Hopefully we have gone one better. Gareth came over from France a couple of weeks back shot a short film of Mark and myself discussing sensible choice of balanced tackle and then it runs into casting techniques whilst Mark runs through a tutorial with a great volunteer. The volunteer ended up casting almost a third again on his first ‘own style’ attempts.

This should tell, show and say so much more than words on paper ever can. It will be added to the growing list of free videos on the Quest Baits website http://www.questbaits.com in the video vaults section as soon as the editing is complete in the next few weeks.

One thing which always amazes anglers at the shows when we do the Free Spirit casting demo’s is the fact that we don’t just use ’state of the art’ ‘top of the range’ equipment.

Mark was casting spods of pellets 196 yards at the Brentwood Show this year with a rod which cost less than £100 and a reel of much less money. Technique and balanced tackle is the main thing. During the 25 years I worked at Walkers of Trowell we never once had a rod in stock with a short enough handle for me to get the most out of it in casting terms. This is why the Free Spirit custom build service is so important.

Food for thought perhaps?

Best fishes
Shaun

I have been on one of Mark’s casting days too. It improved my casting no end and I also know that I can still achieve more with practise.
It doesn’t matter how long you have been fishing and how much you think you know there is still room for improvement, If there wasn’t I don’t think I would have the same level of enthusiasm.
The butt length is vital to the cast as if it is too long you will not be able to pull the cast through and likewise if it is too short you will not be maximising the full power of the rod.
Like I say it would be nice if Shaun wrote a piece on this as he can chuck a lead an unbelievable distance and he does demonstrations with Mark at some of the shows.
The distance these guys can chuck a rig is awesome and when required is an invaluable edge that will certainly put extra fish on the bank.

Cheers

Jamie

Couldn’t agree more with your thoughts regarding the balance of your set-up, its something I noticed when using my mates Shimano LC’s on my Free Spirit XS’s (3.25lb), I didn’t like the weight of these at all, and found it totally changed the feel of the set up.

Another recent event made me think about my set up even more, and that was a day spent with Mark Hutchinson trying to improve my casting technique. Mark is a great bloke, with a really good teaching style. He not only explains the mechanics of casting but also the importance of getting the balance of your set up right, and also demonstrates the correct length of butt to match your height and arm length. I really enjoyed the day, put yardage on my casts, and would definately recommend it as money well spent (In my opinion given how much we all spend on rod and reel set ups its a small price to pay to get the best from our equipment).