What is the First Cast Curse?

The first cast curse is a superstition in fishing that says if you catch a fish on your first cast of a fishing session, you will have a bad session thereafter. A more extreme version of the first cast curse says that if you catch a fish on your first cast on the first day of the season, you are doomed to have a poor fishing season. This superstition has no high profile origin story and likely just arises out of bias when it comes to recalling the results of fishing trips.

While the first cast curse is nothing more than a superstition, there is some statistical basis to it. Most anglers would agree there is more desirable times to fish than others, meaning fish aren't equally willing to bite all the time. Therefore, catching a fish on your first cast might indicate you are already at or on the waning side of a local peak. The best fishing sessions would require fishing through an entire peak cycle, meaning starting to fish before it has even begun where fishing is slow.

Fishing Culture