Fly Casting Education Program

Introduction

These casting definitions are designed to help instructors and others with a serious interest in Fly Casting communicate more clearly with each other. They are not necessarily intended to be teaching terms, and we of course respect our colleagues’ right to use terminology they consider suitable for their students. This single set of definitions covers both overhead and anchored casts with all fly rods. Some physics terms pertinent to fly casting are provided as they may help provide a deeper understanding of casting.

The document is laid out in the following sections and is followed by an alphabetical index of terms linked to their definitions.

• Fly Casting
• Loops
• Fly Leg Shapes
• Fly Casting Movements
• Rod Movements During the Pause
• Casting Terms
• Casts and Techniques
• Physics Terms for Fly Casting

We hope you find it helpful.

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Fly Leg Shapes

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Fly Casting Movements

Translation

• A linear change in position of the rod butt.

Rotation

• An angular change in position of the rod butt.

Casting Stroke

• Rotation and/or Translation of the rod butt sufficient to cause Loop formation.

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Rod Movements During the Pause

Rod movements during the Pause can be made through a combination of Rotation and/or Translation.

Creep

• Drag which contributes to a casting fault.

Up/Down

• Moving the rod tip up or down during the Pause.

In/Out

• Moving the rod tip in (closer to the caster laterally) or out (further away) during the Pause.

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Casting Terms

Aerial/Overhead Cast

• After the initial Lift, aerialized forward and back casts are made until the Delivery Cast.

False Cast

• A forward cast followed by a back cast, both of which remain aerialized.

Overhang

• The amount of running/shooting line outside the rod tip during Casting Strokes.

Point P

• The point where the fly line suspended from the rod tip first touches the water.

Anchor

• The fly and fly line/leader in contact with the water at the bottom of the D Loop.

Anchored Cast

• A cast whose back cast Loop passes underneath the rod tip and forms an Anchor and a D Loop.

Anchor Position

• The location and layout of the Anchor relative to the caster.

Skipped Anchor

• A fault where an Anchor briefly forms and then prematurely leaves the water while moving away from the target before the Delivery Cast.

Blown Anchor

• A fault where an Anchor prematurely releases from the water during the Delivery Cast.

Piled/Crashed Anchor

• A fault where an Anchor lands on the water creating slack in the fly line/leader.

Bloody L Anchor

• A fault where an Anchor has some of the fly line/leader positioned at approximately a right angle to the remaining Anchor.

Level Line Drop

• A fault in the D Loop Sweep which causes the fly line/leader to land flat on the water.

Trunking

• A fault where downward rod tip movement at the end of the D Loop Sweep results in an Anchor which is too long, with Point P behind the caster.

Hooking

• A fault where the D Loop swings around and behind the caster.

Connection Point

• The fly line/leader or fly line/sink tip connection.

D Loop

• A round shaped back cast Loop between the rod tip and the Anchor of an Anchored Cast. Also used as a generic reference to back cast Loops of any shape in Anchored Casts.

V Loop

• A pointed back cast Loop between the rod tip and the Anchor of an Anchored Cast.

D Loop Sweep

• A Casting Stroke which initiates the formation of the back cast Loop of an Anchored Cast.

Line Placement Move

• A movement of the rod immediately after the Lift which results in the fly line being positioned appropriately on the water for the subsequent D Loop Sweep.

Touch and Go Anchor Cast

• An Anchored Cast in which the fly line/leader first re-contacts the water after the Lift and D Loop Sweep.

Sustained Anchor Cast

• An Anchored Cast with a Line Placement Move before its D Loop Sweep.

Downstream Anchor Cast

• An Anchored Cast which in moving water places the Anchor and D Loop downstream of the caster, or in still water leaves them on the same side of the caster as the fly line before the Lift.

Upstream Anchor Cast

• An Anchored Cast which in moving water places the Anchor and D Loop upstream of the caster, or in still water places them on the opposite side of the caster from the fly line before the Lift.

Circle Up

• A circular and upward movement connecting the D Loop Sweep and the Delivery Cast with which the caster moves into the Key Position.

Key Position

• The hand and arm positions from which the caster begins the Delivery Cast.

River Left/Left Bank

• The left bank of the river when facing downstream.

River Right/Right Bank

• The right bank of the river when facing downstream.

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Casts and Techniques

Delivery Cast

• The final Casting Stroke of a Fly Cast, which presents the fly.

Mends

• Manipulating the fly line layout by rod movement after the Stop on a Delivery Cast.
• Aerial Mends - mending before the fly line/leader lands on the water.
• Water Mends - mending after the fly line/leader lands on the water.

Shooting line

• Increasing the amount of fly line outside the rod tip by releasing the fly line after the Stop.

