Techy Thursday - Early Season Casting Fixes

Itäó»s that time of the season where most anglers have had their first pop at the river and may have realised that the rust has indeed set in over the winter months. Itäó»s about time for another round of fly casting fix - itäó»s and these are some that Iäó»ve been seeing occurring regularly of late.

1_ Control that elbow

If it swings outwards on the backcast, and inwards on the forward cast then your tracking will be out. Your loops will swing out of parallel and youäó»ll lose both energy and accuracy. Keep the elbow low and relaxed so it can piston upwards, rather than outwards throughout the cast.

2_ Relax your hand

Death gripping the rod diminishes the blanks ability to dampen the shockwaves and reduces your ability to delay rotation for a smooth, efficient acceleration.

3_ Settle down, man

Fly casting is not a strength thing, it is all timing and technique. Relax the hand following the stop, and begin your stroke relaxed, slow and smooth, accelerating into your late rotation as you squeeze your hand to make the cast.

4_ 10 - 2 is simply bad instruction

Employ a variable casting arc to accommodate the length of the line, the force youäó»re applying to the stoke, and the stiffness of the rod. You should widen your arc as the bend in the rod deepens.

5_ Always have a target

Iäó»m always amazed, particularly with beginners how much hand eye coordination can kick in and deliver a fly once the angler focusses on a target. Choose a small target like a small stone or similar rather than a larger target area. Near enough, is generally not good enough and itäó»s better to narrowly miss a tiny target than to miss a big target.

Get out there and practise with the gear youäó»re likely to be fishing and make the most of your next day out on the water.