Basics · a card
What is the false-cast formula for a 75 ft cast?
Two false casts at 50 ft, a third that shoots 10 to 12 ft to 62 to 65 ft, no shoot on the back cast, then a fourth that shoots — you can shoot about half of what you carry.
The 75 foot cast is won on the ground and lost by carrying too much line. Four forward casts, two of them shooting.
What the instructor says
- Eighty feet on the ground. Yarn at 80 feet, towel over the cone, forward foot under it, line stacked straight, then pull back to 50.
- Two loops, one shoot, no back shoot. Two false casts at 50 feet that you actually look at; the third shoots 10 to 12 feet to 62 to 65; no shoot on the back cast; the fourth shoots 10 to 15 feet.
- Shoot half of what you carry. 65 feet carried puts 90 to 95 within reach; 75 is easy from 60 to 62.
- Too much line, too many casts. That is what ruins it — they want it smooth, the same every time, and 25% of your practice on one of 22 tasks is too much.
Putting it to work
- Pull the yarn to 50 so the pickup and false casts are easy.
- Count your casts: two, shoot, one back, shoot.
- A tight back cast matters more than throwing line to 75 feet.
Source
From the FFI CI walkthrough series by Dayle Mazzarella (Chapter 3 — FFI Casting Instructor Certification Tasks, Fly Fishing Coach International), lesson 13, 00:03:28. See the video library and the task pages for the exam wording; terms follow the FFI Fly Casting Definitions.