backcast

[danix]

Hi...could anyone enlighten me as to what the 'back cast' method is?

cheers

[danix]

it's ok.....found it here - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJhgITTRLE0
I dont think I'll be using that one!

[prof tench]

The youtube clip should give you some idea, although I think the little sidestep is essentially a field manouvre. The backcast is so named because you start the cast with your back to the sea and parallel to the shoreline. Other than that the similarities to the 'in vogue' pendulum are obvious, with the lead tee'd up behind the caster on the inswing and then pulled through a long an arc using powerful rods in the 13-15 feet length range.

You may also hear the technique referred to as the Yarmouth or East Coast style, reflecting it's popularity in East Anglia. The method still has it's fans on the Holderness coast where most of my shore fishing is done, although I think it's fair to say that it's use has declined over the last twenty years of the 'pendulum revolution'. It did suffer a bad press back in the day owing to a few wayward swingers, direction control being a problem for some, but like any cast done well you cast straight, high and far. The original rods were a combination of the conflex 100" tips (especially the DC 8) married to 5-6 feet of 1.25"diameter HT dural butt. This was quite some beast compared to the 11.5 feet pendulum rods of the time (1970's) hence the lack of popularity.

The backcast certainly doesn't warrant a bad reputation, it is technically a lot simpler than the pendulum, as you only really use the top hand to control the power and shape of the cast, the butt is anchored above the groin until the lead is released and the bottom hand merely controls the reel. The modern carbon butted rods make a much nicer rod than the originals but are not cheap, I think both Zzipplex and Conoflex still do bespoke backcasters to order, my own is a Century Tiger 205 carbon at 13 foot. Rods tend to be stiffer in the tip than pendulum models and reels are usually fixed 12-18 inches from the butt cap. The technique really lends itself to big leads (6-10 ounces) and fixed spool reels in a way that pendulum gear doesn't. In terms of sheer brutal fishing efficiency backcasting is top flight for big fish, big bait, long range techniques over clean to mixed ground, across strong lateral tides. Certainly if we returned to proper winters with bitter winds, onshore north-easters and a sea full of big cod (we can dream), there would be nothing to touch the backcast/fixed spool combination for distance work. As things stand I reserve use for winter 'best fish' bunfights and rough weather. Apart from codding, I've also used the outfit on Bristol Channel low-water marks for thornies. For 0.4mm mainline work you'll cast further and get your gear back way quicker than with the preferred pendulum/slosh combo, trust me! If you can do a half decent pendulum, with the right gear you should find the backcast a doddle. For pure pleasure I prefer the multiplier/pendulum techniquie, but don't knock the backcast without giving it a go, it's a useful addition to the armoury of shore techniques.

The East Anglian lads will have you believe the roots of the technique lie in the old casting pole technique of laying lines. That may be the case but it is interesting to note, however, that the technique is very similar to that used by North-east rock anglers back in the days of Scarborough reels and Burma poles. When I was a nipper, I saw an old boy launch an 8 ounce flat sinker off Scarborough east pier with this gear and backcast on what was probably about 50lb line straight through. The distance it travelled would make a few of today's posing tackle tarts blush in embarassment.

Anyway, I hope this helps answer your question, if you do decide to give it a go resist the temptation to dive straight in with a 15 foot Fireblade, 13 foot is plenty on the beach and much easier to control. I don't know if anyone offers coaching in this technique, the best two proponents I can think of in this area were Paul Lonsdale and John Byrne but I don't know if either still fish. It was also once the preffered lead delivery mode of choice of none other than Sea Angler editor Mel Russ, although he never promoted the technique in the way he encouraged Neil/Black Beard to do with the more challenging long rod, reel down, pendulum method. Never really understood why, but hey ho, he appears to prefer a boat these days and we we all know you can't count 'em of a boat!

Cheers, T

[philtherod]

Hello and welcome!
Nice to have someone else to share reminiscences with. I can remember Johnny Byrne in the fishing mags of the time, and as an East anglian, the Coull brothers, one jokingly referred to as the "Lowestoft Liability", though I'm not sure which one!
Richard Jacobs was the best backcaster in the period, he held the UKSF record for a while, using just the rods you describe, in the main supplied by Tony Allen as "Wrapped 6", Zptips, etc, I was shown how to by Rex Warren, haven't seen him for over 20 years.
Anyway, welcome, I look forward to some interesting posts.

philtherod

[oldchukka]

we had a back caster from the n.east as a member at n.west casting ror a few years and i,ve watched dave vicary and others at the u,k.s.f, - all good to watch but could,nt get into it myself. i,m convinced that by the time i was about to deliver my cast i would,nt know which county i was in, let alone where the flag markers are. back casters always impressed me on photo,s due to the fact that they were facing cameras during most of the cast and they got 10/10 for facial expression

[inford]

i backcast and i use a zippy tri-core or b14

dean bass uses 14ft appollo and a 14ft wr 300

colin frances uses uses two 16 ft rods made by zippy

allen forder used to use conoflex energiser sport now im not sure what he uses

if you want ive got 2 vid clips of me backcasting just pm your email

the clip shown on utube was dav at the world champs in usa

[prof tench]

Hi Phil

What became of Tony Allen? I remember the Fisherman and Cod 5/6 rods with the red shrink tube and of course the 240T. I had his catalogue that featured PK and Richard Jacobs the year they respectively won the UKSF multiplier and fixed spool events (1979?). It featured one of those flick page, freeze frame photo jobbies that were popular before coaches and video came along.

Johnny Byrne was (is?) a very succesful angler on the Holderness coast. Paul Lonsdale came along later, he came to the fore in fixed spool events including a chuck of ~265 yards in a sea angler event on the same day that PK and A. N. Other (Andy Green?) made 290+ yard multiplier casts in separate events. There was massive low pressure and a SW gale at the time. Believe Paul used to cast with the Zziplex Hustler and Daiwa GS9000 Millionmax reel.

I may want to quiz you on ring spec' for a re-build I hope to get around to sometime, if that's alright with you?

Cheers, T

[digger]

tony allen is still fishing,posts regularly on leader-lines website as does pk.

[StigBlack]

I have an Oil Bath Bearing, Tufnel Scarborough Reel and I want to get a suitable modern rod to use it on.

'Prof Trench', you suggest a coupla rods, ZZipplex, Conoflex etc. Are these manufacturers still doing rods for Yarmouth/ Back Casting? Is Tony Allen still making them and if so, does anyone know how to get in contact with him?

In the same vain, Dave Medd was featured in a recent Sea Angler using one of the reels I've mentioned. Does anyone know what rod he uses and whether he's on any of the forums?