Casting Tips for Improving Your Technique

Unless you use a cane pole with no reel, you will need to learn various casting techniques to put your lure or bait where you need it to go. Fishing conditions vary by location and season, so a few tips for a better cast could help you to land more fish.

Whether you are using a baitcasting or a spinning combo during your Alaskan fishing charter, the cast types are mostly the same. So you can use the same types of casts when using spinning or baitcasting fishing gear. The only real differences are in how you handle spinning and baitcasting reels.

Choose the Right Casting Method

Here are several commonly used techniques for how to cast better when fishing:

• Overhead
• Sidearm
• Backhand
• Slingshot

The overhead technique is the most commonly used cast and works well on a boat or in an open area. It does leave you vulnerable to any overhead branches that might be in the area and possibly catch your line.

A sidearm technique is best when tree branches or other obstacles are overheard, and you need to cast your line beneath them. The backhand similarly enables you to avoid water-level obstacles and place your lure or bait where you need it to go.

The slingshot is a trickier cast to perfect but enables you to hit tight spots during an Alaska fishing trip, like beneath a dock or under very low-hanging tree branches where fish are lurking. The slingshot cast happens when you use your free hand to pull back on the lure and bend the rod back like a slingshot. Then you let go and give the rod a slight thrust toward where you want it while releasing the line like you would with a normal cast.

Spool the Line Correctly

You cannot get the best casting results without having your reel ready to support the maximum distance with each cast. If you put too much line on, the line could drop off on its own and cause tangling – especially on a spinning reel.

Whether you are using a spinning reel or a baitcasting reel, you should fill the spool until there is about an eighth of an inch remaining between the spooled line and the outer edge of the spool. The line should come off the spool the same way it would on the reel to prevent the line from twisting and tangling.

Most spinning reels unspool in a counterclockwise direction when casting. That is how it should come off the spool when loading the reel. When spooling a baitcasting reel, the line should come off the spool with the sticker side facing up.

Practice With Our Charter Service

You can practice your casting techniques and improve them with the help of a Phantom Tri-River Charters guide in Talkeetna, AK. We specialize in salmon charter trips of a lifetime. You can book a trip by calling (907) 733-2400.

Categorised in: Fishing Technique