CASTING QUESTIONS
Q: I can’t seem to get the power with a half pendulum cast. What’s wrong?
John Holden says: If something interferes with the pendulum’s power, it is probably because the rod’s plane is too upright during the final pull-and-push. The best remedy is more ground casting rather than correcting the half-pendulum.
From your off-ground set-up, flatten the rod’s plane bit by bit until you get a more rounded action. A shade more body wind-up won’t hurt either. The left hand should then pull down and across your chest, instead of finishing near your belly button. When you’re happy with the changes, go back to the pendulum swing. Chances are, your problems will be gone.
The critical issue is arm straightness, not hand height. The half-pendulum’s shorter power arc lifts the left hand only to about shoulder height, while in more advanced pendulum styles, the left hand may rise above head height in preparation for pull and push. Q: Can you tell me how to prevent my lead weight hitting the beach during a pendulum cast?
John Holden says: Hitting the beach points to a flaw in swing control, power arc or a mixture of both. Pulling and lifting with the right hand is the most destructive. If your hand stays high, the power arc is drastically reduced and body rotation goes to waste. You can’t deliver a crisp push-pull either, so the cast ends with a shove of the right shoulder and the sinker clips the ground.
The other mistake is to drop the right hand quickly as the power stroke begins, which puts the rod on a better plane but, no matter how quick you are, the sinker dives and hits the beach.
All this is avoidable by controlling the backswing with the left hand and leaving the right hand extended at roughly shoulder height.
Q: How can I pendulum cast from a steep shelving shingle beach?
John Holden says: Like ground casting, the pendulum cannot deal with every situation. Pendulum casting is easy at the top of a shingle beach where it is flat, but lower down there’s no room to swing a lead weight on an 8ft drop.
Ground clearance for the power stroke isn’t usually an issue with the halfpendulum because the sinker comes around quite high, but it’s the initial outswing that causes trouble.
The choices are either pendulum cast from the top of the beach, or ground cast from lower down. It underlines the value of having two styles in your armoury.
Q: Do I need a different rod for pendulum casting?
John Holden says: Ordinary 12-13ft beach rods are ideal for learning, providing they should have the guts to cast a long way with ease, yet won’t rip off your arms.
With long, fast rods, problems may arise when you wind yourself up as pendulum casting demands. Then the rod turns around and bites back. The symptoms are casts escaping early and flying low and to the right. Should that happen, switch to a shorter, softer rod for a while.
You could try shifting the reel to the bottom of the butt. Most rods also feel softer as a result. For me, pendulum casting with rods of 13ft or more feels nicer this way.
Q: Why does my casting go wrong when using heavier lead weights?
John Holden says: If you switch to 170g or 200g instead of a more usual 150g, the extra weight will make itself felt, but should not ruin your technique.
You might be hampered by a rod that is too long or too stiff, but otherwise it is definitely something wrong with the setup, swing, power stroke or timing. If you encounter problems, increase the sinker drop, make a confident backswing and then really slow down (say, half the speed or less) the start of the power stroke. This should bring an instant improvement.