Fly casting is an inexact science for most folks—we all have our little quirks and bad habits that tend to eke into our fishing, particularly during times of fatigue, or when action is fast and getting flies on the water is important. One bad habit I’m guilty of possessing is the one that my buddy Kirk Deeter demonstrates in the video below.
I drop the rod tip on my final forward cast, and I often drop it too soon, particularly when I’m fishing stillwater, for some reason. Oddly enough, it was on a pike trip to northern Saskatchewan a few years back with Deeter when I realized I was doing this and doing it too often. Fly fishing for pike is a marathon, but a marathon containing a lot of little sprints, particularly when the action is good. But, by the end of the day, your shoulders, back and arms will remind you that you’ve been casting heavy fly gear all day. It’s during those times of fatigue that I drop the rod tip too soon on my forward cast, and I have to mentally check myself now and then to ensure that I’m coming to that “two o’clock” stopping point, keeping my loop tight and getting everything out of my fly rod on my cast.
Deeter pointed it out to me all those years ago, and today, he’s sharing this wisdom a bit more widely. It’s a simple tip, but it will take some practice to correct if this bad habit is a part of you repertoire, as it is mine on occasion. But, as Deeter points out, practicing regularly will help you with this and other bad habits.
— Chris Hunt