(This is a great article I found that I wanted to share with all my readers - a visit to the full article is recommended.)
When it comes to fly fishing for trout most people seem very happy when they are casting around the 12-15m mark. What happens when the fish are closer?
Short range fly casting is an essential part of a fly fisher's repertoire however; it seems this is an area most people get into trouble. Why?
First let's look at the rod loading. To load your fly rod for any given amount of line requires a varied rod arc according to the amount of fly line off the tip of the rod. Simply put, "the shorter the amount of line the shorter the rod arc".
If you "do less work you will achieve more"
The old adage of ten and two will apply for a given amount of fly line but definitely not all scenarios. This variation is also dictated by the design of your rod and the particular fly line you are using.
A cast of 10 metres (approx. 30ft) when using a 2.7m (9ft) rod and a standard length leader of 2.7m (9ft) then only requires 4.6m of fly line, roughly one & a half rod lengths. In this case try a much shorter back cast stroke and then push the rod tip out to above your target. Remember not to direct the rod to the water or your fly line will crash, aim above the water!.....