How many are yours?

February 2025

By Capt. Scott Swartz

Scott Swartz founded the Atlanta Fly Fishing School, which began in 1999. It is the largest such operation in the Southeast and the only Trout Unlimited “Gold Endorsed” school in the United States. His Florida Fly Fishing Schools started in 2008, helping anglers learn to successfully fly fish in saltwater.

Q. What is the most common fly-casting mistake?

A. Sometimes it helps to focus on what NOT to do as much as what to do. After 25 years teaching, the most common error I see is too wide of a casting arc. The extra wide arc is caused by “breaking” the wrist on the back cast and dropping the tip on the final forward cast.

Following is a list of the 15 Most Common Casting Errors from the International Federation of Fly Fishers, reprinted below by permission of the copyright holder Gary A. Borger. My comments are added in italics.

1. The cast is started with too much slack line on the water. Remove as much slack line on the water as possible prior to the pick-up cast.

2. A two stage back cast. Casts should smoothly and continuously increase in speed until the stop.

 3. The cast is started with the rod at about 45 degrees above horizontal. Position your rod tip low prior to beginning your pick-up cast to remove slack.

4. The rod goes too far back on the back cast (until the rod is horizontal to the water). This is the number one casting fault I see! If you find yourself doing this, try stopping the rod next to your ear on the back cast and think of your back cast as an ‘up’ cast where you are trying to make your back cast above horizontal.

5. The wrist is turned out on the back cast; on the forward cast the wrist is then turned inward. The rotational twist of the rod, out and back in, can open the loop sideways and cause the leader to “kick” to the side. Keep the reel pointed in the same direction throughout the cast.

6. On the forward stroke the casting arm is thrown straight forward. There must be a balance between forward movement and rotation of the rod.

7. The rod hand drifts forward during the pause between the back cast and the forward cast (this is also called creeping). This is another very common fault. On the back cast simply stop and stay stopped. Do not begin the forward cast until the loop has unrolled behind you.

8. The forward cast starts fast and ends slow. This fault often results in tailing loops due to a dipping rod tip path. Instead, start slow and end fast. Steadily increase speed during the casting stroke. Note: you cannot start a cast too fast if you can finish it even faster.

The forward portion of the cast should start fast and not slow down. Photo by Jimmy Jacobs.

9. The line is released too early during the stroke, shooting line before a complete stop. You must stop the rod, forming the loop, before shooting line.

10. Wrist casting. Common error, but it works for short casts. Why make the smallest muscles in your arm do all the work?

11. Forearm casting. This is another common error that works. Upper arm, forearm, and wrist should all work together. Use the best ergonomics for the most effortless casting.

12. No / insufficient pause between the back cast and the forward cast. Wait for a loop to unroll before beginning the next stroke. If your timing is really off you may hear a “crack-the-whip” sound. Hear that sound, and you need to check if your fly is still attached.

13. A roll cast in which the forward stroke is started too soon. Static roll casts work best when the line has stopped moving and the surface tension of the water helps to hold it. Modern techniques that employ dynamic roll casts, switch casts and spey casts have blurred the line on this fault.

14. A roll cast in which the rod is stopped too low on the forward stroke. This is a universal error of many casts, not just the roll cast. Often, we attempt to throw the fly the way we learned to throw a ball, with follow-through. Even on roll casts stop the rod crisply while the tip is moving toward the target.

15. A roll cast in which the rod is stopped too high on the forward stroke. Again, stop the rod while the tip is moving toward the target.

Is your casting on this hit list? Fixing faults will keep most of us busy for a while…but happily busy on the water.

Questions or comments? scott@Atlantaflyfishingschool.com or scott@floridaflyfishingschools.com