One of the most important considerations in fly casting is the grip. Any grip will allow you to do something that resembles fly casting. However, as you strive for more distance and tighter loops, a grip becomes more critical because it affects how a caster’s intentions and actions are transferred to the rod. In essence, the grip determines how efficiently energy is exchanged between the caster and his or her rod.
The Myth
There are a number of ways to grip a fly rod, and many resources will tell you that they are all equally good. Unfortunately, this is a myth. All grips are not equally good.
What Is NOT An Efficient Grip?
Before we begin comparing grips, imagine a rod with a handle made of soft sponge instead of cork. The handle is so soft that, when you start the stroke, the rod doesn’t start moving immediately, or when you accelerate the rod to an abrupt stop, the rod does not stop suddenly, instead slowing gradually resulting in a less powerful flick of the rod tip. To mitigate the effect of the sponge, many casters would squeeze the handle harder trying to compress the sponge, creating a firmer surface to grip.
“All grips are not equally good.”
What Constitutes An Efficient Grip?
Using the soft, fatty parts of your hand to hold the rod is akin to a spongy handle. In actuality, we want the hardest parts of our hand – the bony areas and not the soft parts – to contact and apply pressure to the rigid surface of the cork. The transfer of energy is more efficient between two hard surfaces than between a hard surface and a soft one.
There’s a tremendous amount of torque that occurs during the fly cast. It’s important that, regardless of what grip you choose, you use a grip that contacts the rod handle with the hardest areas of your hand.