Casters

[ThamesTrotter]

According to Benny Ashurst in his book Match fishing with Benny Ashurst,he started experimenting with sinking casters as loose feed in 1953. By 1956 he was using these on the canals in Lancashire and the river Weaver with great success.He then took them to the river Trent where he and his friends used this new approach to win many matches.This became the standard approach for years until Dave Thomas and his pals from Leeds started the maggot revolution.
Prior to this caster or chrysalis as they were referred to were only used ,seemingly, as a hookbait.Benny's discovery of how to arrest the development of the caster at a stage where it would sink opened up a whole new approach.

[Bob Brookes]

Thanks to all for your research and information.
It certainly seems likely that casters came into general use in Warwickshire during the time I was away from fishing. When I started fishing again in earnest in the '70's I was living in Nottingham. By then their use, and the name caster, was really in vogue.
Thanks too to Benny, Kevin etc.
Bob