Casting

[DoubleShotDamo]

put it this way dammo if i was casting 235 regularly id be a very happy man.did you get lessons to get that far or just a lot of practise.

ive been meaning to go to a casting day but it always seems to clash with work or a match.one of these days.

Just practice. Mind you, a couple of the guys I have practiced with are good (in their day) and pass on loads of advice. The best help I have ever come across was when I got myself videod. It certainly hits it home to you...you think you are doing one thing, but the camera shows you that you definately are not! Take for instance the height of my rod tip during the loading part of the cast; I thought the tip was pretty close to the ground. I was wrong, it was bloody miles up in the air! So I corrected it (to a certain extent!), and added yards instantly. Worth a go.

[maximo]

ill get some practise in before long,its too bloody cold at the moment.

i was also using two clapped out 7hts for clean ground but ive got two supermags and theyve put my distance back up.

[Ollie Jay]

Just practice. Mind you, a couple of the guys I have practiced with are good (in their day) and pass on loads of advice. The best help I have ever come across was when I got myself videod. It certainly hits it home to you...you think you are doing one thing, but the camera shows you that you definately are not! Take for instance the height of my rod tip during the loading part of the cast; I thought the tip was pretty close to the ground. I was wrong, it was bloody miles up in the air! So I corrected it (to a certain extent!), and added yards instantly. Worth a go.

 

Some good advice there about getting your self casting videoed there mate!! never thought of doing that but with my casting id probably knock the bloke behind the camera out!! lol naaaa im not that bad (i don't think) anyway i would love to go up the field and give it a cast or two just to see how far i can get on average but me being me don't look after my gear so i can imagine it would be not very far!! Seen you casting many of times Damo and i have to say.......to cast like that you must have been doing it for years cause it all looks to natural to me!!

 

Ollie

[maximo]

how much difference do you think reel down the butt makes.

[Ollie Jay]

personally id say alot, i used to use it up but after trying down the butt i found it must put an extra 30-40 yrds on my casts then again my mate finds it opposite and tried for a while but never benefited from it! horses for courses id say.

 

Ollie.

[skippytheroo]

Just out of interest how far up the rod does the reel go when casting reel down? Im tempted to try the reel down the rod but im not sure how ill get on with the reducer for reeling in whilst on the rocks....it seems like another thing to worry about where it is Im terrible for losing stuff while fishing

[M.P]

Dammo.

Your distances are very good. I go to a few Tournaments, never to compete only pi55 about and have a laugh. Far too old now for the big distances, burning 6o candles and disabled i can still chuck a lead pretty well, it's all the walking to get it back that beats me. I'M down to 200 on a good day, 185 with a Fixspool, and like you, all on standard tackle.

Will be at Bircham again this year with some of the lads on here. At my age i have no intentions to try and beat any of them, just enjoy it and try my best.

 

I love to watch the guys hitting for the horizon and can tell you mate, some of them would be more then happy with 250+ yards.

Sounds to me like you could do very well with the lads out on a field, give it go.

[DoubleShotDamo]

Some good advice there about getting your self casting videoed there mate!! never thought of doing that but with my casting id probably knock the bloke behind the camera out!! lol naaaa im not that bad (i don't think) anyway i would love to go up the field and give it a cast or two just to see how far i can get on average but me being me don't look after my gear so i can imagine it would be not very far!! Seen you casting many of times Damo and i have to say.......to cast like that you must have been doing it for years cause it all looks to natural to me!!

 

Ollie

Your welcome to come and sling some lead in the summer with me. Hopefully I can get a few of the others up there. Normally there are 3 or 4 of us, then word gets out and a few more turn up. The thing is, they try it for a couple of weeks thinking they'll put an extra 50 yards on the cast, then fail to turn up again!! It's a good laugh.

 

maximo Posted Today, 07:47 PM

how much difference do you think reel down the butt makes

 

Having the reel at the bottom effectively lengthens the rod and slows the cast down somewhat. I cast with the reel low. One tip, with the reel low many people gets some really nasty gashes from the leader knot slicing their wrist! Fed up with blood everywhere, I put the line behind my wrist, hence no cuts. I tipped a few people off about this on a casting site and they all thought it odd, if not impossible! But it does work.

 

 

M.P Posted Today, 08:19 PM

 

Dammo.

Your distances are very good. I go to a few Tournaments, never to compete only pi55 about and have a laugh. Far too old now for the big distances, burning 6o candles and disabled i can still chuck a lead pretty well, it's all the walking to get it back that beats me. I'M down to 200 on a good day, 185 with a Fixspool, and like you, all on standard tackle.

Will be at Bircham again this year with some of the lads on here. At my age i have no intentions to try and beat any of them, just enjoy it and try my best.

 

I love to watch the guys hitting for the horizon and can tell you mate, some of them would be more then happy with 250+ yards.

Sounds to me like you could do very well with the lads out on a field, give it go.

 

 

I attended a tournament locally some years back and it was an eye opener!

[M.P]

Just out of interest how far up the rod does the reel go when casting reel down? Im tempted to try the reel down the rod but im not sure how ill get on with the reducer for reeling in whilst on the rocks....it seems like another thing to worry about where it is Im terrible for losing stuff while fishing

 

 

Up the Butt, down the Butt, Long rods, Short rods, Fixspool, Multi reels etc etc etc. Once you get into the trap you will be forever changing from one to the other.

Stick with what you like best, just because Tom-Dick or Harry likes it one way, won't make it the best way for you.

 

Personally i have just returned to a shorter rod with the reel up the Butt, after 3 years with a long powerful rod and a reel down the butt. Nowadays the shorter rod is far more comfortable and my distances as good, if not better.

 

At the end of the day, ask yourself a question, are you FISHING or out on the field casting and remember, they are two very different sports.

[DoubleShotDamo]

Up the Butt, down the Butt, Long rods, Short rods, Fixspool, Multi reels etc etc etc. Once you get into the trap you will be forever changing from one to the other.

Stick with what you like best, just because Tom-Dick or Harry likes it one way, won't make it the best way for you.

 

Personally i have just returned to a shorter rod with the reel up the Butt, after 3 years with a long powerful rod and a reel down the butt. Nowadays the shorter rod is far more comfortable and my distances as good, if not better.

 

At the end of the day, ask yourself a question, are you FISHING or out on the field casting and remember, they are two very different sports.

Agreed. A hernia pole won't get you any further than your "middle of the road" fishing rod. If you have a good style, develop that. The bad thing about tournaments is you tend to try and copy what others are doing, which they have taken years to perfect. As you say, they are two different things. Casting is just another weapon in your fishing armoury.