10 simple tricks which will massively improve your casting
Achievable goals – adding one percentage at a time – are a far more successful way of improving your angling than setting yourself massive, scary targets.
“Hit the clip. Always! No excuses, no short casts, no bounce backs. Get it right and your presentation and also your catch-rate will soar. Trust me! Like I said, you need to hit the clip perfectly to get the most from it.” Rob Hughes
“Practise and practise more. Loading reels correctly and using suitable rods will help no end. It’s no good trying to cast PVA bags 100yds-plus with soft 2.5lb TC rods. Use a good quality line too, like Gardner’s HydroFLO.” Tim Childs
“When casting to an island, clip up with a bare lead first, then fire your casts straight at the spot, don’t aim above the spot as you will no doubt hit the trees or hit the clip too early and drop it shy of the mark.” Harry Charrington
“These days I rarely cast out a hookbait without having the main line clipped up. Using the line clip allows me to slow the rig down so it makes less noise on landing and ensures I can stay accurate to within a few inches.” Ian Poole
“Always break the cast hard moments before the lead hits the surface. This helps to throw the bait away from the lead thus avoiding tangles and makes ‘feeling the lead down’ easier to read. Learn how to do this.” Shaun Harrison
“It’s about technique, not power. Trying to break the rod in an attempt to cast to the horizon will likely see your rig land shorter than intended. Keep it smooth and transfer your body weight from your back leg to the front as you cast.” Martin Locke
“Practise makes prefect. In the same way golfers go to a driving range, you should take a rubber dog ball, drill a hole in it, pass your line through it. Cast this on a field at a bucket to improve accuracy and distance.” Myles Gascoyne
“To cast accurately always bring the rod across the centre of your head and use the rod as your sight line. If it’s windy allow for the line to travel from one side pulling the lead off of its course. For long-range I cast over my right shoulder.” Ian Russell
“I see lots of lads using rods that are way too powerful for them and they simply aren’t compressing them. If you don’t compress the rod, you won’t get any further with a 3.5lb rod than you would with a 2.5lb rod.” Iain Macmillan
“If you want to get to grips with casting, it’s a good idea to go down to a local field for a couple of hours on a regular basis. Using banksticks to wrap your line around, you work out how far you’re casting and monitor your improvements.” Jon Jones