A tip on how to cast farther

Seems like every year my fly-casting classes trigger a casting tip to pass on to the Fishfull Faithful. This year’s tip is a handy trick to stop your rod abruptly on the forward cast.

Stopping a bent fly rod transfers energy from the rod to the fly line. Matter of fact, the quicker the stop, the more energy is transferred. Conversely, a forward cast that doesn’t stop produces a wide arc in the fly line — a very inefficient transfer of energy.

To better understand this concept, imagine a straightened fly line behind your backcast. If you don’t move the rod, the line will drop to the water. But if you move the rod forward, the line will move forward, and the weight of the line will bend the rod.

This is called “loading the rod.” A loaded rod is an energy-laden bent rod. When the rod is stopped on the forward cast, the energy in the rod is transferred to the line, slinging it forward (or backward on the backcast).

Stroboscopic studies of world champion flycasters show that the casters who stop the rod most abruptly throw the longest lines.

The composition of the rod is another very important factor in the smooth transfer of energy. Rod-building materials, including bamboo, fiberglass, graphite, boron and titanium, transfer energy in different ways. And the ability to load the release energy smoothly is often the difference between cheap and expensive rods.

Here’s the tip: Hold your non-casting forearm high in front of your casting arm so the rod hits your non-casting arm on the forward cast. The rod should stop abruptly.

And stopping abruptly will put more energy into your fly line and deliver your fly closer to Mr. Trout.