How-To/Techniques
The backcast is fundamentally important, yet is so often ignored. It employs the exact same physics and mechanics as the forward cast, simply moving in a different direction. In one sense, however, it is even more important than the forward cast, because the forward cast directly depends upon it, and many forward cast problems stem from a poor or inadequate backcast. Despite this, too few anglers focus on the backcast. Many fly fishers fail to practice it, thoughtfully consider its importance, or even turn their heads and look at what is going on behind them.
This is the fourth in a series of five articles examining the physics and mechanics that determine the outcomes of all casts, based on Ed Jaworowski's nearly 70 years of casting, testing, experimentation, teaching, and consulting with physicists, kinesiologists, and engineers.
