4 Tips for Dealing with the Wind or How to Avoid an Articulated Earring

​On a blustery day several years ago, I learned a lesson about wind. Casting a large heavily weighted streamer, with the wind on my casting shoulder, the line drifted in the wind, enabling the fly to wrap itself painfully around my ear. I thought I had earned myself some jewelry, but luckily the hook point missed my ear.

Fishing in the wind can be dangerous and frustrating. Your line is moving off course, blowing back in your face, making that rising fish unreachable, and casting potentially unsafe. So, what do we do?

The following tips will help you avoid a piercing and reduce the frustration of casting in the wind:

1. Safety First when casting in the wind.  Do everything you can to keep the fly away from you, your buddies and guide. Think before you cast and if the fly will drift into an unsafe position, make adjustments.
2. Learn the fundamentals of casting in the wind.

• Loop Size: Narrow loops are less affected by oncoming wind, as narrow loops have less surface area. A wide loop in a strong wind is doomed.
• Line Speed: Increasing your line speed counteracts the effect of the wind on the loop.
• Trajectory (casting angle or plane): Adjusting the trajectory of the cast downward into the wind delivers a low and fast cast. When casting with the wind, an upward casting angle allows the wind to aid the cast.

     3. Understand the effect of wind direction on the line and adjust.

• Wind on your casting shoulder: Most dangerous to the caster, as this wind pushes the line and fly toward the caster’s body. Use casts that move the fly away from the caster. Side-arm, constant tension, off-shoulder, and fishing your back cast are great options.
• Wind on your non-casting shoulder: Pushes the fly line and fly away from caster’s body.
• Wind from behind : Pushes against your back cast, slowing and lifting the line, creating slack in your forward cast. Pulls your forward cast. Roll casting and fishing your back cast are excellent options. A high trajectory on the forward cast will allow the wind to carry your line.
• Wind in your face – Pushes against, lifts, and slows your forward cast, while pulling and straightening your back cast. Low forward trajectory, high back cast, and focus on line speed and tight loops.

    4. Casts and Variations

• Cast Off-Shoulder – With lighter wind on the casting shoulder, merely tilting the rod, so the line and fly pass downwind of the caster is enough to present the fly safely.
• Double Haul – Line speed, line speed, line speed.
• Constant Tension Cast – As the name implies, this cast keeps the line under constant tension, mitigating slack caused by the wind, moving the fly away from the caster on the backward stroke, and delivers the forward cast off shoulder.
• Sidearm cast – This cast is excellent for lighter on-shoulder winds. Casting sidearm moves the line away from the casters body and may be all that is needed if the wind isn’t so strong it pushes line and fly into the caster.
• Fish your back cast - Great alternative when wind is on your casting shoulder. Rotate your body, so the wind is now on your non-casting shoulder and use the back cast as the presentation cast.
• Roll-Cast – A super solution to wind at your back, adjust the trajectory a little higher than normal, and watch the wind help deliver the fly.
• Water Load an upstream cast -  With the wind at your back, let the back cast fall to the water and use a water load cast with a high trajectory to forward cast.
• Adjust your aim point. Don’t forget to adjust when wind is pushing your fly off-course. This could be several inches or feet of adjustment depending on wind speed.

 
Bonus Tip: On gusty days, time your casts between gusts. I’ve fished in several situations where the wind had a rhythm,  blowing for a few minutes and then dying long enough for a few casts. Recognizing this pattern, and fishing the lulls in the wind, can be very fruitful and limit the frustration.
 
MidCurrent has a great succinct discussion and nice video from On the Fly productions that provide great visualizations of the casts above and really drive home most of these tips.