam of some kind.

Water is flowing down stream, being influenced by gravity, caused by the amount of slope the river has and also by all of the obstructions that are in the water. All of the rocks, both above the water and below the water influence the flow rate, as do bends of the river, obstructions sticking out into the river, deep holes, underwater ledges, the shape of the sides of the river, everything that the water touches is causing changes in the flow rate.

As you prepare to cast, look at the water between you and where you want to cast to, see how many different speeds and directions the river is flowing. You will have to lay out your line so that the faster sections of water has more line upstream to push against, hence keeping the line in the slower sections traveling at the same pace as the faster water.

Sometimes there will be a seam of water, were several currents come together and actually form a line in the water. You may want to put your fly right along that seam. Depending on how the river is flowing between you and that seam, you may need to either mend upstream or to mend downstream.

As you learn to cast you may want to start working on your Reach Cast. Within limits, once you make your forward cast and unload your rod, the fly and fly line will go exactly where the tip of the rod was pointing when it unloaded. As the fly line is heading out to that spot, what you do to your rod will not affect it, unless you jerked back on the line or something. A good way to point this out to people but not a way I would recommend you do, is to make a cast at a target on the grass then just drop your rod. That is the part I don't recommend, you could break a rod. However, the fly and fly line will continue to the target, not affected by what happened to the rod and line behind it.

A Reach Cast makes effective use of that situation. As you make your cast upstream and you unload your rod, you can then bring the tip and rod over to the upstream direction, causing the line that is near the rod to travel and land upstream more than it would have done so if you had cast straight out and let the line land on the water. That Reach Cast puts a 'mend' into the line, and it can be done either upstream or downstream as the water dictates.

That could be your first 'mend'.

Then you may need to toss in an actual mend. A Mend is when the fly has hit the water and you then take the fly rod and move it fairly quickly and in a upward sweeping motion to pick up the line near the fly and move it up or down stream. It has to be done just as the fly and or strike indicator hits the water, don't delay. I mentioned this before, because you need to let the fly drop and go drag free and if you are moving the line around it won't do that.

So, your first mend is intended to move the line near the fly or strike indicator. You may then need to toss in a smaller mend for the line that is closer to you, then leave it alone. Don't move it again. Both of those mends must occur within just seconds of the fly or strike indicator landing on the water.

The best way to learn this is to take your fly rod down to a stream or river and practice, practice, practice. Watch how the line will try to move in front of the fly/indicator. Once it does that it will start dragging the fly/indicator and mess up your cast. Try the cast again and change the mend to see if you can out smart the water. Watch the strike indicator and notice when it is drag free, when it is not being pulled either downstream or back upstream by the line. If it is being pulled, try a different cast, maybe more or less mend either up or down stream. Practice will get you to casting mends just like you need them.

Like I said, mending is best taught on the job, out on the river. But, there may be some visual aids out there that can help you as well. Give Amato a call and see what they say. Naturally, I would expect them to try to sell you a dozen books or DVD's, that is their job to sell, but pin them down to the best of the best.

Good luck.

Larry

Answer 3

http://sfotf.com/main/Getting_Started. 120.0.html