i taught my self the first thing is to learn to cast a bit then learn to catch fish that way as for casting i would want to beable to cast about 30' for starters you can gain distance later
for me i started in my front yard on some grass(so you dont damage the line)
one of the most important things when casting is that you move your rod generealy forward and back while holding the rod roughly vertical with only a slight tilt either way you do not want to have the rod pivot in an arc around your wrist
the motion/positon cycle goes some what like this
start with the rod tilted slightly forward (10-11 O'clock position) and your arm extended somewhat infront of you and the line layed out infront of you then in a single fluid motion pull your wrist back to your shoulder and tilt the rod back to about a 1 O'clock position with enough speed and force that after you stop moving the rod the line continues behind you and strieghtens out after the line has strieghtened but before it falls to the ground push your hand forward and tilt the rod back to the 10-11 O'clock position with enough speed and force to send the line out strieght in front of you
this is the basic cycle if you are holding the line in your non rod hand you can feel the force on the line and towards the end of the forward or back cast you can let a little line slide thru your fingers to gain a little distance with each false cast (when you just send the line out but dont let it hit the ground)
when you have made a forward cast that is long enough and is on target you can lower your rod and let the line settle on the water
ideally you want the line and leader to completely go forward and strieghten out just a foot or so above the water and then just settle down lightly
you must let the line strieghting out in front or behind you before moving the rod for the next cast if you start it before the line strieghtens you will get the bullwhip crack and mostlikly lose your fly
to start practicing you dont need a leader or fly just start with a fly line that is matched to the rod(should be marked on the rod) when you get to the point you are making good casts with no bull whip cracks then its time to add a leader and fly and head to the water
you might pick up a book on fly fishing even from just walmart it will have some pictures showing something similar to what i have tried to explain
once you get to where you are getting a basic cast you can check out some of these tips and tricks
http://www.onemorecast.com/tt_fly_casting.htm
but if you have the chance to fish with a profficent fly caster they can bring you along quite fast and then spend some time practicing
good luck hope this wasnt too long winded
for me i started in my front yard on some grass(so you dont damage the line)
one of the most important things when casting is that you move your rod generealy forward and back while holding the rod roughly vertical with only a slight tilt either way you do not want to have the rod pivot in an arc around your wrist
the motion/positon cycle goes some what like this
start with the rod tilted slightly forward (10-11 O'clock position) and your arm extended somewhat infront of you and the line layed out infront of you then in a single fluid motion pull your wrist back to your shoulder and tilt the rod back to about a 1 O'clock position with enough speed and force that after you stop moving the rod the line continues behind you and strieghtens out after the line has strieghtened but before it falls to the ground push your hand forward and tilt the rod back to the 10-11 O'clock position with enough speed and force to send the line out strieght in front of you
this is the basic cycle if you are holding the line in your non rod hand you can feel the force on the line and towards the end of the forward or back cast you can let a little line slide thru your fingers to gain a little distance with each false cast (when you just send the line out but dont let it hit the ground)
when you have made a forward cast that is long enough and is on target you can lower your rod and let the line settle on the water
ideally you want the line and leader to completely go forward and strieghten out just a foot or so above the water and then just settle down lightly
you must let the line strieghting out in front or behind you before moving the rod for the next cast if you start it before the line strieghtens you will get the bullwhip crack and mostlikly lose your fly
to start practicing you dont need a leader or fly just start with a fly line that is matched to the rod(should be marked on the rod) when you get to the point you are making good casts with no bull whip cracks then its time to add a leader and fly and head to the water
you might pick up a book on fly fishing even from just walmart it will have some pictures showing something similar to what i have tried to explain
once you get to where you are getting a basic cast you can check out some of these tips and tricks
http://www.onemorecast.com/tt_fly_casting.htm
but if you have the chance to fish with a profficent fly caster they can bring you along quite fast and then spend some time practicing
good luck hope this wasnt too long winded
