Line-Control on HookedLee

What is a mend?

example@example.com (HookedLee) — Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

A mend is manipulating the fly line layout by rod movement after loop formation on a delivery cast. It affects the rod leg of the loop, not the fly leg.

That distinction is what separates a mend from a cast. The cast forms the loop and sends the fly; the mend happens after the stop, when the rod is moved to change how the line lies on the water. A mend does not change where the fly lands — it changes the shape of the line between you and the fly.

You mend so moving water does not grab the line and tow the fly. A mend puts a curve or slack into the layout, so the current has something to feed on before the fly starts dragging.

Mends come in two timings:

Aerial mends — mending before the line and leader land on the water. Most often used in moving water to produce a drag-free drift.
Water mends — mending after the line and leader have landed.

Source

From the CI Study Guide (2025) (PDF), the Task 4 reach mend definitions; terms from the FFI Fly Casting Definitions.

Why would you slip line, or not slip line, during a reach mend?

example@example.com (HookedLee) — Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Slip line when the reach must not steal distance from the cast; do not slip when you want a fixed amount of line and a shorter, precise landing.

No slip. The reach consumes approximately 10 ft of the line’s length and halts the fly’s forward movement, so a 40 ft cast lands short — which is the point. It casts a fixed amount of line. In the guide’s example — a river flowing right to left, target 30 ft away — cast 40 ft and reach right, and the fly lands in the narrow feeding lane above the fish. It is excellent for dry fly presentation at short distances.
With slip. Line slips through the guides during the reach, so the rod reaches without pulling the fly back. You do not have to cast past the target, which would spook fish or snag a grassy bank.

Pull off enough extra line for the fly to still land near 40 ft after slipping; start with 10 extra feet.

Source

From the CI Study Guide (2025) (PDF), Task 4 — reach mend with and without slip; terms from the FFI Fly Casting Definitions (Slipping line, Mends).

What fishing situation would you use a pile cast?

example@example.com (HookedLee) — Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Use a pile cast when you want slack line on the water produced by the cast itself — most obviously when fishing downstream, where the heap of line lets the fly drift without drag.

A pile cast is one way to produce a slack line presentation; slack line reduces drag on the fly.
Do not lower the rod tip too quickly after the stop, or the cast becomes a pile mend.
Practise narrow and wide loops — wide loops can produce more slack.
Keep the delivery between roughly 20 ft and 30 ft: aimed too high, the fly lands closer than 20 ft; too flat, and it lands beyond 30 ft.

It is only one option, and it can be problematical in wind, where ticking on the back cast and loss of control are the risks. In wind, a bounce cast or a ‘high stick finish’ puts slack in the line instead.

Source

From the CI Study Guide (2025) (PDF), Task 5 — a cast that produces a slack line presentation; terms from the FFI Fly Casting Definitions (Slack Line Presentations).

What is an elliptical cast, and when might you use it?

example@example.com (HookedLee) — Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

An elliptical cast — also called a Belgian or oval cast — is a continuous tension cast: the back cast is made in a relatively horizontal rod plane and then, without stopping, the forward cast is made in a more vertical plane. That separation of planes gives the back loop an oval shape, and there is no pause between the two strokes.

Use it when:

The back cast ticks. An elliptical delivery makes ticking easier to prevent.
You are casting large or heavy flies, sink tips and other complicated payloads — the guide calls it quite useful for these.
The wind blows onto your casting arm side — it is one of the safe methods taught in the wind task.
You want slack — it can set up a pile cast delivery.

Keep continuous tension throughout; a pause turns it into two ordinary casts.

Source

From the CI Study Guide (2025) (PDF), Task 5 — slack line presentation and the wind task (Task 22); defined in the FFI Fly Casting Definitions (Oval / Belgian / Elliptical Cast).

What are the fishing benefits of learning to cast from the vertical plane to a more horizontal plane?

example@example.com (HookedLee) — Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

The rod plane is a style choice, but it decides which water you can fish. The guide calls horizontal false casting ‘a great fishing skill’ and teaches casting a tight loop under a low-hanging obstacle with the Horizontal Casting Drill.

What follows from those rules:

Cover. The line goes where the rod plane points, so a horizontal plane carries a tight loop under overhanging branches and bankside brush that an overhead cast would hit.
Wind. Task 22 names a horizontal cast among the safe methods when the wind blows onto your casting arm side.
Options. The guide tells candidates to learn these tasks to develop the ability to cast in multiple planes, and to match casting style to where and how a student fishes — sidearm for saltwater, vertical in small streams.

Learning several planes lets you pick the plane the water needs.

Source

From the CI Study Guide (2025) (PDF), Task 7 (rod planes), the Horizontal Casting Drill (Appendix A) and the wind task (Task 22); terms from the FFI Fly Casting Definitions (Rod Plane).

What casting adjustments are needed when casting from a vertical plane to a horizontal plane?

example@example.com (HookedLee) — Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Five adjustments carry the cast from near vertical — almost 12 o’clock — down to horizontal:

Keep the 180-degree principle in the new plane. Back cast and forward cast must still be directly opposed, laterally and vertically, or the loop goes out of plane. Keeping the reel in one plane, pointing at the target, is a useful check.
Move the rod flat. A down-and-up tip path at horizontal gives scooped, underslung loops; tracking errors show up here first.
Change planes deliberately. Work through at least three rod planes, with at least two false casts at each, so the change in plane is visible.
Mind the ground. Keep the rod plane quite high above the ground as it approaches horizontal — one of the guide’s two ways to avoid ticking.
Match arc to bend. The task no longer requires more line speed, but you may speed up to avoid ticking. If you do, rod bend increases, so widen the casting arc — best done with a longer stroke.

Source

From the CI Study Guide (2025) (PDF), Task 7 (rod planes) and the Five Essentials; terms from the FFI Fly Casting Definitions (Casting Arc, Rod Plane).

When would you want to use a reach mend?

example@example.com (HookedLee) — Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Use a reach mend when the line would otherwise land downstream of the fly — most often in moving water, where you want a drag-free drift. Its purpose is to position the fly line and leader upstream of the fly, and the guide lists the benefits:

It creates a longer drag-free drift, because the line and leader sit upstream of the fly.
It positions the fly in the fish’s feeding lane while the fly is still in the air.
It does not spook the fish — the line is mended before it lands, so there is no water disturbance.
The line is mended before water currents have affected it.
You can cast past the target to aim, then let the reach pull the fly back into the lane upstream of the fish, to float down to it.

Without slipping line the reach shortens the cast, which is what makes it excellent for dry fly presentation at short distances.

Source

From the CI Study Guide (2025) (PDF), Task 4 — reach mend with and without slip and the reach-mend lesson plan (Appendix C); terms from the FFI Fly Casting Definitions (Aerial Mends, Slack Line Presentations).