Ed Jaworowski's Fly Casting Video Series, Video 4: Focus on the Backcast

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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.

The majority of fly casters allow the line to straighten completely on the backcast before beginning the forward cast. However, the first principle of casting is that you must get the end of the line moving before beginning the acceleration that loads the rod. I’m aware that many will take exception to this advice, but I advise my students to never allow the line to completely straighten on the backcast before going forward. If you allow the backcast to fully straighten, the line stops moving. A motionless line has expended its energy, lost tension on the rod tip, started to fall, and created slack. This delays loading on the forward cast, because you waste the first part of your forward stroke removing the slack and regaining tension on the rod tip.

While this may not be a big problem when making short casts with small flies, it is poor technique and creates a series of other issues in many fishing situations. The problems grow exponentially when you are making longer casts or attempting to toss bulky poppers, large streamers, weighted flies, or heavy sinking lines.

This is the fourth in a series of five articles and videos 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.