Does anyone else cast backwards?

[Silver Creek]

I tend to fish in areas where I don't have a lot of area behind me where my back cast won't get snagged on trees and other debris.

Consequently I have taken to facing the trees/bushes that are behind me, guiding my line/fly into the open slots in the brush then turning forward for my last cast to guide it to the spot on the water where I want to place my fly.


Does anyone else do this???

I do it a bit differently. I am a right handed caster. To pantomime what I do, grab a pencil or pen in your right hand and hold it like you would your rod handle. Do what I describe. You are now facing your computer screen.

I place my body so that it is parallel to rather than facing my target. So imagine that your left side is toward the bushes. Your right side then is toward the water and where you what the fly delivered.

Turn your head to the left toward the "bushes" and make a cross body forward cast to your left. When you make this cast, the pen/pencil (rod handle) and the palm of your casting hand is toward you and you can see your fingernails. you have just made a forward cast into the slot between the bushes.

Now turn your head to your right and spot your target area on the water. After the rod stop on the cast to the left, rotate your rod hand so that your palm faces away from you. Now make another forward cross body cast to your right.

By placing your body parallel to the casting plane and rotating your hand between what would normally be a forward and backcast, you can make TWO FORWARD cross body casts.

You accuracy will improve because you deliver both casts with a forward casting motion AND you do not need to rotate you body between cast to see the target zone on the backcast delivery.