The Back Cast

You are standing angled to the right, forearm and rod pointed straight down the line. Your wrist remains locked in the position previously described. After making sure there is no slack in the line on the ground and the line is straight in front of you, start the line coming toward you by raising the forearm to lift the rod. The movement of the rod is up and back, accelerating smoothly and rapidly. Hold the line firmly with your left hand. Don't let any of it slip through the guides.

By the time the rod reaches the 11 o'clock position, the line will be coming toward you in the air. Bring the rod handle back about 18 inches; at the same time apply power to the rod with a short, smooth, backward movement of the wrist. When the rod reaches the 1 o'clock position, stop it abruptly by tensing the muscles of your forearm, wrist, and hand. After the rod has been stopped, allow your arm and shoulder to drift backward to the 1 o'clock position. The whole movement is brisk and continuous. Don't simply sweep the rod through the air; make it bend.
If you have done everything properly, the line will fairly hiss out behind you and straighten. It will be parallel to the ground and as high as the rod tip at the conclusion of the backward movement. Watch it over your shoulder.
If the line doesn't straighten, let it fall to the grass, turn around and back away to pull whatever slack you may be present and try again. The only purpose of the back cast is to "load" the rod and put the line into position to receive the force of the forward cast. Without a good back cast, a good forward cast is impossible. Practice until you get it right.
Let's assume that either on the first attempt or one that follows the line goes out straight. While the loop, or "U," is turning over, raise your left hand, still clutching the line tightly, about a foot. This line will be pulled out through the guides by the force of the line moving behind you, ready for the forward cast.