The Reach Cast

Fig. a (click image for detail)

The reach cast is probably one of the easiest and the most commonly needed casts in all of your fishing.  The reach casts does one thing.  It places the fly on the water and the line to one side or another.

  Before the reach casts is made you must have extra line out of the reel.  You must use more line than is necessary to achieve the distance that is desired.  Then after a few false casts make your final casts towards the target and release the fly line.  As the cast is traveling towards the target, immediately after the stop on the forward cast, “reach” your rod to one side or the other.  When the line lands on the water it should be coming back from the fly at an angle to whatever side that you reached to.   

  There are many variations of this cast that result in different line configurations on the water.  This is a cast that you yourself can modify and give your own name.  If done traditionally as described above the result is a straight line from the fly to the rod tip (fig. a).

 

 If the reach is done late after the cast the result is a line that comes straight back to the caster and then turns out to the direction that the rod was reached (fig. b).

 

If the reach is done late after the stop and the brought back to pointing straight the result is a line that travels straight back but has a hump of line to one side or the other (fig. c).

 

            The latter is very useful for casting around rocks and other obstacles.  Finally if you reach to both sides during the same cast this is the basis for the next presentation cast called the slack line cast.