Wimpy back cast

[Dangermouse]

No matter what I try I can not seem to get any energy into my back cast. My forward cast is ok I guess, I'm able to shoot enough line to get to 50' with a pick up and lay down cast. But I can't get enough zip into my back cast to slip line like you would need in a haul. Back cast usually looks like a big loop with wobbles in the bottom leg and just kind of flops lazily backwards

Any wisdom would be appreciated

[Graeme H]

Hi DM,

The first place I would look is the width of your casting arc. It's probably too wide.

It takes surprisingly little effort to get that line heading back in the direction you want. Try a smaller arc and crisper stop on that back cast.

If you can make a video, it will help a lot. What I said above is just supposition based on what you've stated in your post.

Cheers,
Graeme

[Paul Arden]

I agree with what Graeme says. This might be a bit of a jump but also have a look at this video I just posted in another thread!

[Dangermouse]

Thanks Paul
From your video that looks like what the problem is. I am stopping with my forearm almost vertical on all my casts, long ( for me ) and short
I can't cast very far yet 55' is my max when I manage to get one right lol.
At about what distance did you change to open stance?

[RSalar]

DM,

The "Ron" that Paul is addressing in the video is me. I had the exact same problem that you have. In fact it is very likely that my back cast was even worse than yours. One instructor that watched me cast said: "you could drive a tractor trailer through that back cast loop." Sadly I had been making that back cast that way for 50 years. The good news is that you can fix it. I would suggest that you take video of yourself and compare what you are doing to what Paul is showing you in his video. Many instructors tell you that you should not have a lot of wrist movement. Paul's method of blocking and then letting the wrist flip is different and it helped me tighten my back loops. It will take a lot of practice and you have to figure it out by watching yourself on video. Paul had me practice making back cast presentations -- that was very helpful because you have to make the line straighten all the way out and you see the result. Every time you go fishing try to make back cast presentations -- just keep at it and it will come (it took me 6 months to gain complete control over the size of my back loops). You can't make long forward casts until you learn how to make good back casts. I don't personally think there is a set distance that you have to change from closed to open stance. You can make really long casts from a closed stance - for me it's a matter of comfort. When I feel cramped by the closed stance I open up.

Good luck!

Ron

[Dangermouse]

Not really sure what the blocking method is.

[Dangermouse]

Tried the method in the video tonight. There was a little improvement, obviously going to need to practice A LOT
haven't figured out the blocking yet . Is it stopping with the fore arm and then flicking the wrist or is the wrist relaxed and it just rolls over ( had trouble relaxing my wrist )

Then I started messing around with the rod and discovered something weird. I'm right handed my forward cast I can get a fairly narrow loop and a huge one on the cast
Then I tried casting left handed ( don't know why I did )
I was casting really tight straight loops on the back cast and crappy ones on the forward cast

What the heck is that all about?

[Graeme H]

What the heck is that all about?

That's your wrist.

When we use our dominant hand on any task, we are accustomed to doing a lot of fine control with our wrist. Many fly casters take it to the extreme and try to use the wrist exclusively until someone shows them otherwise.

When we use our non-dominant hand, we don't have that control over the wrist and tend to compensate by using the elbow and shoulder more, with comparatively little wrist movement. In fly casting, that's much closer to what we want (it's not exactly what we want, but it's closer than "all wrist".)

As an example of this, try winding your reel with the non-dominant hand. You'll find yourself making most of the motion with your whole arm, but when you switch back to the normal hand, you'll immediately mainly use your wrist.

When you cast left-handed, you're not opening the wrist on the back cast as you do with your right hand.

Cheers,
Graeme

[Paul Arden]

Hi DM,

Try it with a short line first. Say 20’. Be careful not to put the force in with the arm, the backcast is really no more than a flip of the wrist. There are lots of control drills for this. Side casting on the ground is a good one.

Yep blocking in this regards is stopping the forearm and allowing the wrist to flip. If you can get 20’ under control into a tight backcast then add in 5’ increments. There is very little effort with this sort of casting. Many of the big loop shapes are IMO not simply a result of too much wrist but actually the caster applying force all the way through the arc starting with the forearm. If we take that force out and just flip the wrist in a controlled manner the loops will tighten.

This is also an exceptionally good drill for training your backcast.



Throwing tight loop backcasts off to the side hitting targets is a good game and actually very handy for fishing too!

Cheers, Paul

[George C]

Hi DM
I’m not an instructor nor an Uber caster but I’ve been through what you’re describing. The following helped me and only takes a few minutes to try.

Instead of concentrating on body motions or on the loop you might try watching the fly leg instead. Experiment a bit with adjusting your stroke length and intended backcast trajectory ( the latter is important) to keep it straight. While doing so, keep in mind the 180 rule. Your backcast trajectory (at least with short lines) is set by the slope your forward cast has taken when unrolled.
I hope it helps.
George