FLY CASTING BASICS #1 - The Grip

Grip and Stance

The inability to master the fundamentals of good fly-casting is the greatest obstacle to success for most fly anglers. Bad casting technique generally equals poor fly presentation. However, the solutions to many fly-casting problems often involve only small changes to an angler’s technique … if you can be bothered to make them.

In any sport where a ‘hand-held’ tool is used to propel ‘something’, there are two keys that set the platform for success; the Grip and the Stance. Fly-casting is no exception. A good grip complements a good stance.

The Grip: Most anglers have been taught to place the thumb of their casting hand directly along the top of the rod grip. Unfortunately, this creates two problems. It encourages a ‘suitcase’ grip that often causes the angler to ‘break’ their wrist during the back-cast and it induces tiredness in the wrist. Both problems adversely affect the distance and accuracy of subsequent presentation casts.

A much better grip is to place the inside edge of the thumbnail along the centerline on the top of the rod grip … the V-Grip. This offsets the casting hand slightly and causes the ball of the hand to be a little more exposed.

Suggestion: Rule a line along the top of the rod to help get used to the grip). Apply a little pressure between the tip of the thumb and forefinger of the casting hand. This grip should feel more like ‘holding a pistol’.

The angler will now gain greater control of the rod tip and reduce the common tendency to break the wrist on the back-cast, resulting in more powerful front-casts and more accurate presentation.

Tip: It is quite acceptable to point the forefinger of the casting hand forward along the rod-handle, so long as the thumb and the rest of the grip doesn't change. This is particularly useful on shorter casts requiring more precise accuracy. Don't rotate the hand so that the forefinger rests along the top of the rod. While useful for some very short casts, this significantly weakens your overall cast.