Slack Line Techniques In The Field (9 of 14)

Male 1: We're working up the bank, and once we get past this point, the current's actually coming around the back eddy and going the other way. I'm going to have to throw a slack line cast. There are two ways to do it. One is to stop the rod high and just drop the rod, sort of a half-parachute cast. The other way is to throw an S-cast by wiggling your rod tip as the line comes forward. Another cast to try is the parachute cast, also known as the pile cast, which I like to use in tricky spots like the tail of a pool where drag is always nasty. We're going to do what's called a parachute cast. A parachute cast, what you do is you aim your cast up into the sky, and then you drop your rod like this. What that does is it throws a bunch of slack into your line so that that slack has to pay out before the fly starts to drag. Here's how you do it: I'm false casting off to the side. The fish are over there. Now I'll aim high and drop my rod; that gives me some nice slack. You see how that slack has to straighten out? That's going to give me a drag-free drift. Aim high, and then drop. Your leader can also be modified to reduce drag. Instead of using the typical 2 feet of tippit material, tie out a new tippit that is 4 to 6 feet long. The tippit will land in loose coils, which will also help you avoid drag. You can use all of these tricks to avoid drag, no matter what kind of fly you're using, streamer, dry, or nymph. Mends aren't usually as effective with a dry fly because they almost always move the fly, but they can be effective with nymphs in faster water, or with a streamer to slow down its swing.