STAR LETTER LESS IS MORE

I have discovered that it pays not to let first impressions about tackle get the better of you.

I usually fish with a Century Formula that is more than 20 years old.I like it, especially during rough weather on the beach; it is heavy and rated to cast 8oz. I pair it with a Penn Surfblaster 8000 reel, and this combination casts well with 18lb mono with 60lb leader or 60lb braid straight through.

I recently won a Sonik Gravity Surf 15.4, which is a three-piece, very light and rated for 8oz, and I paired it with the Surfblaster. At first I was going to get rid of the Sonik because I was used to my old rod, but decided to give it a go. I now use it for the river and on the beach in summer.

When I cast with my Century I do my version of the pendulum and have found the more I put into the cast, the further I get. When I started fishing with the Sonik, I found the more I put in with a pendulum cast, it didn’t work. I was a bit disappointed until I fished the river. Being not really bothered about big distance, I did a quick overhead thump and it surprised me, so it seems less is more with the new long rods.

I think once you get used to the thinness of the new rods they will add distance for average casters. Patrick Carter, by email