Casting Form

[LrgmouthShad]

Hey y’all,

 

Talk to me about good casting form. What it should look like on two specific casts: roll cast and sidearm cast. I’m particularly interested in what the off-hand should be doing on a two-handed sidearm, if the off-hand should even be involved. But interested also in what general proper mechanics look like for these casts. Can share videos, written description, whatever you like. I read through some old posts on this topic and they were helpful and I did catch a video by you @Glenn (thank you, it was helpful) but wanted to bring up the topic again not only for myself but for others… just so it is in discussion.

 

With my bad shoulder I found out while throwing around in the backyard that a one arm roll cast with my elbow tucked tight to my side does not bother me very much. Is a proper roll cast one or two handed though? 
 

Look forward to reading your responses

[scaleface]

I cant tell you what my form is . On a back hand cast its like swinging a baseball bat . For me , having the "precise" weight of lure to match the rod is   most important . An overhand cast there is a lot more variation in weight . A side-arm cast  , for me any how , the precise weight is critical . Just a difference of 1/8th oz throws my accuracy off .

[galyonj]

I cast about like Charles Barley swings a golf club.

[AlabamaSpothunter]

7 minutes ago, galyonj said:

I cast about like Charles Barley swings a golf club.

One of the nicest, and most beloved people of Alabama.   Seemingly everyone in Alabama has casually met him, just a man of the people.

 

He sucks so bad at golf it's not funny....oh yeah it's funny nvm ?

[galyonj]

Just now, AlabamaSpothunter said:

One of the nicest, and most beloved people of Alabama.   Seemingly everyone in Alabama has casually met him, just a man of the people.

 

He sucks so bad at golf it's not funny....oh yeah it's funny nvm ?

 

I've never met him, but by all accounts, he's a real one.

[ScottW]

28 minutes ago, galyonj said:

 

I've never met him, but by all accounts, he's a real one.

My wife and I met him once in the checkout line at the Walmart in Leeds, AL. Huge fella and one of the nicest people you’d ever want to meet. He was there getting something for his mom who lives in Leeds as well. He was sweating due to the summer heat and we struck up a short conversation about how hot it was, how it would be nice if the humidity would drop, etc. I’m 6’1” and next to him I felt like 5’5”. ?

[king fisher]

Everyone is different.  Whatever it takes for you to present the lure correctly to the bass.  I have seen people hold spinning rods upside, down, that put the lure softly on target every time.  Fishing is the best way to find what mechanics work best for you.  Catching trees, is part of the learning experience, but so is landing bass.  Having a fun time on the water, while perfecting your casting skills is a win win. 

[Fishing_Rod]

Good Day!

It depends what your particular goals are for "casting". You mentioned the injured shoulder and that is a key point. If you look at casting from the perspective of a pivot point you can help to figure out what can work well for you.
Example: At one extreme there are those that try to use their shoulder as the pivot point where the whole arm is involved with casting (along with the length of the fishing pole).

Others use the elbow as the pivot point. This is where the elbow is held in a single position and all the action rotates at the elbow.

You can simply hold the arm still and simply pivot at the wrist too.

 

Each pivot point serves different casting styles from long bombing to short distance precision presentations. Realize how much effort and efficiency you want to put into a cast. It is possible to use very little (arm, wrist) motion input into a flexible rod to load up and rebound a nice roll cast. Just one of the reasons it is really popular with those that fish for extended periods. You don't want to exhaust or injure yourself with too much dynamic repetitive motions. There are plenty of video references out there on the internet showing some really impressive effective and precision casting being done.

 

Over the years I've managed to find more fish using more precision casting rather than the long bomb casts. I find it is about conservation of energy, mine! Good Luck, Cheers! 

[cheezyridr]

if you wanna know about casting, there's one guy you need to study before you take one more step.  learn what he's doing, and then there will be no other steps. his name is toshinari namiki, and he's the hank aaron  of casting:

 

 

(i would have said barry bonds instead, but someone would have mentioned the steroids, which don't affect hand/eye coordination)

[txchaser]

2 hours ago, cheezyridr said:

if you wanna know about casting, there's one guy you need to study before you take one more step.  learn what he's doing, and then there will be no other steps. his name is toshinari namiki, and he's the hank aaron  of casting:

 

 

(i would have said barry bonds instead, but someone would have mentioned the steroids, which don't affect hand/eye coordination)

This video is really cool. 

100% chance I'd need a helmet for the roll pitching though. 

[gim]

I have found that I can cast more accurately and efficiently when I make it one fluid motion rather than trying to bomb a cast. It’s kind of like swinging a golf club. Better to just make solid contact with a consistent swing and let the club do the work rather than trying to rip the cover off the ball.

[cheezyridr]

certainly, there is a zen aspect to it. smooth is always best. always

i've tried to apply that philosophy in as many other activities as possible. 

there have been some successes, and some...that i'm still workin on.

1 hour ago, gimruis said:

I have found that I can cast more accurately and efficiently when I make it one fluid motion rather than trying to bomb a cast. It’s kind of like swinging a golf club. Better to just make solid contact with a consistent swing and let the club do the work rather than trying to rip the cover off the ball.

 

 

[islandbass]

Bottom line? Lure weight loads the rod, regardless of what plane the rod is. Sidearm cast is no different from an overhand cast. Even in a sidearm roll cast the lure’s weight still loads the rod. Period. ‘Nuff said, lol. 
 

The hand on the butt end for me can act as a guide/base/foundation and it spots as much weight as possible so that the wrist and forearm muscle on my hand closest to the reel feels no stress or fatigue, thereby practically eliminating the possibility developing tennis elbow for me. The time I had tennis elbow, it took over a year to recover and I don’t ever want to go through that again so my second has plays a major in helping me avoid it.  

