Halloween may be approaching, but your casting shouldn’t get in that spirit!

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

October 2025

By Capt. Scott Swartz

Creep is a casting fault not often talked about. It comes in various forms and often goes unnoticed. It can be subtle. I have seen many guides and even casting instructors creep. It is common. Creeping makes delivering a good cast difficult because there are less room and time to form the cast.

Creep is rod rotation, during the pause, in the direction of the next cast.

When we finish a casting stroke we should stop the rod, and stay stopped, while waiting for line to unroll. This is referred to as the “pause.” During the pause, if we move the rod in the direction of the next cast it is considered creep. This is a casting fault because it uses available distance to form the next cast.

Your back cast needs to completely unfurl to above creeping. Photo by Liz Thornton.

Long stroke length helps us make smooth casts. It gives us time. During that space, we start slow getting the wrinkles out, speed up once the line is tight and moving, then increase speed right up to the stop.

If our stops are at the classic 10:00 and 2:00 o’clock positions on a clock face, we have 120 degrees of arc to make a smooth cast. If the motion is only between 10:00 and 1:00, we have to make the cast in just 90 degrees, or 25 percent less space. That is the effect of creep.

Creep comes in different forms, but most common are “I Can’t Wait”and “The Bounce.”

“I Can’t Wait”folks are anxious for the next cast, and slowly start moving the rod in that direction while the last cast is still unrolling. “The Bouncers”hit the stopping point and bounce back a few degrees to a new stopping point, then wait for the line to unroll. Both have the effect of shortening available stroke length for the next cast.

Hurrying a cast in a short stroke can result in tailing loops and wind knots, because abruptly applying speed and power can dip the rod tip and shock the line.

Identifying creep is easy to do by making a slow-motion video of a cast from the side. Simply look to see if the rod stops and stays stopped during the pause until the line has unrolled. Creep is more common with the back cast pause, so look closely.

The fix is to stop the rod like it has Velcro sticking it to the stop, and do not move until the line is straight and ready for the next cast. Casting habits can take time to change, but you will like your cast better if it is not creepy.

Send your comments or casting questions to:scott@AtlantaFlyFishingSchool.com