Hello All,

I am a right handed caster and would like to be able to curve cast to my right while still keeping the rod to the right side of my body or in the verticle plain.

I am able to curve cast to both my right and left by lowering the rod to either side of my body and doing a sidearm tuck cast or variation of it depending on how much curve I am trying to achieve.

Often, I run into a scenario where I have to keep the rod predominantly in the verticle plain or to the right side of my body and I would like to curve the cast to the right. Is there a technique for doing this? I have tried all-sorts of goofy wrist movements and have had no such luck with it.

Help,

CG

Hi CG...

I think I understand what you're saying you want to do (but perhaps not). Anyway.... if I understand your two goals correctlly, the answer to both is to make the casts with your left hand. Your right wrist/forearm isn't built for the move you need no matter how you pretzel it.
In the case of "want/need to keep the rod to the right side of your body"...
it's likely a matter of casting left handed with your body moved to the left of the rod in it's vertical plane. Your stance would resemble a left handed swordsman at "en garde". Awkward, but still possible. Think of casting over your right shoulder with your left hand - and then simply move your right foot back in order to face your body 90 degrees to the right from the original stance.

HTH
5/0

Try this trick... at the end of your cast, the very end, swing your reel to the left for a left hand hook and the right for a right hand hook.
Remember, the line follows the path of the rod tip.

Jackster hit it. Throw a high back cast (steeple) and overpower the forward cast. Swing the reel to the right (which in turn swings the tip of the rod a little right) after you make your stop. It will throw a nice little hook. I've done it accurately out to 50', but never need to on the river. You won't get quite as far of a hook (distance from the bend of the line to the fly) as a sidearm cast will, but you can get around reasonable obstacles with it.

Thanks,
casts

Jackster & CBF...

Am confused... is "swing the reel to the right" a movement of the reel accomplished by rolling the wrist counterclockwise or is it accomplished by moving the hand to the right while keeping the elbow tucked and folding the wrist enough to keep the rod in the original target line?

Best,
5/0

Jackster, as usual, is right on the money.
Nimrod

Maybe a better term would have been to pivot the reel to the right or left with the forearm or wrist being the pivot point.
if that makes any sense!

Jim, several years ago I watched Lefty Kreh in person, and I was the target. He darn near wrapped the line around me from quite a distance. He rolled his wrist sharply in either direction to effect the desired turn.
Nimrod