Good examples of long range casting from the world record holder. Although he is using a multiplier, the same technique is used for fiked spool. notice how easy he makes it look. Also notice his feet are firmly planted on the ground. This is something that has been drummed into me by casting instructors.
http://neilmackellow.sea-angler.org/otg.html
Another good site is this one,
http://www.fujitackle.com/enewgcB.html As you are all aware, fuji know a thing or two about rings. There advice these days is to choke the line fairly quickly, decrease the size of the rings after the final "choke ring" and finally, increase the number of rings to allow the line to follow the curve of the rod better. Fasinating articles, if you are into this sort of thing.
One last thing, have a look at tournament fixed spool reels, you may be supprised at what is now being used. The spool diameters are comming DOWN, but the spool length is INCREASING. This means line comes off in a much smaller coil, therefore promoting far les line slap on the blank. The line level does not drop too much because the spool is long..almost twice as long as a "big pit reel". Now, I must state that these reels (mitchell and shimano make ones) are VERY expensive and VERY specialised. They are used in the 1-3 oz class casting competitions using approximately 10-12 pound line (it goes by diameter, not poundage in a tournement) They could not be used for fishing as the spindles could not take the pressure of a big fish.
What i am getting at is that ideas are changing all the time. For those of you, like me, who build rods and take a keen interest in casting, this is a facinating subject that leads to some pretty heated debates! If any of you get the chance, go and watch a casting competition, then go home and snap your rods
