Tracy&James | Wednesday, 14 May 2025
Tracy and I are now back in Wales after our holiday. I found the trip tough and frustrating after my accident which forced me to cast left handed with little or no haul. Given that it was one of the windiest trips we've had, pretty much a full month of 25+ kmph winds, losing a significant part of my casting ability meant lots of missed shots and spooked fish from poorly placed flies. I posted a before and after accident chart of my catch rate compared to Tracy on the board, if anyone doubts the impact of good casting on fishing in the future I'll pull this data out showing how my success rate fell by 80%. I intend to work hard on my left handed casting over the next year so that if anything happens like this again it won't be such a disaster. I don't think it will ever be as good as my right handed cast, but it can be improved a long way from where it is now – my target is to be able to hit 100ft with a bonefish outfit, I suspect I'm around 80ft right now. Obviously sharp, fast loops are more important than ultimate distance when bonefishing, however I think sharp and fast for me will automatically put me in 100ft plus territory.
I did manage to catch bonefish left handed, in fact I caught quite a lot of nice sized fish, but it was always a struggle. What I noticed was just how many shots when DiYing are upwind, in contrast to the one guided day we had (on my Birthday as a treat) where most of the shots were relatively easy downwind ones. I suspect this is because the guide isn't going to pole into the wind for more than a minute of so, especially when faced with a 25 kmph wind. As we boarded the skiff I showed the guide the cast on my hand and apologised that I wouldn't be able to cast very well. He asked if I could still make a 40ft presentation and his eyes lit up when I said I'd still be good for 90ft (I'd swapped back to right handed at this point as the pain had subsided, however I could only grip the rod by wrapping one finger around the corks and placing my index finger on top. This still gave me a better cast than my left handed effort though as I could haul normally).
We had a great day on the skiff, which Tracy wrote about last week. What she didn't write about was the reaction of the guide on our return. We were met at the dock by a regular visitor to the lodge who had arrived that day for a weeks guided fishing. After a lengthy discussion, this angler came to talk to Tracy and myself, noting that he'd never seen the guide so effusive after being out with guests, indicating that he'd enjoyed the day as much as we had (the trip had ended with Tracy giving him a casting demonstration off the front of the skiff at his request).
The visitor invited us to meet the others in his group, anglers from across the US who met up at the lodge every year. The usual fishing chat ensued, and beer flowed freely. It wasn't too long before they were asking Tracy (now a bit tipsy) for a repeat of the casting demo. She obliged by taking one of their outfits and casting it into the backing, impressing them greatly with her tight, climbing back cast and pointy delivery. It was a great evening and we made some new fly fishing friends.
Our next 'event' is the first BFCC day of the year near Bath in Somerset. I'll be casting left handed, although my medical cast is due to be removed beforehand. Perhaps we'll also be able to get out on the river before then – apparently we've missed some good fishing whilst we were away.
Hope you're having a great week,
James.