Short casts are best for preventing drag

How to deal with drag—one of the most basic, yet vexing fly-fishing challenges

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River currents start working on a fly as soon as it lands

HOW DRAG WORKS

Once your cast lands, the complex river currents start tugging on the line and leader, which can pull your fly unnaturally through the water. Fly anglers call this drag. The most common example is when your line is pulled tight by the current, making the fly speed up and zip across the flow. That’s not how tiny, feeble insects move, and it instantly marks your fly as something inedible.

There are a few situations when drag is helpful, such as swinging a wet fly or streamer across the current. But anytime you’re imitating a drifting insect—either with dry flies on top or subsurface nymphs—the goal is a natural, drag-free drift. You can do this via casting techniques, manipulating your line on the water or, most commonly, a combination of the two.

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