Pendulum Casting

[Nobby1]

Ok, whats the knack, is there any pointers in getting it right, or is it just a "keep on practicing thing"

[Elton]

Cue Poledark....

[MrWiggly]

It's a knack, You have to get it right, and you have to keep practicing !!

[chappers]

Its more than a knack and I say that because you can be taught, by a good instructor, who will break it down into steps and will teach you to pendulum in a day and save you months of trial and error if you want to have a go on your own then try http://neilmackellow.sea-angler.org/

as a starter and then when you think you've got it get a casting instructor to rip your technique to bits and sort you out. After that then its time to keep on practising.

First ask yourself if you really need to pendulum and if your honest and its only for fishing then the answer is probably NO, because you should be able to off the ground 120-150 before you should even be thinking of stepping up to the pendulum.

I say this after for years sort of doing a swing away type overhead thump and thinking "thats ok I'm getting close to 100yds" a mate of mine then introduced me to a friend of his who was into casting and showed me what he had learnt from a casting instructor a couple of years before.

He made me realise that my 100yds was actually about 70yds but also taught me to cast OTG properly and within about 5 casts I was casting further than I had before.

i didn't take the casting thing any further but now can cast 130ish OTG which I find enough for most of my fishing.But more than that I have learnt how to bend a rod and as aresult can aerialised ground cast to about the same distance.

To sum up my point unless you are into casting for castings sake then the pendulum is not the be all and end all.

[Andrew]

Best thing to do Nobby is to watch someone pendulum casting, better still if you get to know him/her.Then maybe the caster could show you the basics.

 

Practice makes perfect, it wont happen overnight.

 

Have you ever attempted a pendulum cast ???

[macky]

spend an hour with a decent instructer

 

theres a list on the NFSA site

 

macky

[H.A.]

You've only got to watch Barney, Roger, Danny, Neil and the likes to see how much is actually 'technique' finely honed to their own physiques and styles.

 

We are talking trained athletes here.

 

I do instruct, but my aim is to do exactly what 'chappers' has described above.

 

I took some stick for MY casting after the 'Tightlines' thing; but I had to point out over and over that I coach simple, safe casting and that I am neither a tournament caster nor a tournament casting coach.

 

You can read as many books and see as many videos as you like, but an hour with an experienced coach will save you hours of self-taught practice.

[Andrew]

If you ever speak with Big Danny ask him what he done to Lou Marsden's toilet,

 

All i will say is that he was staying at Lou's house and there was a slight accident .

 

PS

Lou used to be the top rod man at Century

[Socksy Squirrel]

You should look at the type of fishing you are doing and if you need to cast long distances.

A good overhead cast is often best from piers or rocks as the distances required are often short and walls or lamp posts may restrict your swing. The style is good for at least a 100yd cast and the fish are often close to the rocks or pier anyway.

The off the ground style is capable of 200yd and it is far easier to maintain than the pendulum style which requires more practice. I tend to use this style off the beach where there is plenty of room.

I would concentrate on accuracy rather than distance, being able to hit the fish holding features again and again is more important than pure distance when fishing.

[Harold.]

Many good points to take on board, mainly safety is first in all cases.

 

You shouldn't attempt the pendulum till efficient in OTG. Get yourself an instructor, it will save a lot of wasted time and frustration.

 

Some instructors are listed here:

 

http://www.the-lounge.org.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=354