Written by: Peter Kutzer, Orvis Fly Fishing Schools
Fall is when a lot of anglers pick up their two-handed rods to chase steelhead, salmon, and big brown trout. In this video, I demonstrate how to make three kinds of casts with a two-handed rod. Starting with a simple, static roll cast, we increase the amount of motion, moving to a dynamic roll cast, and then to the more advanced switch cast. As we move the line more, we are able to increase the line speed, which will enable you to cast farther and more accurately.
Casting a two-handed rod is not difficult, but you need to pay attention to both the movements of your two hands—the top hand acting as little more than a fulcrum, and the bottom hand tugging the butt of the rod toward your belly to load the rod—as well as the timing of the casting stroke in relation to the “anchoring” of the line on the water.
With a little practice, you’ll get a feel for both, and you’ll find that you can make very fishable casts without any traditional backcast at all. Good luck!
The video was nice but it does not show how to cast more than 30 feet. I have yet to see a demo that shows more. Are you required to strip in all but 30 feet make the cast and shoot the 50 feet held in your left hand? If so how should one retrieve the line and hold it? Most two hand casts show someone casting across a stream. What is the technique for that?