Skip to main content
Home
Why Us
What we do
Alaska Lodges
Alaska Lodge Map
Fly Out Lodges
River Lodges
Adventure Lodges
Wilderness Lodges
Ocean Based Lodges
Luxury Lodges
Float Trips
National Park Tours
Bear Viewing Lodges
Discount Trips
Travel Tools
Air Taxi Directory
Alaska Fly Fishing Goods
Blog
Contact
406.781.7184
Home
Why Us
What we do
Alaska Lodges
Alaska Lodge Map
Fly Out Lodges
River Lodges
Adventure Lodges
Wilderness Lodges
Ocean Based Lodges
Luxury Lodges
Float Trips
National Park Tours
Bear Viewing Lodges
Discount Trips
Travel Tools
Air Taxi Directory
Alaska Fly Fishing Goods
Blog
Contact
Edit Article
Article
Name
Subtitle
Text
<p><img src="images/stories/BlogContent/2015/January/untitled-53-of-94.jpg" alt="untitled 53 of 94" width="748" height="430" /></p> <p>The perfect presentation of a swung fly relies heavily on tip control. It's so easy to get caught up in perfecting your cast that you fail to analyze the most important part of the process, the swing. Controlling the tip of your rod directly impacts the speed and depth at which your fly is coming across the river. Regardless of how well you cast, or how far you can shoot line, an improperly presented fly will almost always be denied attention.</p> <p><strong>Master Your Flies Depth and Speed</strong></p> <p>After your cast has hit the water, your tip will immediately govern the potential depth that your fly could reach. If not adjusted after the cast, the path of your fly may stay relatively flat and high in the water column. The sink tip or weighted fly will only sink freely if given the time to dead drift. The more slack you give the line, the more time you give the fly to sink. In some circumstances stripping line off the reel may be necessary, allowing the fly to reach the deepest level possible.</p> <p>On the contrary, if you want the fly to stay high in the water column, placing a downstream bow in the line will speed up the swing and pull your fly towards the surface. The important thing to remember here is that as long as your line is not under tension from the current it will freely sink. As soon as the line comes under tension however, the sink rate will not remain the same and in some instances your fly will loose depth.</p> <p><strong>Expand Your Turf</strong></p> <p>I use tip control on a regular basis to dictate the area that I am covering during my swing. I can extend my drift by sweeping the rod tip all the way though to the opposite side, or truncate a drift by holding the rod tip out towards the casting direction. Sometimes simply pausing a swung fly briefly mid-drift can entice a few grabs.</p> <p>Keep in mind though, the further you have the rod extended to the side of your body, the less power you will have on the hook set. So make sure the fish has turned on the fly before lifting that tip. You lift it, you lose it!</p> <p><strong>Make It Dance</strong></p> <p>One of my staple nuances during the swing is imparting action into my fly. For some reason, I just don't feel confident in a swing without movement. Pop the tip to add a little jump to your baitfish, or even apply a side-to-side motion to skate a surface bug. Mimic, experiment, and explore new ways to impart movement in your drift. You will often be rewarded.</p> <p><strong>The Takehome</strong></p> <p>Don't get stuck in the typical down and across rut. Analyze each drift individually and start finding yourself toe-to-toe with the fish that you never even knew were there.</p>
<hr /> <p> </p> <p><em><span style="color: #000000;">Lee Kuepper is professional guide now calling the Kenai River home. He is a co-owner of</span> <a href="http://www.alaskasanglingaddiction.com" target="_blank">Alaska's Angling Addiction</a>, chasing the Kenai's monster kings and fabled trout on a regular basis. He is also a member of Loop USA's prostaff and a Certified Fly Casting Instructor through the FFF.</em></p>
Add another Textarea
Teaser Image
Search
Image
Search
Categories
- Specials
- Photo
- Alaska Fly Fishing & Adventure Films
- Article
- Video
- News
- Conservation
- Reviews
- Gear
Meta
Tags
Choose from the most used tags:
Alaska Lodges
Alaska Fishing Trips
Film
Conservation
Media
Save Bristol Bay
Fish Porn
Documentary
Author
Add Item
Related Articles
Add Item
External Related Articles
Add another Link
Administration
Publish Up Date
Publish Down Date
Frontpage Enabled
No
Yes
Access
Public
Registered
Special
State
No
Yes
Searchable
No
Yes
Fields marked with an asterisk (*) are required.
Save
Cancel