precision casting
Overhead, sidearm, pitching, flipping and skipping: when to use each, how to aim at structure, and why the first cast to a spot is the one that gets the most bites.
fundamentals
Precise casting comes from the rod, not the arm. The rod bends, stores energy and releases it. The wrist and forearm lead. Look at the target, not the lure. Direction comes from the rod tip at the end of the motion.
tips
- Keep the lure 20 to 30 cm from the rod tip for normal casts.
- Smooth motion that accelerates. Never a jerk.
- End with the rod tip pointing at the target.
- Practice at home with a bucket or a hula hoop at 10 and 15 m.
overhead and sidearm
The two basic casts. Overhead is the most accurate in a straight line. Sidearm passes under obstacles and is less affected by wind.
tips
- Overhead: use in open water, facing the target. It's the easiest to aim.
- Sidearm: rod horizontal, beside your body. The lure flies low and lands softly. Use it to pass under branches, in wind, and when the boat has little overhead clearance.
- Reverse sidearm (from the other side of the body): when the target is on the bad side of the boat or someone is beside you.
- In crosswind, aim a little into the wind.
pitching and flipping
Short-distance techniques to put the lure into vegetation holes, at the base of trees and in timber, with a quiet entry. Use jigs, soft plastics and weedless lures, with a 6'6" to 7'6" rod and a baitcasting reel.
Flipping: with the baitcasting reel engaged, let about 2 to 3 m of line out. With your free hand, pull line between the reel and the first guide, opening your arm. Lift the rod tip so the lure swings back and, on the forward swing, release the line from your hand. For the next cast, gather the line in your hand without turning the handle. Range 3 to 6 m, with full control.
- Pitching: let out line until the lure is level with the baitcasting reel.
- Hold the lure with your free hand, line taut, rod in front of your body and tip low.
- Press the clutch and hold the spool with your thumb.
- Lift the rod tip in a short movement and release the lure. It swings out low, skimming the water.
- Ease your thumb so the line runs, and brake when the lure reaches the target, so it enters quietly.
tips
- The lure should enter the water with almost no splash.
- Let it fall vertically and stay alert: the strike usually comes on the fall.
common mistakes
- Lifting the tip too high: the lure rises and lands with noise.
skipping
Skipping makes the lure bounce on the water like a stone, to get under low branches, piers and hanging vegetation, where fish hide from the sun.
- Use a lure that skips well, like a soft plastic with a weedless hook or a jig made for skipping.
- Make a low sidearm cast, with the rod tip near the water and a quick wrist motion.
- Aim 1 to 2 m before the opening: the lure touches the water first and skips in.
- With a baitcasting reel, use a high brake and an alert thumb: impact slows the lure, but the spool keeps turning. A spinning reel is more forgiving.
- Practice in open water before aiming at the branch.
common mistakes
- Trying skipping with a baitcasting reel without practice, in the middle of the timber.
aiming at structure
Fish stay in the shade, in the break of the current and at ambush points. The lure has to pass there, the right way, the first time.
tips
- The first cast to a spot is worth the most. Before casting, think about where the current comes from, where the shade is and how the lure will come back.
- Cast beyond the target and bring the lure back to it, without hitting the fish on the head.
- Cast parallel to the bank to keep the lure in the zone longer; cast perpendicular only to probe.
- Start on the edges of the spot and then move toward the middle. Fish at the edge are the first to strike, and hooking one there won't spook the rest.
- Brake the line before the lure touches the water so it lands softly.
- Position the boat at a comfortable distance. Getting too close spooks fish and makes you miss.
common mistakes
- Too much force and too little technique.
- Looking at the lure instead of the target.
- Releasing the line late (the lure lands right nearby) or early (the lure rises and the wind takes it).
- Not braking at the end: the lure goes past the target and tangles.
- Always casting from the same angle.
checklist
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sources and references
- technical Take Me Fishing (RBFF) — How to Cast a BaitcasterTension and brake adjustment, thumb and backlash. Promotional source (a North American foundation), not from a manufacturer.
keep reading
baitcasting reel: setting up and casting without backlash
How the brakes work, how to set spool tension, how to use your thumb, and what to do when backlash appears.
technicalhow to work artificial lures
Zara, prop bait, popper, jerkbait, shad, jig, spoon and spinnerbait: the right movement for each and how to adjust the rhythm to water temperature and fish activity.
gearhow to read a rod: action, power and line rating
What the numbers and letters engraved on the rod mean, and how to match rod, line, lure and reel for each kind of fishing.