It’s time to lengthen your cast. This technique, called shooting line, is done by pulling some line off the reel, holding it with your line hand, and releasing it on the forward cast. The momentum of the line traveling forward on the forward cast will pull this line through the guides.

Make a 30-foot cast and leave this line on the water. Strip about 10 feet of line from your reel. Hold this line tightly so that the slack is below your line hand (between your line hand and the reel, not between your line hand and the stripping guide). The line between this hand and your stripping guide should be tight. The slack line can be coiled in this hand, but for now just let it hang to the ground. Start a backcast, making sure that the line is held tightly between your thumb and forefinger. Don’t release any line while the line is behind you. As your rod comes forward, at about 10:30 (right when you begin to see the fly line), release the line you’re holding. It should slip through the guides and add another 10 feet to the cast.

It will take some practice to determine exactly when you should release the shooting line. Most problems come from releasing the line too early, which directs the shooting line straight up in the air rather than out in front of you. After you release the line, funnel the line through the stripping guide by forming an “O” with your thumb and forefinger. This directs the line to the stripping guide, lessens friction, and prevents tangles. With practice, you should be able to shoot at least 20 feet of line comfortably.

LINE CONTROL 

 Line control is an essential part of casting. After your cast hits the water, the line will be hanging in that “O” you’ve made with your fingers. Grab the line again with your thumb and forefinger. Never let go of the fly line; some fish strike as soon as the fly hits the water, and if you don’t have control of the line, you’ll miss your chance.
You can retrieve line by transferring it from your line hand to between the forefinger and third finger, or third and fourth fingers, of your casting hand. Pull the line through these fingers by grasping it behind your casting hand. This is called the strip retrieve. As the line is gathered, it can either be coiled in your line hand or just dropped to the ground or water surface next to you. The speed at which you retrieve line is also the speed that your fly will move through the water. When fishing, try to give action to your fly by using this retrieve rather than moving the rod tip. Moving the rod tip around produces slack line, and it’s difficult to set the hook or pick up for another cast with a pile of slack on the water.
A helpful drill is to make a cast, shoot some line, put the line between your rod hand fingers, strip in some line, then cast and shoot the line again. When transferring the line from your right to left hand becomes second nature, you’re well on your way to mastering line control.

your rod hand. An alternate way to retrieve line is to use the handtwist retrieve. For this retrieve, you don’t need to transfer the line to your casting hand. Begin the handtwist retrieve with the line in the palm of your noncasting hand, palm up. Pinch the line between your thumb and forefinger, at the same time turning your hand upside down. Reach forward with your other three fingers and catch the line on the edge of your little finger. Turn your hand so that the palm is facing up again. You should now have a single small coil of line in your hand. Palm this coil while reaching forward again with your thumb and forefinger, grasping a new section of line. Repeat the process. You’ll soon have a handful of small coils that will pay out and shoot through the guides without tangling.