Steve Ringer Q&A Special

Steve answers seven of the best questions he was asked at the recent The Big One show in Farnborough…

Your best questions from The Big One show

Q I’m really struggling with my casting distance on the feeder. If you could give me one piece of advice, what would it be? A If I had to pick one thing that makes a huge difference to your success when feeder fishing, it would have to be the ability to cast properly.

On big waters in particular it can be a real edge to be able to out-cast your neighbours or fish accurately at long range.

It can not only help put you into your own patch of water, but also gives you the ability to follow the fish out further as they back off later in your session.

To be honest, I thought I was a pretty good caster but knew there was room for improvement so, a couple of years ago, I booked a coaching session with one of the country’s best carp anglers and extreme casters, Mark Hutchinson – it was an eye-opener!

The best bit of advice I can pass on is this: If you’re a right-handed angler, what you do with your left hand makes a massive difference.

Most right-handed anglers tend to throw their shoulder into the cast, when in reality all your casting speed should be created by your left hand.

What I’m basically talking about is pulling down hard on the butt of the rod with your left hand to gain that all-important tip speed which helps propel the feeder out much further.

As a guide, when you’ve finished the cast your left hand should end up practically tucked under your right armpit.

2 STAND TO ATTENTION For really long casts you need 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. This is the length of line...

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...