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Australian Casting History Australians have been casting on football and hockey fields (and the odd racecourse, golf course and cow paddock) for over 40 years, right across the country. Their numbers have always been minute, and until very recently,
virtually all casting has been tied to fishing associations, such as the N.S.W.F.C.A (the N.S.W Fishing Casting Association). Competitions were inter club and inter state, with most of the casters also being excellent snapper fisherman, able to heave a 4oz sinker and strip of cuttlefish a solid 80 metres, their 6:1 Seascape screaming 30lb mono (notice I only said 80 metres. Angler exaggerations about distances cast are even more pronounced than exaggerations about fish size!). Casting was a component of the State and National Shield, and along with Beach, Rock and Estuary, Deep Sea e.t.c… it was an opportunity
to gain points towards being state or national champion. Although taken very seriously, the equipment was quite primitive, usually an anglers snapper stick, occasionally with a new spool of line. The rules were level line casting, meaning the line on your reel had to be the same as tied to your sinker. This meant that anglers hoping to get the furthest cast had to tread warily, balancing the advantages of thinner diameter lines with the potential for line snap mid way through a cast. Leader line casting developed when the limits of level line were established as means of getting more power and distance and this is where the story of modern casting in Australia begins. In the U.K, shock leaders have been the norm in their casting for many years. Tournament casting had been flourishing since the mid 1970’s and the UKSF (United Kingdom Surf Casting Federation – the U.K’s main casting body) shows casting records going back to 1979.
Our last Australian Championship was held in June 2009 where 17 casters attended. We are proud to say that our records are now internationally competitive, our technique and numbers are growing, and we are looking forward to the future.
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