The Traditional Fisherman's Forum

Loop - you know on.....

Don't tell him Pike.

I have been wallis casting for around 10yrs, although by far I do not rate myself as an expert I have a reasonable style to fish most average sized rivers as far as I need to to catch fish, what I found helped me most was the reel; Wide spool, line coming off the bottom, no line guard and a good nylon float fishing line. As for rods, I like to use all my rods on a rotation basis, although for float fishing my go to rod seems to be my Hardy FWK Wallis all rounder

It just shows you that there is no one correct answer to your initial question Nick. I have in recent years discovered pleasure of using a Pin&Cane combo. This has ultimately lead me to develop the skill of the Wallace cast, so as to enjoy this traditional method fully. I have found that contrary to your initial post, and also my previous preferences, when Wallace casting a float I gain far more success with a slow actioned rod. The reason being a slower pace of cast makes for a more controlled and measured flight or release. With tippy or fast actioned rods I find there is less time to gauge the release and feather the line from the reel as it spins. I am Wallace casting a float well over 50feet now in good conditions.

I have had some experience of Hardy Avons and Allcocks Wizards, both of which are stunning rods with lovely through actions. Great casting rods for sure, however I have gone even further in the through action dept. I am using a B James Kennet Perfection for long trotting/heavier float work, and an Allcocks Melody for the smaller species. Both of which are slow and graceful in action, and a joy to play fish on as result. You get a proper big arc and lots of fun/visual control during the fight, and I find a nice easy slow cast. The only downside is with fast biting roach or dace, slow actioned rods, you have to anticipate the bites more to get good results.

I think that your cast is like your fingerprint, totally unique to you. As are the reasons we all go fishing I suppose, we all share similar joys but from our own unique perspectives.

I must admit to laughing out loud when reading some of the posts, for no other reason than it highlights the different views and attitudes regarding topics discussed on this forum. I have not taken the time to master the Wallis Cast, but I can see how doing so would give great satisfaction to someone that did. I love some of the comments from various members (you know who you are) I guess this is what makes being part of TFF such fun. Well done chaps for making my day!
P.S. Looking forward to seeing some of you at King's Weir, perhaps we will see a Wallis Cast or two!

the secret to mastering the wallace cast is timing,to many anglers give up on it too quickly,just keep plugging away at it and it will come over time,i have trouble using a ambidex now on the rare times i use a fixed spool reel and i get a bit of stick from my pals when im told,what are you doing using that coffee grinder geoff ?

I am with the main group I think. I use a pin if I do not have to cast too far [ three fingers ]. then a threadline reel if distance is required. Makes sense to me!!!

Would it be possible to cast a dead bait with a Young Seldex and a Chapman 700 with a Wallace cast? I know the rod was made for using with a live bait and I think the bait has been placed with a boat. But would the rod have flex enough to give this a try?

That is a "How long is a piece of string question". Or more pertinently; How heavy is your dead bait and any lead used?

If your rod is 2lb test curve then I'd say 2oz - 3oz in total is probably OK. You don't want the rod to have much of a curve when suspending the bait, lead, float, etc.

Thank you Clive
On Chapman homepage the rod has a description as a 4lb rod.
Kind Regards
Mötti