The Rear Power Stroke

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The Rear Power Stroke is the first of 2 power phases in the complete casting stroke.  Its purpose is to maximize the load in the fly rod with the fly line and to unload it with an abrupt stop of the rod.  It precedes the Forward Cast, which loads and unloads the rod in the reverse direction.

The Rear Power Stroke is an ever-accelerating continuation of the preparatory Pick Up step
 

The entire rod tip movement, from end of the Pick Up through the rear stop, is not much over 45-50 degrees
 

The Rear Power Stroke speeds up from the end of the Pick Up (at about 1 o’clock or 90°) to an abrupt STOP (at 11:00)
 

The forearm stops at the near-vertical position
 

The wrist is now used to punch the rod tip to an abrupt STOP
 

This releases the energy built up in the load (bend) of the rod, thus unloading it, and pushes the fly line up and eventually behind the caster
 

This results in the formation of the characteristic “casting loop” to the rear.

The “Pick Up” precedes the “Rear Power Stroke”

Accelerate the rod upright to an abrupt STOP

Note the vertical position of the arm at the rear stop

Because the fly line follows the rod tip, by keeping its “arc” flatter, the fly line will be correspondingly flatter. 

The shorter the caster keeps the distance between the end of the Pick Up and the rearward stop, the “flatter” the arc (i.e., loop) of the fly line will be. 

This produces more aerodynamic efficiency as the narrower loop  creates less wind resistance as the fly line travels through the air.

In other words, for a narrow casting loop, use a short Rear Power Stroke.  For a more open loop, use a wider stroke that scribes a larger arc with the rod tip.

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