Fly Casting Tip: Use Your Hat to Stop the Rod!

__Katie Cole from the National Fishing in Schools Program offers yet another simple, useful tip that solves a common problem many novice fly casters have–going back too far on the backcast.

When you go back too far, you often leave that casting loop open on the forward cast. The line doesn’t drive straight ahead, rather it shoots up in the air, and then flutters back down to the surface off-target.

To solve that, simply remember to stop the rod in front of your face. If you’re wearing a baseball cap, go ahead and bump the rod against the bill of your hat. That will teach you where the rod should stop, and start again on the forward stroke.