The final step to casting farther is learning to âfeatherâ the reel spool. Feathering the reel spool edge or the line on the spool is accomplished by using the thumb to ever so slightly brush the spool edge during the initial one-third of the cast. With the increased power being loaded into the cast now, you have to control the spool speed during at the beginning of the cast until downrange velocity is a little more constant. This takes practice, practice, practice.
Start by not fully removing your thumb from the spool during a cast. Instead of fully removing the thumb off the spool at the beginning of the cast, just leave the thumb to barely brush the line or the spool edge as the line leaves the spool. I find feathering is more consistently accomplished on the edge of the spool. As you practice, your touch will become lighter and more precise. Youâll begin to feel the point where the spool is running smoothly, and at that point in the cast you can completely remove the thumb from the spool and let the reel do all the work.
Here on the flats, weâre using the Team Lews Lite and ProG to consistently make very long casts working structure such as potholes and edges of grass and oyster. Many times catching fish at the end of the cast and adding fish that werenât reachable prior to using these tools
Tobin Strickland (aka TroutSupport.com) is a Lewâs Field Staff member.