Casting - Beginner - Questions

[vax]

Ok,
Went in the local tackle shop and it was full of shiny things ....
Anyway i left with a Grays GRX s 13ft and a Diawa Emcast 5500 Advanced. So i have a few questions.

1) As i live 10 minutes from Hayling this will be my primary location. What weight should i start practersing casting with?

2) Should i start with the OTG or overhead ?

3) Should i totaly fill the spool?

Thanks in advance

[Henry]

I take it that the emcast is a fix spool reel.............if it is then I would suggest filling this to a couple of mm below the spool lip (slightly under filled) with 30lb braid. When you spool this up I would recommend that you use some tension so that the line can't bite in on its self. Add a 50lb leader (2 lengths of the rod is a good start)
As for casting I would start off with an overhead thump and progress to a style that works for you. It will come naturally.
Id use 5oz of lead (150g) for practice...don't worry about distance to start with just a smooth action and release.
After a couple of hours on the beach you should be able to easily put a lead on its own out to 100yards

[eccles]

Hi Mate, I fortunately moved to Hayling 2 years ago and have always done the overhead thump when casting which rarely got me beyond 70 yds. However, I wanted a Hayling plaice and they don't come closer than about 100 yds so I knew I had to do better somehow. I looked closely at the Pendulum cast but decided it was too complex for me at my age and so went for the "off the ground" style instead. I am pleased to say that I can now achieve around 140 yds with the right rod but it did not come straight away. It was not until Neil Mackellow visited the island a few months ago and I had the chance to chat with him and watch that I finally realised that there is a definite trick to the OTG style which one must learn in order to achieve distance. 13 ft is virtually the perfect length for OTG (Mackellow's words not mine) and that Grays should have the right action although I have not used one myself. I would not start off with braid on a reel like the Emcast as the previous writer has suggested as it can be unforgiving stuff if you are not familiar with it, may I suggest a good 20lb 0.40 mm monofilament line instead until you get the hang of things. I do agree that if you are going to try power casting a length of 50 lb BS shockleader line on the front of the spool so to speak is important for safety reasons although I do not always use one myself - it is not really necessary if one is merely going to to do an easy 60 yd chuck into the briny. If you would like to we could meet up almost anytime as I am semi-retired and I could show you the ropes.

[ekyone]

A finger stall is a good idea with the F/S reel too especially when you first start to put some power into your cast. I use OTG and after a couple of hours tuition have gone from around 120yds to banging on the door of 170yds with a lead only.

[ekyone]

Sorry, my point is that a few hours of tuition is worth 100's of hours trying to sort it out yourself. It took me nigh on 30yrs to have a casting lesson, sooooooo wish I'd done it sooner.

[eccles]

Know what you mean eky, my 10 minute session with Neil was invaluable. My fishing buddy used to laugh at my casting, not anymore he doesn't. Must say I have not yet used a finger stall but it's probably a good idea. Even though I have quite leathery skin, the day will come when I get cut I expect. Let's not get too emphatic about long casting though (for others who may be reading). I only do the long casts for certain species, my recent bass and smuts were taken at around 60 yds or less. Sadly due to the terrible weather we have been having I have yet to chuck out a long one and find a plaice on Hayling. Must have a go now the weather has finally got itself sorted.

[vax]

Well, after a quick session with eccles i have the basics and managed 100 Yards
Thanks again.

[eccles]

NP mate, anytime. Had a go with young Vax's new rod and boy does it go - managed about 160 yds on first chuck.

[maninblack]

Hi Vax,
log on to youtube.com and put "beach casting" into search, you might find this helpful.