Welcome to my help and advice section. As I say in the shop, I sincerely hope you are reading this before you have purchased any tackle because in my 15 or so years as a full time instructor I would estimate that about 1/3rd of all casting problems are caused by ill-fitting or badly balanced tackle.

On these pages you will find advice not only relating to my ArrowHead products but honest advice on all aspects of buying fly-fishing tackle, learning to cast single and double handed rods and going flyfishing for trout, sea-trout, salmon, coarse fish such as pike and chubb and salt water species such as bass, bonefish, tarpon, permit and many others.

Fly fishing is not very different from any other form of angling in that a bait (in this case, an artificial 'fly') is presented to a fish which hopefully has an inclination to grab it.

Your job is threefold. First, you have to select a 'fly' that your quarry might find appetizing enough to want to eat. Second, you have to find a fish that is inclined to take your fly. Thirdly, you have to get your fly out near to the fish and present it in such a way that the fish is not deterred from taking it. Of the three, the presentation bit is the hardest: casting the fly.

Fly casting is one of those irritating things in life that looks remarkably simple when someone else does it, but turns out to be rather more difficult when you have a go yourself.

It is also a lot easier to explain the theory than the practice. Nevertheless, casting is the most important skill required of the fly fisher and so it is here that you must begin. Casting is notoriously difficult (impossible?) to instruct via the printed word. Better, by far, to seek personal tuition from a qualified instructor. Instructional films (videos, DVD's) can also be very useful and you can view them again and again whenever you like.

Casting a fly is more difficult than the casting done in other kinds of fishing because of one important difference. Instead of trying to cast a mass that is concentrated in one lump (e.g., spinner, lead, etc.), in fly fishing the weight is spread out along the length of fly line being cast.

Casting is considerably easier if you start with a properly balanced outfit that suits your size and strength. Like choosing a stone for a throwing contest, you want neither a large boulder nor a tiny speck of grit, but a nice aerodynamic pebble that suits your size and strength.

First Choose the Right Line Weight

Surprisingly, perhaps, the first place to start is choosing the line weight. This is determined principally by the size, weight and/or air resistance of the flies you intend casting. The line weight, in turn, dictates the type of rod you choose.

Fly line weights are graded on a scale from 0 to 17 (and higher) known as the AFTM rating system. The larger the number, the heavier the line. Each AFTM number corresponds to a particular weight for the first (front) 30 feet of the fly line.