I have been around for over seventy years and took possession of my first rod (bamboo) at the age of ten. From there I graduated to green-heart, split came, solid glass, hollow glass, graphite, carbon fibre and God knows whatever next will crop up.

I have known many people who I considered as good anglers, those kind of anglers you could almost depend on landing fish, those you knew would figure in the prizes at competitions. In all those years I can't recall one angler who put any emphasis of his (or her) success in casting long distances. I am truly surprised at the number of anglers who are set on this mindset today.

During a lifetime's experience those who fished successfully had one thing in common: their importance attached to carrying a selection and careful presentation of bait.

I take a lot of interest in the gear and methods used in tournaments held in Europe. Some of the new rods to the market are so light it defies belief they can handle a 7oz lead.

Probably the biggest joy of surfcasting is the fact we can work and test our own ideas. In many cases what caught fish yesterday may not catch fish today. On occasions why is it people who fish on the starboard side of a boat catch fish, whilst those on the port side don't. Explain it we cannot - and that is possibly what makes our sport so unpredictable and thoroughly enjoyable.

I have many different rigs based on tried and true methods, on their day they will all catch fish. During that glorious period when I fished the surf at Matata and Pikowhai, without a doubt the most successful rig of all was the simplest: a 30 centimetre running trace. A couple of highly coloured beads as an attractor and a 4/0 hook with anchovy secured with bait elastic.

Other anglers had their methods, ideas they swore by. My simplicity usually meant I had fish in the bag when I returned home and to this day I still believe many surfcasters over complicate their end rigs. To use an often quoted theory from the trout fishing fraternity: 10% of flies catch fish, whilst 90% of flies are tied to catch anglers. I believe the same can be said in surfcasting and the KISS principle: Keep It Simple Stupid, is still the best way to put fish on the table.