How To Make Yours A Lot Longer

[Kevan Farmer]

Forgive me my ignorance but this talk of distance has always made me smile. Ok, I appreciate that there are times hen to get a decent size carp - or catfish/bream etc - then a longish cast may be needed. However, consider this. What if it were impossible to cast over say 20 yds? A normal campaign consists of baiting up an area. What is this done for? To draw fish in to a certain area that you wish to fish. Now if we stuck to this 20yd principle - it's only a figure plucked out of the air - nobody would be baiting up further than 20yds distance. Do you really think the fish are not going to travel in from their usual 180-200 yds haunts? I hope you see what I am trying to get at here, I'm not decrying long distance casting just questioning the apparent assumption that it is always needed - on big waters anyway.

It would probably take a brave syndicate to experiment and try stopping long casting to see if the fish broke their habit of patrolling at distance if only close in baiting were allowed. Somehow though I can't see the fish giving up their free nosh. They would change.

Please appreciate these are merely some abstract thoughts on the theme.

Kevan

 

[Chris Bishop]

I'm not into long range fishing for the sake of it but sometimes pike feed in particular areas which can be a long way from the bank on some stillwaters.

Islands, drop-offs and shallows occur all over gravel pits, while springs or weedbeds out in the depths may attract a fry shoal in winter.

Other times they are driven away from the bank by fishing pressure and getting out there cxan mean the difference between catching and not.

I'm not much of a fan of long casting. It isn't easy to get a half mackerel 75 let alone 100 yards, you can't cast a livebait a quarter of this distance without sending it doo-lally or bashing its brains out and once you're out there issues like will the bait pull off on the strike or mask the hooks, did it land in a tangle, is bite indication effective at that kind of range all come into play.

You might add 10 yards to your cast with a bass blank or a beach reel with polished spool. As one or two have observed, sea anglers are streets ahead on casting technique, for the simple reason they have to be.

Why not practice drifter fishing - it takes time to get the hang of but it's much easier.

Or buy a bait boat.

 

[Rob Brownfield]

Instead of arming yourself with ?1000 worth of rod and reel for that 150 yard cast to the far margin..how about spending ?30 on a pair of walking boots and actually walking around to the far margin and fishing under the rod tip? Silly idea or what!

 

[Chris Bishop]

Tell you what. I'm not the world's best caster to say the least. In fact I struggle to get 70yds and wouldn't be at all surprised if I'd never hit 100.

That's why I like drifter fishing last week. 15yd lob, lie back on your unhooking mat listening to shipping forecast etc on Radio Four and let the wind do the work...

"...Sole, Humber, Dogger, German Bight, blast me I've got one.."

 

[Shrek]

But then Rob, wouldn't you have to cast back to the bank you had just walked round from ?!?!?! LOL

 

[Ron Clay]

Most time in the Fens, to pike or zander grab the bait under your feet.

I use a ?39.00 Daiwa 10 foot rod for such work and it's totally adequate. I often put one of my little Shimano USA style baitcasters on these rods - delightful.

 

[Rob Brownfield]

Adrian..i never thought of that!..lol

 

[Kevan Farmer]

Chris mentions the possibility of a shoal of fry attracting the pike in Winter. Ok, get in there a stage ahead. Bait an area up deliberately for a few days with fine crumb to attract that shoal where you want them - where you can comfortably cast and be reasonably happy that the cast is safe.

I know that there is always human nature and that nagging thought that possibly a bigger pike is not going to move from its nice safe underwater rut. But if the pike's food has gone elsewhere then surely it stands to reason that it must follow.

Kevan

 

[Kevin Perkins]

Thanks everone for reading/replying to the article. If we could perhaps past the carp and/or pike and/or beach qestion, can we not try to amalgamate the whole area it one of 'distance' Is there not a niche in the market for a twin top rod (as per the avon/quiver) which had perhaps a parallel butt with sliding reel fittings, and two tops with differing casting weights. No reference to carp/pike/bass on the graphics, and featured in their own section in catalogues or promotional blurb?
Any manufacturer out there willing to chance their arm, and be mown down in the rush for next season's must have!!!

 

[Steve Parsons]

Century did it's AK47 range,twin tips of differing test curve 1.75+2.75lbs t.c. and a 2.5+3.5lbs t.c.I think FOX may also be bringing out something along these lines.

I have never used any rod like this with twin tips,i would think if there was only a small difference between the tips it was probably possible to make a rod(s) that did work.I would not expect it to be as nice as a dedicated model with only one tip.

As someone who both sea fishes and carp/pike fishes the only rods i use for both are spinning rods for spinning or float work,it would be possible to use carp rods in the sea and sea rods on lakes.Why though ?They are both designed to do totally different jobs in different circumstances.

I remember seeing in one of JIM GIBBINSONS books how he had a carp rod built with a reel seat above the butt grip, this was the casting position ,the reel was then placed in the conventional position for fishing.He stated that casts went further but it was unconventional and fiddly to move the reel.

The reason for having the reel low down is so it doesn't have to be moved as far in the casting action,this allows more of your energy to go into powering the lead away instead of pushing your reel through the air.

