Q: “Though I feel that I am a decent caster, sometimes when I shoot my line to make a presentation, the line will wrap itself around the rod handle or reel seat. How can I correct this problem?”
-Anonymous Reader
A: On a recent trip to the Bahamas, I witnessed a couple of anglers miss bonefish because of the problem you are having. It’s a common casting fault, but don’t worry; it’s easy to correct.
This problem occurs at the end of the backcast if the rod and line hands are well apart or if the angler’s line hand is stationary as the rod hand moves to the rear on the backcast.
In both situations, as the rod hand comes forward on the forward cast, the two hands approach each other, creating slack. As the cast finishes, the slack often wraps around either the rod handle or the reel.
Here’s the solution. If you don’t use a double haul, the line hand should follow the rod butt on the backcast so that, at the end of the cast, the two hands are close together. If you are double-hauling, as soon as the first haul is completed, the line hand should travel back until it is in front of the rod butt. In both cases, the two hands will travel together on the forward cast, and there won’t be slack.
