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Fishing - A guide to Take You From Beginner to Expert
Part 2: What Kind of Line to Use and How to Cast
Part 2 of this guide focus' on what line to use and how to cast. Now first off there are a lot of different gauges of string and even more Brand Names. I'm not going cover all of them but enough so that you'll know when to use what and where. After that is the How to Cast Section. Which should be pretty easy to do. Lets get to it.
Step 1: Like I said before. There are a LOT of string gauges. What your string gauge is, is the total amount of weight the string has been tested to handle before breaking. This is printed on the label of your string spool for example: 5 lb. test meaning that the total amount of weight is 5 lbs. after that... it breaks. So if your fishing for fish that weigh more you'll need higher gauged string. Also what string you use will also varie by what reel you use. Open-Faced Reels I would suggest using 5 to 10 lb. test line, Closed-Faced Reels 10-20 lb. test and spinning Reels 20+ lb. test. Although this is just my own suggestion. Alot of times now days you'll see recommended string gauges printed on the package of the reel.
Step 2: Now that you have your line picked out, its time to put the line on your reel. This is a very simple, very easy task. You take the line and thread through the eyes (circle things sticking up on your rod) on your rod and tie it around the spool of your reel, for closed faced reels you need to take off the plastic covering first, opened face, just flip the guard up, and for spinning reels, you just tie it on. It doesn't matter what kind of knot you tie, a double knot will do just fine. After that you just reel it in, just be sure hold the line (this rule applies to all reels) so as to keep it tight so it does not form loops.
Step 3: Now its time to start practice casting. All you need is a wide open area, a field for example, and tie a washer to the string. This gives the string some weight, like it would if you had a sinker, bobber and hook. Now there's three (3) methods in casting, they are (1) underhanded, (2) overhanded, and (3) side to side. They will all be covered here. But first, the rules of casting... every cast is divide into four (4) areas. We're gonna a clock as an example. 12 O'clock pole is sticking straight up, 1 O'clock pola is at a slight angle like the 1 o'clock position of a clock, 2 O'clock pole is at more of an angle and 3 O'clock being straight out in front of you. (see pictures) As for how you cast,
(1) underhanded cast: This cast is useful when there isn't a lot of space either above you or to the sides. Its hard to get alot of range.... but it works. To do this cast think about throwing a softball underhanded, and you get the idea.
(2) Over head or over handed cast: This is useful as long as there aren't any tree limbs above or behind you. Doing this cast is just like throwing a ball over-handed. You can also get some pretty decent with this one.
(3) Side to Side: OK to be honest I don't really remember the real name of this casting technique... but its good nonetheless. You can alot more range out of it than any other tech. It's one of those things that's mostly in your wrist. You gotta do like a flicking motion with the fulcrum-like movement of your arm. Don't worry, its easier than it sounds.

Well that's about it for this section. Stay tuned for next weeks article What Kind of Knots to Tie (And how to tie them) and When is the Best Time to Fish. Also, if you want, you can click the ads by Google. Please leave a comment, and let me know if there's anything you want to know or if you have suggestions on how I can better my blogs.