Standing on the deck of a flats skiff you are watching for the "target" fish. You know the guide will see it first. He will say "Sixty feet at 10 o'clock" You have been holding your fly rod at the ready now you have to get a fly out sixty feet! You start false casting adding 5 to 10 feet with each cast. stripping the line from the reel. Six cast and the guide says. "He is out of range now" You added the line as fast as you could.

Here is what you hired a guide for? To tell you, you are too slow at casting.

He should show you how to have 70 feet of line laid on the deck or in a stripping bucket. Twenty feet of line past the rod's tip and the fly in your rod hand. This is the 'at ready'.

Yes the hook is between your thumb and first finger. Just pinched lightly with the hook point up.
Slack line is held in the line hand as it comes from the rod's stripping guide then to the deck or bucket.
If the wind is blowing the "Line Tamer" bucket is great (clear PVC tube 2 ft hight 12 to 18 inches in diameter, mounted on a board the line can be place in the tube ready to be shot out. Wading you can use your stripping apron or bag.

Here you stand rod held low to the side keeping the line just out of the water. Watching looking searching for the tail fin or dorsal wake. "There at One o'clock 50 feet out" comes the soft voice from behind you. You point the rod at the fish. You draw the rod back. Doing a nice roll cast the loop draws the fly from your finger and thumb.

A False cast with a haul to gain some load on the rod. The back cast is hauled again then feed some line. Wait the line has to travel back 30 to 35 feet. Now Haul again and shoot the line to the target fish. With the 30 to 35 feet of line in the air already it is not hard to shoot another 20 to 25 feet of line. If the fish is moving away then false cast one more time and let out some more line. With a little practice you can get to 70 ft in two pumps of the rod.

Now all you have to do is decide which way he is headed and land the fly in the right spot.

Courtesy of Allen