Welcome to our sixth installment of “Ask a Fly-Fishing Instructor,” starring our own Peter Kutzer, who works at the Manchester, Vermont, Fly Fishing School. A couple months ago, we asked you to
post some questions about your biggest casting problems. Reader “griffjc” wrote,
From all the advice I’ve gotten on casting, the rod has only ever been described in a forward-and-back motion. Is there ever a reason to cast slightly to the side or even at an extreme angle, meaning either left or right from my body? If there is a reason, what are the benefits? If not, what would be the ramifications of casting this way? Sorry if this question seems inane. I’m a super noob.
In this lesson, Peter demonstrates several situations in which you’d want your rod angled away from—or even across—your body. Plus, he throws in some bonus tips for casting when the wind is blowing toward your casting arm. If you’ve got more questions for Peter, post them below, and we’ll address each casting problem in a new video.
Previous episodes:
Ask a Fly-Fishing Instructor I: Casting Heavy Flies in the Wind
Ask a Fly-Fishing Instructor II: Roll-Casting for Accuracy & Distance
Ask a Fly-Fishing Instructor III: Casting in the Wind
Ask a Fly-Fishing Instructor IV: Casting Accuracy
Ask a Fly-Fishing Instructor V: The Curve Cast