FISHING PENDULUM
Rather than attempting to scale the peaks of tournament style, stay at base camp and focus on the compact fishing method sometimes called the half-pendulum
Go aerial and try this cast.
The stripped-down halfpendulum is a perfect bottom rung on the ladder to the top and may be all you ever need. Here, the aerialised swing’s purpose is to put the sinker into the right place for the power stroke to begin. Unlike advanced pendulum styles, it is not meant to increase speed and power. The power stroke that follows uses the same engine as the ground cast shown earlier, fuelled by body rotation and arm action. Basically, there is one cast with a choice of two beginnings.
The significant difference in power stroke between the two styles is that in pendulum
casting the rod tip and lead weight trace a shallow U-shaped path compared to the steady uphill plane of the ground cast. The diagram (below) highlights the key steps:
Position A: The familiar Easy Cast off-the-ground layout, with the rod tip low and the lead weight on the beach inside the rod tip arc. High inertia starts the rod bending immediately the cast begins.
Position B: The equivalent starting position for the pendulum method. The outswing and backswing are finished, leaving the sinker at the peak of its backswing, where it seems to hover for a moment. The rod tip points upwards at roughly the same angle as it points downwards in the ground layout. The sinker is in the same high-inertia position – inside the rod tip arc, above and to the right of the rod.
Positions C, D & E: The power stroke begins with the body unwinding (C) to release its power. The hovering sinker resists for a moment, bending the rod early as it accelerates along the power arc (D). Finally, with the rod under high compression, the arms push and pull (E) to drive the cast into the sky.
1 - GET IN THE SWING
Any pendulum style demands space and ground clearance. The accuracy of the swing determines the quality of the power stroke. A good swing will minimise the effects of mistakes. The swing is always king. Most beginners power the swing with the right arm, the left doing little more than anchoring the butt. Push out with the right arm to swing the sinker away. Then, to reverse the swing and generate enough steam on the backswing, pull back hard and high so that the right hand ends up next to the ear. Actually, that’s the kiss of death – no power! Backlashes and scorched thumbs are inevitable. Ploughing the sinker into the beach is almost guaranteed. We’ll explain later, but for now…go along with the idea that for the half-pendulum method at least, the right arm must not pull and lift to make the backswing. Push out confidently with the right so that the sinker swings away to about head height. At the end of its push, your right arm should be extended almost straight, with the hand roughly at shoulder level. When
the outswing reaches its peak, push down with the left hand to reverse the sinker’s path. Leave your right arm extended, but it will drift a little.
Mess around with the swing before you use it. Work the sinker back and forth with the left hand. Experiment with drop length and swing angle, swing height and sinker weight. Soon you won’t need to look at the sinker. Practise making the swing with your eyes shut.
The smoothest drop length will probably be about half the rod length or a little more. The rod tip settles down as well, but stiff rods may still kick slightly. If you continue to lengthen the drop, it will gradually become hard work. Pick the spot that feels best, then put a mark or piece of tape on the rod so that you can set the drop accurately every cast. It’s your starting point, but later on you can modify it and add extra marks for different sinker weights.
2 - DON’t GO UPRIGHt
When you have raised the rod ready to make the swing, it will lean slightly to the right. The angle varies according to your body shape and shoulder width. Don’t force the rod upright because your hands would be one above the other in the centre of your chest, which is unnatural and awkward.
For most casters, the sinker’s return arc is automatically to the right on the outswing’s path. It is acceptable to turn your head and watch for the top of the backswing, at first, but the sooner you judge purely by feel the better. At the peak of a suitably high backswing, the sinker seems to hover for a moment and is the signal for the power stroke to begin.
3 & 4 - MAKE It HAPPEN
Here’s how it all comes together. Set your leader drop to the sweet spot then go through your normal ground layout routine – stance in relation to target, body rotation, arm position and sinker layout.
Now replace the ground layout with the swing. Raise the rod and let the sinker hang. Everything else stays the same. Without altering your shoulder angle (probably around ten-to-eight), push the rod and sinker out towards eight o’clock. Push confidently to get plenty of height.
When the outswing peaks, push down with the left hand to reverse the swing. The sinker comes back clear of the rod, disappearing up and out beyond your right shoulder. Wait for the sinker to hover. Stop there and then repeat the whole process until it all feels reasonably smooth and under control. Go through the same routine every cast.
Once familiar with the swing angles, delete the ground layout but retain the rest of the sequence, beginning with stance, then body rotation, and so on.
Your swing may go wrong due to, for example, angle, timing, power and lack of feel. Errors are usually down to not setting up the same each time, lack of confidence and an interfering right arm.
Do not try to correct a swing that goes astray or feels wrong. Push out with the right, push down with the left. If the backswing doesn’t put the sinker into the right hovering spot, stop and start again. If your feet and shoulders have drifted out of position, go through the entire routine from stance onwards.
The power stroke is not difficult.
Feel the sinker hovering at the top of the backswing, shift your body weight and start to rotate. Feel the pressure building in your right shoulder as your upper body turns towards the sea, and then drive the sinker into the sky with a push and pull of your arms. Don’t hang back, but equally don’t launch into the power stroke at top speed and with full force.
You should start smoothly and quite gently, but keep accelerating – slow start, quick finish. Bringing the sinker down and around from its hovering point on the backswing, instead of lifting it from the ground, obviously affects the shape of the power arc. The necessary changes in body and arm action generally take care of themselves. Rather than try to control events, focus on the new feeling. Keep casting until you get used to it.