leg position in fly casting

The correct leg position

In different fly fishing magazines articles were written about the correct leg position for beginners. In some of them the right-leg-in-front-position was mentioned as the best way for a right-hander. This is absolutely wrong. There is no rational reason for such a leg position and anatomically and biomechanically there is only one way of how to do it right:

Basic Cast:

right-hander: left leg in front (toes point in direction of your cast), right leg back (toes point slightly aside to stabilize your ballance)

left handers: right leg in front

The reasons for this position:

what the anatomy of the human body is concerned, it is the only correct position for this movement - simply speaking - the natural position

you can watch your backcast easily without getting a sore neck

from the biomechanical point of you this position allows a longer way of acceleration which guarantees a higher speed at the stop

more time to accelerate means more time to stabilize the rod

left leg in front means much better ballance

The right-leg-in-front-position prevents you from opening your loop while performing the backcast, because your shoulder joint is locked, but therefore most of the students stop their rods in front of the body when performing the forward cast. The loop opens and as a result they get a collapsed cast.

If you don't want to risk a slipped disk, if you don't want to swim when shooting line while wading in deep water with strong current and if you don't want to have a sore neck after exercising on the lawn, be sure to place your left leg in front when performing the basic cast.

Backhand Cast:

When performing the backhand cast the right-hander places the right leg in front, the left-hander the left leg.

This description is valid for a basic cast and for instructors teaching beginners. Of course, when fishing, the situations sometimes demand to choose another position (bottom, current,...).