Nov 25 2007
Flyfishing (Casting) Tip #1
There are many different tips and tricks to learn to become a better fly fisher and fly caster. i have been teaching Fly casting and all the other intricacies of the sport for some time now and have found that there are some students that pick it up right off the bat, and others that have a problem, especially with the casting portion.
As many New fly fishers know there are things to watch for when learning to cast. Some of the tips you will get from more experienced flyfishers and Flyfishing instructors are tips like:
-Make sure to stop on the back cast.
-Your cast should be between 11 o-clock and 1 o-clock.
-Keep one hand on the flyline.
-Keep your wrist stiff.
ETC……
I say the same things to my students, but for the student that is having a hard time with the casting portion I try to get them to concentrate on one tip at a time. I have found that the 2 BIGGEST things that the new flyfisher does incorrect is that they do not STOP on the back cast, and that they allow their wrist to “Break”.
The stopping on the backcast is something that the student will learn over time as they go out and practice as long as they concentrate on the “Stop”.
the wrist breaking seems to be the one thing that the student seems to have a issue with. Many can’t seem to break this habit, and if this habit is not broken they student will never become a fluid caster.
I had one particular student last year that just couldn’t stop himself from “Breaking” his wrist. I tried all kind of different things to get him to stop this habit without much success. Finally, I found something by coincedence that I figured might help, and if it doesn’t Oh well, no damage done.
What I did was take my wife flexible carpal tunnel brace and put it on his wrist. The very first attempt that he made at casting was a nightmare and I thought, Oh well that didn’t work. The next cast was amazing he shot the line out 35′ and set it down almost perfect. This is the same guy that couldn’t cast the line 10′ a few minutes prior. He continued to cats the line out 35-45′ during the session and his “Loops were nice (not perfect, but close)
he wore the brace for a few weeks as he trained himself to keep his wrist stiff, after a few weeks I went to visit him and see how he was doing. He was now casting 50-60′ and was looking good. I told him that it was time to get rid of the brace and see what happens. He did and WOW his cast was nearly as good without the brace as it was with it.
This was a great find and I always have a few of these braces with me when I teach my classes. I highly recommend that the new flyfisher that is having this issue, try this technique and see what happens.
If you would like to take some classes from me go to my website and have a look at what I offer.
Tight lines & Fun Times
Rick Passek “The Flyfish Fanatic”
