"Answer the phone" to improve your casting

In July I traveled to Pinedale, Wyoming. My wife was leading a back-county llama trek for the Sierra Club out there so I went along with her to Pinedale. When she, her group of trekkers, and their train of llamas headed off into the Wind River Mountain Range for a week, I went fishing. I decided I needed a casting lesson so I contacted Two Rivers Emporium in Pinedale and signed up for a half-day lesson with Guide Eric Oram.

In the off-season, Eric is a high school teacher and coach - and he's got good instructional skills. I like to learn by analogy. That means I learn better if I can relate a skill I already know to the skill I'm trying to learn. Eric coached me with the perfect analogy to make a huge difference in my casting.

As you probably already know, the whole idea with fly casting is to transfer energy and power from your rod to your line. We do this with an effective backcast, allowing the line to unfurl behind us, then launch the line with an effective forward cast so that rolls forward to our target. Let's just say that my casting motion was, ummm, ineffective.

Here's what Eric told me: "Imagine that the handle of your rod is a telephone handset sitting on your desk. You're in the middle of something when the phone rings. Irritated, you pick it up aggressively and lift it up to your ear. You say 'Hello!', angry at being interrupted. It's a telemarketer. You're pissed off so you slam the handset back onto the telephone on your desk." Well, I could easily imagine that scenario because it's happened to me more than once.

Eric continued, "That's the exact movement I want you to incorporate into your casting motion. Here's why: when you aggressively pick up the phone you apply enough power to create energy in the rod on the backcast. You need to hold that phone by your ear for two reasons: First, when you pause long enough to say 'Hello' that allows time for your line to unfurl behind you. Second, when you hold the phone to your ear you won't drop your rod tip too low on your backcast. Finally, you slam the phone down on your desk because that aggressive downward motion generates power on the forward cast to launch your line." This was the perfect instructional analogy for me! Now, go out on your front lawn to practice your casting and remember to answer the phone.

Whenever I'm casting I remember to answer the phone. I even say "Hello" under my breath so I allow time for my line to unfurl. Sometimes I forget and I say "Hello!" out LOUD. Other anglers look at me funny when I do that...