Fly Fishing Rod Grip 2

So far we’ve spoken about your stance and rod grip in fly fishing. As you know it’s essential to hold the rod firmly to ensure you have it under control. But it would be a mistake to hold it to hard, for the reasons we mentioned previously: lack of control, clumsy casting, fatique.

You should also adjust the length of the hold during the cast to reduce unwanted vibrations at the extremities of movement. In other words, as soon as the rod tip is stopped, slacken your hold. With practice you’ll learn how increase tightness as the stop is being applied, but also how to relax between casts so as to get a better sense of what’s going on and how to adjust your style for the optimum results.

Another disadvantage of gripping too tightly is that you will compress the nerves in your hand and lose sensitivity. In such a case you won't feel the line straightening in the air behind you and have no clue as to when to make the forward cast. A good caster is intuitive, and will feel their way through each cast. And, by doing so, they will control the line smoothly.

Casting as a skill is very tactile, but it is also very much about timing. Indeed, it has been argued, for these reasons, women who love fly fishing are especially good at making tidy casts.