Casting your lead to the horizon

[christian kimber]

How can i improve my casting? coming from a fresh water background i used the power in the blank to cast out to about 80-100 yards.

With a beachcaster i'm really struggling to build the power into the blank to get my bait out over 30-40 yards!! not good.I don't mind fishing to med range but sometimes you need to find the fish,and there sometimes at range.

I use a 13 foot abu esprit 4-8 oz beachcaster with a large abu reel.I load this up with 16 pound mono and use a sixty pound leader with 4 oz lead.

Any help would be good

[Kieran Hanrahan]

HI Christian

 

The emphasis should be on producing a smooth casting action rather than trying to load in the power to gain compression in the blank. This is particularly true with multipliers, to which I have only moved in the last year or so.

 

Bit like a golf swing. Get it working right first and then work on the distance. For starters I would recommend the off the ground cast technique.

 

You should be able to hit 100 yards fairly quickly. I will dig up some references and guides to casting but for starts try neil mackellow site.

 

Back shortly...

[GowerRay]

Most obvious choice is to find a Casting Instructor. Most Clubs have one or can recommend someone. Another excellent place for info where you can also buy a CD is off the well known and respected John Holden. I bought the CD recently and found it well worth the money (£12.99 I think). Take a look at it on:

http://www.beachbuddy.co.uk/index.html

[chesters1]

find a place where the horizon isnt far out

[gonefishing]

thats why i fish on a rising tide, the horizon gradually gets closer

 

seriously though, smoothness is the key, especially when using heavier weights...trying to hurry a cast to load the rod can land you in a real mess sometimes especially on heavier leads...

 

also it may help to try a heavier lead...try a 5 or 6 and see how different it feels (do it somewhere where you can cast in safety)...your using a lead thats at the bottom end of the loading for your rod, wack a heavier one on and you'll feel the load, but dont rush it or you'll end up casting the lead at 100mph into the water about 10ft away.

 

it took me ages to get on with a stiffer rod, im starting to reap the benefits now, at least when im concentrating...

[Socksy Squirrel]

You say that you are using a large Abu, what sort of reel are you using?

I try and match the size of the reel to the weight of the line.

I use;

Abu 6500 15 - 18l, or a SL20SH 18 - 25lb

SL30SH 20 - 30 lb line

The reels seem to go better with an optimum weight of line and a level wind is a distance killer.

I can do in excess of a hundred yards with a level wind Abu 6500 but that is with 15lb line and a tapered leader.

You also have to consider the softness of the rod. I have never tried an Abu Espirit so I cannot comment on the rod but a soft blank needs a slow swing building up the speed and the momentum. If you go too fast it will fold up and the lead will go nowhere. A stiff blank can be swung faster and pulled and punched at the end to get that final push!

Try taking it off the ground using a plain sinker only on the beach. A long drop of at least 8 ft of line from rod tip to sinker, lay it out carefully behind you and pull it round. Try to feel the rod and the sinker all through the cast and the rod tip should end up at about 45 degrees to the ground and pointing dead ahead.

Best of luck!

[Guest jay_con]

Neil mckellows site is good. I just got a reply from neil about pendelum casting. ofg is quite an easy cast to start with.

[H.A.]

Get an hour with a casting instructor ......

 

just coming up to my 100th client in the two years since I qualified as a PAA/JAGB Coach.

 

You can call 0870 062 2283 (Sea Angler magazine) for your nearest qualified casting instructor.

[Socksy Squirrel]

I think you have to consider the type of casting you want to do.

I you fish from crowded piers or beaches or from rocks or where the ground is uneven and you want to fish on the bottom then a simple overhead cast is your best option and I would concentrate on developing this style first.

It is very versatile and with a bit of practice it will put the gear out 100 yds+.

If you float fish then a short version of this cast or a side cast will put out light tackle with minimum effort or risk to your fellow anglers or passers by.

If you have more room on a beach or a large and vacant breakwater, no obstructions to your casting side or behind you then I would go for an off the ground cast. Make sure your fellow anglers are aware of what you are doing and watch out for dogs, they may chase the bait!

The pick up is slow but as it enters the right forward quadrant it is moving fast and you are fully committed.

If you are using a clipped down pulley rig with 200g of lead and an 8/0 hook then catching anything will be nasty, you are not going to be able to stop in a hurry and the consequences of hooking something living do not bear thinking about. If you catch Fido then you are going to scalp the beast or flip it in to the sea!

I would leave pendulum casting for the tournament field. It is a fantastic method of casting giving the best distances but I do not relish swinging a string of feathers or a baited trace in that way.

If you fish lonely beaches with no cars on the sea front or passers by to worry about and you know what you are doing then go ahead.

I have seen crack offs go away at funny angles and a weight and a line is nasty enough but you will be sending off a hooked trace that can slice into flesh like a razor.

I would concentrate on developing a style that will put a baited trace where the fish are. Often I will just lob a big bait out beyond the rocky edge, big fish sometimes cruise along the edge of an obstruction looking for an easy meal. Several squid in a sloppy packet on an 8/0 may not cast well but a large and hungry conger will view it as the marine version of a kebab to go. Fishing is about more than casting and sometimes the big beasts are sitting in the holes under your feet.

[Guest jay_con]

Sometimes they are behind a rock at 140 yards. A decent cast could be a great tool to have in your locker.