Originally Posted by
CM_Stewart
..... 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. .....