Hapuka, people who are in the learning procedure of surf casting often get carried away with the necessity of casting long distances, in general terms this is a fallacy.

The person who is learning to cast generally makes one fundamental error: if they are right handed they generally use only the strength of the right hand to lift and punch the weight out to sea. May I suggest you use the following method, you may be pleasantly surprised at the outcome.

Lay the sinker out behind you so you are in direct contact at all times. Next turn your body toward the sinker, so you are at 45 degrees. You are now ready to execute a very powerful cast using your body for extra punch when you make the cast.

There is one other part and this is most important: do not rely on just the right hand and your turning body for more power, you must learn to pull down on the rod butt with your left hand. Now you are using three separate power sources and the difference it makes to distance is quite amazing.

If you normally use the overhead cast I would suggest you forget about the pendulum cast until you have mastered the power achieved by the cast suggested above. This really isn't difficult, with half an hour's practice you will have it well mastered.

By pulling down with your left hand you have doubled the inertia, by using a body twist, even more so. All by just turning the body at forty five degrees, I urge you to give it a shot.

Of course reverse all this should you be left handed.