FLY CASTING TIP - THE BENEFITS OF OFF SHOULDER CASTING!
The off shoulder cast is an imperative cast to have in your fly casting arsenal! This cast benefits you in so many ways, and I am going to tell you how!
If you are a right handed caster and the wind is blowing on your right side, angling the tip of your rod over your head down-wind off your left side (like in the picture above) - NOT CROSSING YOUR CASTING HAND IN FRONT OF YOUR CHEST OFF THE LEFT SHOULDER - is a great way to get your cast off in a hurry to right side of the flats skiff without having to take your eyes off the fish. I personally like to present my back cast at this time, but for most, it's tough to put the fly where they want without keeping an eye on the fish at the same time. This cast is great for just making a cast without giving the wind a chance to blow your line in the air into yourself while presenting the fly to the fish and then missing the fish. It does actually take some practice, but what cast doesn't! You can use this cast anytime you need to present your back cast -- like when you're casting perpendicular tight to the mangrove trees, or off the front right side of a drift boat fishing the right bank.
You want to make sure that you don't cross your casting hand over your chest while false casting. The reason for this is that your casting stroke length is dramatically hindered by your body being in the way. If you just turn the rod tip to the left side of your head and cast on your right side just like you normally would, you will just move the rod tip at a different angle and be able to keep your normal casting stoke length and not be forced to shorten your stroke length. Plus you are able to keep your casting strength high and not use muscle that has not built any memory for this type of cast since it's a different casting stroke than what is normal. Stay tuned for more killer casting tips!
