Getting you started on outdoor adventures

Casting for Beginners

I was thinking of a fishing tip for this week’s post when I remembered a GREAT casting illustration I had saved to my computer from http://www.creativeon-line.com/

As a recovering member of the I-can’t-cast-to-save-my-life club I loved the illustration for how to cast.

For beginning anglers, I recommend using a push button spin-cast reel. Learn about types of freshwater reels. So, assuming this is the type of reel you have, let’s get started.

1. Place your thumb on the push-button and hold it in.
2. Still holding in the button, bend your elbow and point the rod tip behind you. Keep your elbow near your side.
3. Release the button as you whip or cast the rod forward.

If only it were that easy! When I was learning how to cast, ESP Boss got the idea of putting a bobber on the end for weight and having me cast in camp. After “catching” one ponderosa pine tree – somewhere around 25 feet up the trunk – we decided that it was best for me to practice casting on the lake where there were fewer things for me to wrap my line around!

The problem with reading how-to-cast instructions is that you don’t get to DO it! When I was teaching CodeWolf how to cast, I walked him through the above 3 steps but he kept shooting the tackle into the lake and breaking the line.

I finally figured it out: he’s a big strong guy; we were using 4 lbs test!

So when you’re “whipping” the rod forward, do it gently. It’s better to cast too close and try again than to have the line break and the tackle end up at the bottom the lake!

Readers Weigh In:

• How do you teach casting?
• Any sure-fire tips to teach somebody how to cast?

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