How Terry Hearn keeps his casters fresh

“How many pints I buy is obviously dependant on the fishing situation, but for edge fishing or lowering/dropping from a boat, as I did in the Little Grey film, then I really don’t find the need to use too many. I used to use around a pint a night, and that was split between two rods, but like I say, that was in a situation where I was able to keep everything tight, and on a lake with very few nuisance fish. If I was Spombing or spodding them fifty-yards then I’d probably be inclined to use more, and I’d be more likely to bulk them out with hemp too.

“Probably the most important part about using casters is keeping them fresh. The three things which will turn them fast are light, air and temperature, so ideally you want to be buying them separated into sealed, pint-sized bags, as once you’ve opened a bag and exposed them to air and light they’ll turn pretty quick. Obviously it’s best to leave things like tying up your PVA bags until the last minute, just before it’s time for a recast. 

“I keep my casters wrapped in a small Thermos bag, with an ice pack, and bearing in mind the time of the year that I’m most likely to be using them is through the cooler months of autumn and winter, keeping them fresh on the bank has never been a problem. I regularly bring unopened bags of casters home with me after two or three nights on the bank, and I just pop them back in the fridge for my next session. Stored correctly, I find that they last two or three weeks in the fridge, no problem at all. 

“One last tip: don’t put your casters directly on top of your ice packs as you’ll get freezer burn, resulting in black spots. I simply wrap my ice packs in a carrier bag or small hand towel, which does the job just fine.”