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By
LOSA Member Loren Williams
Special Addition - Mending
For the fly angler mending is a crucial action. Mending the line is the act of tossing the slack fly line somewhere it does not want to go—namely against the current. It is different from a cast in that you are only mending the portion of line that is laying on the surface—the submerged line, leader, and fly stay in the water. There are basically two ways to mend: in the air and on the water. Many folks have developed their own mends but all are a form of these two types of mends.
Typically I mend in two situations: immediately when dead-drifting a nymph and throughout a wet fly swing. Since we are discussing dead drifting here I’ll pick on that one. Before I do however, let me state that I ama proponent of the short line, high stick method of nymphing and I DO NOT participate in the long line nymphing ball game. I like to get up close and personal. With that being said let us continue.
Once I select the zone I am going to fish I situate myself either directly cross-stream or slightly downstream from the lie. My first mend will be in the air and it takes the form of a “tuck cast.” A tuck cast is performed by shooting a strong cast over the intended target (which will be some point upstream of the zone you are fishing) and then halting the cast while it lays out parallel to the water, BEFORE it hits the water. The result will be your fly and weight jumping back a bit and hitting the water before your fly line (Mend #1). The leader and line will fall onto the surface in lazy curves allowing the fly to get deep quick.
The next mend will come as soon as I get control of the slack line with my stripping hand. With a sudden snap of the rod-holding wrist, I toss a big loop of line upstream (Mend #2) then quickly pick the slack line off the water. All of this needs to be done without affecting the submerged portion of the rig—which takes a bit of practice. Once all the slack is off the water I hold the rod tip up. The next step is to keep the slack out of the line and follow the curent downstream with your rod tip—all the time watching where your line enters the water for any twitch or pause that may indicate a fish. The hookset is rapid since you are close and there is very little slack between your rod and the fish. The loose line you are holding in your stripping hand is handy upon hook-up to act as a shock absorber on that initial run.
Again, practice makes perfect but there is no deadlier fly rod presentation for pinpoint work.
For starters, begin in rather shallow water using a very visible fly (yes, even you spin anglers can benefit by dead-drifting using a highly visible fly so you can see the effect drag has on your offering). This is just a study session so we are not actually fishing yet. Rig up and make a cast. Watch your fly. How is it behaving? It is riding way up in the water column? Is it swinging diagonally across the current? What? It is doing both! DRAG! Ohh, now its stuck on the bottom. TOO MUCH WEIGHT! So take off some weight and cast a bit farther upstream. Not getting stuck but it is swinging again? Well are you getting the slack off the water? Didn’t think so. Try again. Okay, better this time, it’s not swinging until it gets past you. Forgot to follow the drift with your rod eh? Try again. VERY GOOD! The fly just bounced along the bottom until it got too far downstream to control. PERFECT! Now you are ready to move to deeper water that is holding some fish.
The method will remain the same—you will just need to compensate by adding or subtracting weight to suit the depth and flow. A longer or shorter cast may be in order. And if that line ever stops or jumps SET THE HOOK ‘cause you just got bit! Yep, it may be a rock but better to be safe than sorry. In time you will be able to read what your fly or bait is dong just by watching your line…in time. Unfortunately that is the best I can do. There are no short courses in overcoming drag. Dead drifting is almost an art form and it takes time to learn all the variables. But with each new piece of water, and with each fish hooked, you will become that much more proficient. Before you know it you will be racing to the water with the confidence of an expert!
Tight lines and I hope to see you out there.
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