Why is a pick-up and lay down cast important?
We use the Pick-up and Lay-down cast (PULD) to learn and practice an important fly casting building block – how to quietly pick up a fly from the water and then efficiently deliver it to its target.
Preparation
» Always use a yarn fly and wear eye protection.
» Start with the fly line laid out straight in front of you with no slack, just on the casting side of your body, with your fly 30 feet away from your feet.
» See the Roll Cast module to remove slack from the line on water or grass, or just back up if you can on grass.
» Thumb on top (or “handshake”) grip. » Line pinched against rod handle with forefinger of rod hand.
Steps to a pick-up and lay-down cast
1. Rod tip low to the grass/water with no slack
2. Slowly peel the line off the grass/water to the 10:30 rod position, and without stopping
3. Cast up and back, stopping crisply with the rod vertical at the 12 o’clock position
4. Wait briefly for the line to straighten
5. Cast forward, stopping crisply around the 10:30 position
6. Lower rod tip to grass/water
e Lesson