Bow presence
One of the main elements in being a successful caster in the flats, is having a good presence of your surroundings while on the bow. False casting from a skiff calls for much less weight shift and much less motion then if you were wading in a river or casting from a drift boat. Mainly due to the wakes caused by the shift in weight while casting. In cold, clear water months, the wake being sent over a school of fish in a foot of water, pretty much means game over. When guests of mine have fresh water experience, and are stepping on the skiff for the first time, I will often see the wake from their casting motion go over the school before there fly even hits the water, scaring the school away without even a chance of a fish seeing the fly. Another disadvantage with a lot of motion is while standing on a casting platform, feet above the waters surface, an angler is much more likely to be seen by the school, then if the angler were drifting a fly down a river, where you're standing at the waters level. Having a compact cast, with good line speed is a great asset while fishing from a skiff, and will only improve your chances of a fish in the flats seeing your fly.
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