SIX STEPS TO BETTER FEEDER CASTING

1 STAND TO ATTENTION For really long casts you’ll have to stand up. This creates more clearance behind you to get the right ‘drop’ between feeder and rod, and also allows you to use the weight of your body to propel the cast.

2 GET THE RIGHT ‘DROP’ This is the length of line between feeder and rod-tip before you cast. Too short and you won’t achieve the force to cast far enough – around 5ft of line is ideal to compress the rod.

3 GIVE THE ROD A WORKOUT Modern feeder rods are designed for casting a long way, so don’t be afraid to put a lot of force into the chuck and fully compress the rod. It may bend alarmingly but that’s what it’s built to do – it won’t break!

4 USE YOUR OTHER HAND I see too many anglers casting using just the hand and arm holding the rod around the reel. This is wrong. Your hand on the bottom of the handle is just as important, as this should ‘pull’ on the rod as you cast, creating speed to propel the feeder further.

5 RIGHT RELEASE POINT When to release line from the spool mid-cast makes a big difference. It should happen when the rod is roughly pointing to 11 o’clock on an imaginary clock face – 12 o’clock will be the point immediately above your head. Let go too early and the feeder will travel in a more upward direction, while too late and it will crash into the water 20 yards out!

6 POINT THE ROD When the cast is finished, the rod should be pointing directly to the spot where the feeder has gone into the water. This will tell you that you’ve been accurate, and is achieved by following through with the rod in a straight line as the feeder flies through the air.