Video Tip: How to Avoid Hitting Your Rod With Your Fly

Jaimie Mercer of Orvis casts to rising trout with Falcon’s Ledge guide Grant Bench[/caption] Welcome to another installment of “Ask a Fly-Fishing Instructor,” in which we answer readers’ questions about their biggest fly-casting problems. Reader Larry asked for help with this: Sometimes my fly hits the rod on the forward or backcast. How can I avoid that? In this lesson, I’ll explain why a smooth acceleration is so important to a proper casting motion. If you start a forward or backcast slowly and then speed up too fast—or even worse, “flick” the rod tip—your line and fly can intersect with the path of your rod. There are three possible bad outcomes of this situation: 1. your cast collapses entirely, 2. you create a nasty line tangle that keeps you from fishing, or worst of all, 3. you nick or even break your rod altogether. Learning to apply smooth acceleration will save you time and money, and it will make you a better angler. Written By: Phil Monahan https://youtu.be/MoeKd1Fm7PY]]>