Written by: Tim Linehan
Keeping an eye on your backcast will help you ensure it’s straightening out correctly.
If you’re looking to improve your cast, start by perfecting your backcast. Here are three tips that will help you accomplish a better backcast and therefore, a better cast in general.
1. Start with the rod tip pointed down at the water. This allows the rod to move through a more complete motion, which provides it with more kinetic energy. Conversely, if you start the rod parallel with the water, you have decreased the backcast stroke dramatically, resulting in a decrease of potential kinetic energy, as well.
2. Stop your backcast with the tip of the rod pointed straight upward. This is most important, since it allows the stored kinetic energy in the rod to flex the rod, which is the whole idea behind the casting stroke. Be careful to not break your wrist. And don’t over-think this one. It’s simple. Stop the backcast with the rod tip pointed straight up, or at your ear, or next to your temple, or whatever works for you to that end. But straight up is the key.
3. Watch your backcast straighten out off the tip of the rod. This allows the rod to fully load for the forward cast and lets the line to achieve its proper speed relative to the energy in the rod.
By keeping these three tips in mind, your backcast will improve greatly and as a result, so will your forward cast.
Tim Linehan is the owner of Linehan Outfitting Co. on the Kootenai River in Troy, Montana.
Pete: Thanks, that was great, I’m down visiting my grandson, and saw this article on casting and that is just what he needed.
Thanks for these tips and the video I saw earlier (and can’t seem to find a second time). I think I’ve got the casting and double haul down. Now all I have to do is to get out of the back yard.
This Pro Tip address one of my favorite peeves.Step #3 – Watch your backcast straighten out off the tip of the rod. Nowhere can I find a video to study of the entire line on the backcast. Plenty on the forward cast. None on the backcast.
Great advice Pete, as usual. The part most helpful to me personally, “And don’t over-think this one”.
I think Tim should get credit… Not Pete… 🙂
stopping the rod while it is pointing straight up, ie 12:00 seems contradictory to the 10 to 2 mantra
In that photo of Pete looking at his backcast, his rod seems to be more at the 10:00 position than the 12:00 as is described in the article.
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https://www.plansoutdoor.com/best-braided-fishing-line/
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