Slipping line

• Increasing the amount of fly line outside the rod tip by releasing the fly line and moving the rod either before or after a Casting Stroke.

Straight Line Presentations

• Casting Strokes and/or Mends which produce a straight fly line layout.

Slack Line Presentations

• Casting Strokes and/or Mends which produce slack line layouts.

Curved Presentations

• Casting Strokes and/or Mends which produce a curved line layout.

Hauling

• Single Haul - Pulling the fly line through the rod guides during either the forward or back Casting Stroke.
• Double Haul - Pulling the fly line through the rod guides during consecutive Casting Strokes, after returning the line hand towards the rod hand during the Pause.

Continuous Tension Cast

• A cast where continuous rod movement maintains tension in the fly line.

 Oval/Gebetsroither/Belgian/Elliptical Cast

• A Continuous Tension Cast formed by a relatively horizontal back cast Rod Plane which then transitions without stopping into a more vertical Rod Plane on the forward cast.

Roll Cast

• An Anchored Cast without a substantial change of direction consisting of a Lift, D Loop Sweep, Circle Up, and Delivery Cast in which the fly does not leave the water until after the Delivery Cast.

Switch Cast

• A Touch and Go Anchor Cast without a substantial change of direction consisting of a Lift, D Loop Sweep, Circle Up, and Delivery Cast.

Spey Cast

• An Anchored Cast with a change of direction.

Single Spey

• An Upstream Touch and Go Anchor Cast with a change of direction, consisting of a Lift, a fly line repositioning movement, then a D Loop Sweep, Circle Up, and Delivery Cast.

Double Spey

• A Downstream Sustained Anchor Cast with a change of direction, consisting of a Lift and an Upstream Line Placement Move, followed by a downstream rod movement transitioning into a D Loop Sweep, Circle Up, and Delivery Cast.

Snap Cast

• An Upstream Sustained Anchor Cast with a change of direction, consisting of a Lift, a Line Placement Move in which the rod moves upstream and reverses direction downstream, followed by an upstream rod movement transitioning into a D Loop Sweep, Circle Up, and Delivery Cast.
• Snap C/Circle C/Circle Spey
• A Snap Cast where the Line Placement Move consists of the rod moving upstream and reversing direction downstream in a rounded path.
• Snap T
• A Snap Cast where Line Placement Move consists of the rod moving upstream and reversing direction downstream in a relatively straight path.

Snake Roll

• A Downstream Touch and Go Anchor Cast with a change of direction, consisting of a Lift with a circular movement towards the target, transitioning into a D Loop Sweep, Circle Up, and Delivery Cast.

Perry Poke

• A rod movement which directs slack fly line on the water in front of the caster approximately in line with the target direction, and is then followed by a D Loop Sweep, Circle Up and Delivery Cast.

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*Physics Terms for Fly Casting

We invite instructors and other students of fly casting seeking a deeper technical understanding to explore this Continuing Education resource developed by the FFI Fly Casting Mechanics and Definitions Teams. Certification candidates are encouraged to make themselves familiar with terms which appear in their exam.

*Speed

How fast an object is moving.

*Velocity

Speed in combination with the direction of motion of an object.

*Acceleration

The rate at which velocity changes over time. It may be positive, negative or zero.

*Positive Acceleration

An increase in the velocity of an object. Commonly referred to as Acceleration.

*Negative Acceleration or Deceleration

A decrease in the velocity of an object.

*Constant Acceleration

Velocity that changes at the same rate over time.

*Constant Velocity

Acceleration is zero.

*Force

A push or a pull on an object.

*Torque

A force that can cause an object to change its rotation about an axis.

*Mass

The amount of matter or substance that makes up an object.

*Weight

The result of the force of gravity acting on a mass.

*Work

The energy transferred to or from an object, computed as force multiplied by the distance over which it is applied.

*Energy

The capacity of an object to do work. Forms of energy include:

• Potential or stored energy
• Kinetic or working energy, computed as half an object’s mass multiplied by the square of its velocity.

*Momentum

An object’s momentum is its mass multiplied by its velocity.

*Impulse

The momentum transferred to or from an object, computed as force multiplied by the time over which it is applied.

*Power

A measure of the rate at which work is done, or at which energy is transferred, computed as work done per unit of time.

*Newton’s Laws of Motion:

*First Law of Motion: Inertia – An object will continue its current motion or lack thereof until some net force causes its speed or direction of movement to change.

*Second Law of Motion: Force – The acceleration of an object is directly proportional to the net force acting on it. Expressed as force equals mass times acceleration.

*Third Law of Motion: Action/Reaction – For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.