[TnRiver46]

[MidwestBassAttack]

11 hours ago, cheezyridr said:

if you wanna know about casting, there's one guy you need to study before you take one more step.  learn what he's doing, and then there will be no other steps. his name is toshinari namiki, and he's the hank aaron  of casting:

 

 

(i would have said barry bonds instead, but someone would have mentioned the steroids, which don't affect hand/eye coordination)

Watching this video is like watching Fred Couple’s swing a golf club……SMOOTH and FLUID!

[Deleted account]

• "Slow is smooth, smooth is fast" Is a great teaching tool, but the next level is making fast smooth. There are certain mechanics and physics that need to be in place, but the actual stroke will vary from person to person depending on several factors. I find that pitching a baseball, serving a tennis ball, batting, hitting a golf ball, and casting a rod are all nearly identical motions. It's all about acceleration, and incorporating more of the drivetrain as the power requirement increases, and consistency is as, or more important than magnitude. Oh, and I've been a jock all my life, and played a ton of tennis and never had any issues, and now I have an annoying lingering case of tennis elbow from shaking a thermometer to get a wet bulb temp, oh the irony.

[LCG]

Elbows tucked in, kept close to the body. During the roll cast I like the rod to load deep so I am usually at the top end of the lure rating. I find this makes roll casting very effortless and my accuracy greatly improved. Not overpowering the cast is key, slow and smooth. No shoulder or arm pain. 

[J Francho]

 Not sure I could break it down, but can say that it's definitely evolved over the past ten years. For instance, save for a pitch or flip cast, I ALWAYS use both hands. 

[LrgmouthShad]

24 minutes ago, LCG said:

Elbows tucked in, kept close to the body. During the roll cast I like the rod to load deep so I am usually at the top end of the lure rating. I find this makes roll casting very effortless and my accuracy greatly improved. Not overpowering the cast is key, slow and smooth. No shoulder or arm pain. 

Thanks. The way shoulder is feeling, I will toss a line using a roll cast this Columbus weekend. I’ll just focus on improving my casting mechanics. Don’t really care as much about catching fish right now. 

[Deleted account]

26 minutes ago, LrgmouthShad said:

Don’t really care as much about catching fish right now. 

 

"Patient presents with disjointed thoughts and ideas"...

[Bankc]

You have to find your cast.  Just like every NBA player's shot is different, and every PGA player's swing is different, you have to find the cast that works for you.  

 

Whatever you do, it should be smooth and easy.  If it requires a lot of effort or puts strain on your body, you're doing it wrong.  Balance is key.  Remaining balanced means you won't have to make corrections.  Casting distance is all about smoothness.  You want to smoothly accelerate the rod tip so it reaches maximum velocity at the moment of release.  Even if you're short casting, you want that point of release to be the maximum velocity.  Casting accuracy is all about repeatability.  If you can do it the same way each time, you'll get better at it, as it will become highly predictable.  And repeatability is all about simplicity.  So doing what feels natural and try not to move unnecessary body parts (adding unnecessary complications).  

 

Try not to focus on what your body is doing.  That's a good way to get lost in your head and mess things up.  Focus on the lure.  Think of the lure as an extension of your body.  As long as your body stays relaxed and balanced, you're doing it right.

[WRB]

Learned to use bait cast with 1 hand pistol grip rods the motion is all in the wrist with the reel handles upward and thumb pointed at the ear at the back cast then forward keeping handle up.

With longer trigger handle rods, Fenwick was the 1st* with bass rods, using 2 hands the casting motion the same only with opposite hand pulling rod butt downwards. 

Roll cast or loop cast simple draw a circle with the rod tip parallel to the water surface.

Backhand is a side arm cast but across your belly, very easy.

Watching todays Pros their casting mechanics are similar except they rotate the reel so the spool is parallel to the water in lieu of handles upright, trying to extend the arm towards to lure. Don’t know why anglers do this today as it doesn’t increase distance or accuracy imo and stresses tendons.

Remember rods cast lures not reels. Today too much reliance on reels not enough on rods.

Tom

* salt water rods were always straight handle 2 hand rods.

[LrgmouthShad]

6 minutes ago, WRB said:

Learned to cast using 1 hand pistol grip rods the motion is all in the wrist with the reel handles upward and thumb pointed at the ear at the back cast then forward keeping handle up.

With longer trigger handle rods, Fenwick was the 1st with bass rods, using 2 hands the casting motion the same only with opposite hand pulling rod butt downwards. 

Roll cast or loop cast simple draw a circle with the rod tip parallel to the water surface.

Backhand is a side arm cast but across your belly, very easy.

Watching todays Pros their casting mechanics are similar except they rotate the reel so the spool is parallel to the water in lieu of handles upright, trying to extend the arm towards to lure. Don’t know why anglers do this today as it doesn’t increase distance or accuracy imo and stresses tendons.

Remember rods cast lures not reels. Today too much reliance on reels not enough on rods.

Tom

Thank you sir!

[LCG]

3 hours ago, LrgmouthShad said:

Thanks. The way shoulder is feeling, I will toss a line using a roll cast this Columbus weekend. I’ll just focus on improving my casting mechanics. Don’t really care as much about catching fish right now. 

I hear you, I have been recovering from back issues all spring, summer, and fall. Stuck on the bank, but at least I am fishing again :).

 

I have noticed far less pain when I concentrate on my form and not over do it. I listen to my body much more now and call it a day when it starts acting up. 

[Darth-Baiter]

i dont have a casting form.  it varies from standing on the shore, to a bass boat deck to a kayak deck.

 

heck, i sometime switch hands casting from a kayak or boat.