Perfecting the back cast in fly fishing starts with one truth: you cannot make a good forward cast without a good back cast. In this How 2 Tuesday I answer James Lynch's question and walk through how the back cast loads the rod like drawing a bow, why a hard stop and the right pause matter, and the two habits that hold most anglers back, looking at the back cast and dropping the line. Fix those and your whole cast gets better fast.
Listen now: press play in the player above and follow along.
You make a hard stop on the back cast so the rod bends and throws the line behind you, then you wait long enough for that line to extend completely straight before you come forward. The straight line loads the rod like drawing back a bow, and then you can use the haul to propel the forward cast. As you advance you stop thinking about it, get the line back there faster, and can even shoot line on the back cast.
Not waiting long enough. A lot of people come from spin fishing, where you use very little line and just go back and forward. In fly fishing you need enough line out behind you to physically load the rod, and you have to pause for it to straighten. If you rush it, you hear a loud pop like a bullwhip, which means the line still has a curve in it. That cracks a knot into your leader and can snap your fly off.
Because it is the worst habit for being a good fisherman. Every time you turn around to check your back cast, you then have to turn back and re-find the fish, which is incredibly hard. When you are sight fishing bonefish, permit, tarpon, redfish, snook, or trout, you want to keep your eye on the fish the entire time and make the cast without ever looking away. Looking back is fine when practicing, but never when fishing.
Use your phone. Set it on the ground and film yourself casting in slow motion, then watch it back. That lets you see exactly what your line is doing without building the bad habit of turning to look mid-cast. You get all the feedback of watching your back cast while training yourself to keep your eyes locked on the target, which is what you need when a real fish shows up.
Never let go of the line. A terrible habit I see in magazine photos is anglers shooting the line and dropping it completely out of their line hand. Your line hand is a tool. You shoot the line through an okay sign, slow it down so the loop unrolls better, and keep control so you can stop the line if you are about to overshoot the fish or the fish turns back toward you. Drop the line and you lose all of that control.
Probably not, and that is okay. Like a golf swing or a clean and jerk, the back cast is something you keep getting better at your whole life. You can change your style, your rod, and your technique and keep refining it. The goal is not perfection, it is steady improvement, and the two habit fixes in this episode, filming instead of looking and keeping the line in your hand, will move you further than any talk about stopping the rod.
Here is the sequence I walk James and any fly angler through to build a back cast that loads the rod and sets up a great forward cast.
The forward cast gets all the attention because it is what you see in the photos and what delivers the fly. But if you are fly fishing properly you are never even looking at your back cast, and yet it is the back cast that loads the rod and makes the forward cast possible. I explain that relationship in the episode, so press play in the player above.
A great caster can put a beautiful loop anywhere, but I would rather fish with a great fisherman who gets the fly in front of the fish every time, even if the loop is not pretty. A perfect-looking cast that takes fifty false casts to get out there does not impress a guide. I get into that distinction in the episode, so press play in the player above.
More than any tip about stopping the rod, two habit changes move the needle: stop looking at your back cast and never drop the line from your line hand. Film yourself instead of looking, and keep that line metered through an okay sign. I break down both in the episode, so press play in the player above.
How 2 Tuesday is my weekly series where I break down one fishing skill at a time, from knots and casting to gear, tactics, and the habits that make you a better angler. Watch and listen to every How 2 Tuesday episode from Tom Rowland.
back cast · forward cast · double haul · loading the rod · false casting · James Lynch · bonefish · permit · tarpon · redfish · snook · trout fishing · How 2 Tuesday · Saltwater Experience
I am Tom Rowland, a professional fishing guide based in the Florida Keys, host of the Tom Rowland Podcast, and the longtime host of the Saltwater Experience television show. On the podcast How 2 Tuesday series I break down one practical skill or lesson at a time, from fishing technique and gear to the habits that make you a better angler, in short, focused episodes you can put to use right away.
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