Quote Originally Posted by CM_Stewart View Post
..... Although most tenkara anglers use much more wrist, it you have a good western cast you don't have to change much at all (at least if you follow the Joan Wulff school of casting rather than the Lefty Kreh school of casting!). The one thing you absolutely must change, though, is the followthough. Do not, Do Not dip your rod tip at the end of the forward cast. .... You must smoothly accelerate on the back cast and stop the back cast abruptly with the rod just past vertical. Pause until the line straightens behind you. You should be able to feel it tug on the rod when it does, but watch the back cast in case you haven't yet noticed the tug. As soon as the line straightens, start your forward cast. ....
The cast should not be just wrist. You should move your upper arm, forearm and wrist. Review Joan Wulff's on-line videos of a fly cast. Her comments about the wrist snap that ends a forward cast - like using a screen door - push with your thumb (most tenkara anglers grip the rod with the index finger on top rather than the thumb, so push with your index finger) and pull with your ring finger and pinky) are THE key to a tenkara cast. .....
I would agree with Chris that Joan's description of how to cast is very much in line with what I think I know about Tenkara casting. And her style of casting is more Tenkara-like that other western casting instruction I have seen.

I really like her description of an imaginary line between your eye and the target point, and to make the power snap when the rod is perpendicular to that line. Or stated another way, make sure the fastest part of your forward cast is after your rod reaches that perpendicular point. I think you can also think of making the fastest part of your back cast after the rod reaches that perpendicular point too.

Joan Wulff Teaches the Basics of Fly Casting

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KyThAv-WPSg



It's not in this video, but I think it was in another video using a lot of the same video where Joan emphasizes the importance of keeping a little space between the palm and the rod grip. That is hold the rod grip lightly. Don't hold it tightly like driving a nail with a hammer. I think that does two things: it improves the cast, and it helps the rod tip osciallation to dampen out faster at the end of the forward cast.

I think the important result of learning to improve your casting technique is not to just be able to cast, but with better casting technique you will be able to cast a lighter line well, which will allow you to fish and hold more of the line off the water than is possible when fishing with a heavier line. And help you to better cast in wind because you have learned how to transfer more power into the line from the rod motion.

As for the thumb on top used with western rods. Actually if you look at a lot of Japanese tenkara fishing videos some people do cast with with the thumb on top, mostly the older generation. I do think it is a more natural hand arm alignment, and I cast with that grip from time to time. I find it a useful way to use a different set of muscles during the cast. Particularly useful during a long afternoon of fishing especially when fishing with a long rod, 3.9m or longer, and a long line. Not so much useful when fishing with a rod of 3.6m or shorter with a short light line. Worth trying from time to time.

D