 

[Ron Clay]

One of the problems with accurate distance casting with a fixed spool reel if the fact that the line goes over you finger. Most fingers are not strong enough the stay in position to enable you to propel the weight as far as you would like.

You can put a glove over your finger but this impedes accuracy.

With multiplying reels you don't have this problem.

It is interesting to note that some of the longest casts are performed with the reel neat the bottom of the rod. When I fished from the beach in SA I always had the reel at the bottom of the rod. It was a lot more comfortable.

 

[Rob Brownfield]

Twin tips by theory would not make too much of a difference. Its the Butt that does the casting work, so if anything, it would have to be a twin butt job (sounds interesting..lol)

 

[Kevin Perkins]

Rob (Twin-Butts!) Interesting comment that the butt does all the work during casting. I have always been force-fed the idea that it was tip speed (hence fast taper)that got the lead moving. Or is the case that varying casting styles need different actions? Obviously the pendulum cast winds up the whole rod, whereas the overhead thump can never fully compress the blank enough to make it work properly? If that is the case, are all carp/pike blanks (surely designed for mostly overhead casts)suffering a design fault? Your comments would be appreciated

 

[Carp Angler]

If you think only a pendulum can fully compress a blank, then look at my long range article when it goes up on the site, with the accompanying video footage.

 

[Dave O'L]

Ron, I think there is a trend at the moment for the low position for reels but Paul Kerry was writing the other day that he prefers the higher position. I've had a go at 'butt casting' but can't get it together so I'll think I stick to 'up butt'.

I find the advantage of the low position is on the retrieve as the high don't half catch the swonickles if something largish has a pull. The low also allows the use of a butt pad, which you will no doubt have seen in S.A. when beach fishing for shark.

As for the fixed spool, I find that holding the line against the rod making just over a right angle to the spool works fine as long as the clutch is tight.

 

[Ron Clay]

Last night I had a long telephone call with my old friend Jim Gibbinson. Jim was one of the pioneers of long distance carp fishing and helped develop specialist rods for long casting. (Anyone remember his Cloopers? I used a pair in S Africa for years.)

Many of his ideas came from surf casting technology. Jim at that time was a very competent all rounder

 

[Rob Brownfield]

The stiffness and recovery speed of the whole rod aids casting, but the butt is the bit that allows the full force of the rod to be used. Having said that, beachcasters are normally an 8 foot tip and a 4 foot butt. This allows a much better transfer of power as there is not spigot right in the middle of the rod.

As for Cloopers..now Ron, you have bought a tear to my eyes! I flogged mine years ago, I wish I hadn't. History!!!

Rik, u are correct, you can compress a carp rod with an overhead thump, because thats what they are designed to do. Take an Infinity plus and use a Uni cast with it..at full power..and watch the pretty carbon flutter to the ground..hehe.

I cant remember what video it is, but one of the big hitters did a bit on casts. He took a standard long range rod and showed the overhead thump, layback, pendulum and uni, all with the same rod and reel/line/lead combination.

The overhead thump was a measured 130 odd yards, and that was with one hell of a lot of effort, the Uni and pendulum were hitting 160 plus with what can only be described as a gentle, but well timed flick.

Its a fascinating thing to watch in slow motion. Check out the Neil Mackellow and Paul Kerry videos too. 300 yards!!

 

[Kevin Perkins]

Rob, Ron & CA
Thanks again for taking the trouble to read/reply to the article. As you are aware I am a stranger to the dynamics of casting, and I appreciated your words of wisdom. My original assertion was that I feel that we anglers in general are being led by the nose, particularly it comes to 'distance' casting. Tackle manufacturers appear to be waging a war to promote fashion over function. Too often we see reviews along the lines of 'At last, the brand new, all singing, all dancing blah, blah, blah, that YOU HAVE ALL BE WAITING FOR. Oh really - I wasn't aware! Nobody told me I wanted one, should I feel left out?. How much consultation actually happens with end-users. Are opinions ever canvassed as to what is needed in the marketplace, or is the case that we are being now being made to accept tackle obsolescence as being the norm. When was the last time any of us actually wore out a rod? If, say a beachcasting rod from 1980 could cast 200 yards then, it can still cast 200 yards today, tomorrow and probably will do so in another ten years. It may have chrome rings, day-glo orange and green whippings and the legend 'Lead Lobber' in diminishing script all up the butt - still works, though. Rather than trying to forever drive down prices, shouldn't we be asking for better designed, and better quality products, that won't make you a fashion victim after one season?

 

[Danny Brown]

Hi Kevin totaly agree with you,I still do a bit of beach casting but usally carping
and I must admit I've thought about using the old beach gear it would be grate for spodding but most of all out casting those
so called experts that think thay cast 100yds plus

 

[Dave O'L]

I feel that the angling media doesn't help. Obviously ad space has to be paid for but there is too much coziness, sharing the same bed.
Sea Angler is one example & although not as bad as some of the golfing magazines is full of 'must have this superdooperwangler' & repetitious articles about 'how to hit the horizon', from the same journalists.